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West Antarctica

Joee Patterson is shown with her arms outstretched while wearing sunglasses and a red safety vest.

For this marine tech, Antarctica’s Thwaites Glacier drives home threat of climate change

Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier

Joee Patterson was one of four marine technicians on the Nathaniel B. Palmer research vessel during an expedition to Thwaites Glacier this past winter. The glacier is melting fast, and scientists fear that if it were to collapse entirely, it would trigger up to 11 feet of sea level rise.

Two yellow tents and a larger dome tent are staked into the snow. At the top of the image is a wing of a tiny prop plane.

These scientists used small explosions to ‘see’ under Antarctica and measure how fast a key glacier will melt

Into the Thaw: Decoding Thwaites Glacier