When it comes to glaciers and sea-level rise, Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica gets most of the headlines—and for good reason. But it’s not the only glacier scientists are watching with growing concern. Around the world, several other massive ice bodies are destabilizing under the pressure of warming oceans and rising global temperatures. These glaciers may not be household names, but they carry serious implications for coastlines, water systems, and global climate stability.
1. Pine Island Glacier (Antarctica)
Located just west of Thwaites, Pine Island Glacier is often referred to as Thwaites’ “twin in collapse.” Together, the two glaciers act like a plug holding back much of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. Pine Island has been thinning and retreating rapidly, losing over 58 billion tons of ice annually. Like Thwaites, it rests on bedrock below sea level, making it vulnerable to warm ocean currents that undercut and destabilize it from beneath.
2. Jakobshavn Glacier (Greenland)
Greenland’s fastest-flowing glacier, Jakobshavn, was once the single largest contributor to sea-level rise. In the early 2000s, it doubled its speed and retreated more than 30 kilometers. While a temporary slowdown occurred around 2016, recent data shows it’s thinning again. Jakobshavn drains about 7% of the Greenland Ice Sheet and contributes directly to sea level—especially alarming given Greenland’s overall ice loss has quadrupled since the 1990s.
3. Totten Glacier (East Antarctica)
While West Antarctica gets most of the attention, Totten Glacier in East Antarctica is equally threatening—and far less understood. Totten is the largest glacier in East Antarctica and holds the potential to raise sea levels by over 11 feet (3.4 meters) if fully destabilized. Like Thwaites and Pine Island, Totten sits on a retrograde bed and is increasingly exposed to warm ocean water. Satellite and radar data suggest deep channels under Totten are already letting in warmer currents, increasing basal melt.
4. Karakoram and Himalayan Glaciers
Though smaller in scale, glaciers in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region are critical to over a billion people who rely on them for water. Rapid melting here threatens agriculture, hydropower, and drinking supplies across South and Central Asia. Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are also a growing hazard as meltwater builds up behind unstable ice dams.
The Global Picture
While each of these glaciers is located in different corners of the globe, they all tell the same story: ice is retreating faster than expected. Whether it’s Antarctica, Greenland, or the Himalayas, so-called “doomsday glaciers” are not science fiction—they’re real, they’re melting, and their impacts are already being felt around the world.