Overview
- An international consortium proposes a roughly 50‑mile, ~150‑meter‑tall flexible barrier anchored to the seafloor in front of Thwaites Glacier to limit the inflow of warmer water.
- The effort remains early stage, with a three‑year R&D program to refine materials and mooring designs before any decision on Antarctic deployment.
- A 150‑meter‑long, 40‑meter‑tall prototype section is planned for Ramfjorden in Norway, with a separate ecological study slated for Mijenfjorden in Svalbard.
- Reported price tags run to well over $80 billion, drawing scrutiny over technical feasibility, environmental risks, and whether such intervention diverts focus from cutting greenhouse gases.
- Recent field drilling detected warm, turbulent water capable of substantial basal melt beneath Thwaites, heightening concern over a glacier that could raise sea levels about 65 cm and currently contributes roughly 4% to annual rise.