The Thwaites Glacier, also referred to as the Doomsday Glacier, is closely watched for its potential to raise sea levels. Along with Pine Island Glacier, it is part of the “weak underbelly” of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, due to vulnerability. This hypothesis is based on both theoretical studies of the stability of marine ice sheets and observations of large changes on these two glaciers. In recent years, both glaciers have retreated and melted at an alarming rate.

For years, scientists have watched the Thwaites Glacier from a distance, but in November 2019, a team set out to investigate what is happening below.