Antarctica’s ‘Doomsday Glacier’ May Get an 80-Kilometer Wall—Here’s Why Time Is Running Out

Thwaites Glacier’s size isn’t what most people notice about it right away. It’s the quiet. A huge white slab with broken edges that resemble broken porcelain can be seen stretching toward the sea in satellite images. But something more disturbing is described by scientists who have flown overhead: long cracks that resemble veins and grow wider every year, subtly signaling change.

Often referred to as the “Doomsday Glacier,” this glacier is already causing about 4% of the rise in sea level worldwide. That figure seems arbitrary until you consider that it corresponds to flooded streets in cities like Jakarta and Miami. This single area of Antarctica seems to have turned into a sort of stressor for the whole world.

Researchers are now suggesting the construction of a huge underwater curtain, an 80-kilometer wall anchored far below the ocean floor, in what seems like a scene from science fiction. The objective is not to halt the glacier’s movement. It is to prevent it from being touched by the ocean.

Thwaites has been melting from below for decades as warm, salty water seeps beneath it. Instruments that measure water temperatures just a few degrees above freezing have been dropped through drilled holes in the ice by scientists standing on the deck of an Antarctic research vessel. That little warmth is sufficient. If nothing is done, there’s a chance the glacier will totally collapse.

Sea levels could rise by more than half a meter worldwide if that occurs.

That’s the part that people find hardest to picture.

By acting as a shield, the proposed curtain would prevent warm currents and permit colder water to replenish the area close to the glacier’s base. Engineers envision a flexible structure that is anchored 650 meters below the surface and sways slightly with the tides. Humanity attempting to engineer stability at the edge of the world seems almost unreal when viewing computer simulations of the design.

Nevertheless, there is an obvious sense of desperation in the concept.

Emissions reductions might not be sufficient to slow the glacier down. Ice reacts even more slowly than climate systems do. Some scientists are beginning to believe that focused interventions could buy time, even if they are unable to address the root cause.

Not everybody is in agreement.

Some scientists are concerned that constructing such a structure might alter ocean ecosystems in ways that are still unclear. The Antarctic is not a desert. Strange creatures that have adapted to conditions that have existed for thousands of years drift through the dark water beneath the ice. Whether a huge barrier would damage those delicate systems is still up in the air.

And then there’s the price.

Estimates vary from $40 billion to $80 billion, which is such a huge sum that it almost becomes meaningless. Supporters counter that the alternative might be much more costly. The cost of relocation, coastal defenses, and economic harm could be in the trillions. The curtain begins to appear less like an extravagance and more like a well-thought-out gamble in that situation.

The project is still in its early phases, and testing of the prototype is scheduled to take place in Norwegian fjords. Engineers are interested in how ice reacts, how currents change, and how materials behave under pressure. It’s a methodical, slow process that takes place far from the public eye.

The changes are more noticeable out on the ice itself.

Scientists who are drilling into Thwaites have reported hearing what sounds like far-off rain as meltwater moves below. Every day, data is transmitted by instruments lowered into the glacier, exposing a dynamic system. It seems as though time itself has joined the experiment as you watch those numbers change.

Antarctica has always appeared to be permanent and unaffected by human activity. It’s a fading illusion.

Uncomfortable symbolism surrounds the concept of erecting walls in the ocean. Walls have been used to keep threats out for centuries. Scientists are now thinking of one to prevent the ocean from invading.

If this works, one can’t help but wonder what will happen next. Similar safeguards might be needed for other glaciers. In the future, entire coastlines may rely on engineered solutions that combine artificial and natural defenses.

Alternatively, the curtain may never be constructed.

There are still many technical challenges. Political disputes, shifting ice, and Antarctic storms could halt the project before it starts. International treaty governs Antarctica, and any significant construction would necessitate international cooperation, which hasn’t always been simple.

The dialogue itself, however, indicates a change.

The fact that climate change is no longer a remote threat is becoming increasingly acknowledged. It is evident in the rising seas and melting ice. Furthermore, people are becoming more than just observers of the changes. It is thinking about getting involved.

There is a subdued awareness as this happens that the most isolated glacier on Earth has assimilated into daily life in other places. The events at Thwaites could ultimately influence the housing, employment, and reconstruction of millions of people.

The ice is still breaking for the time being.