Scientists have been left shocked and worried by a recent discovery made beneath the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica, which is also known as the ‘doomsday glacier’. Satellite imagery has shown that the huge amount of ice has been destabilized and has receded by nearly 9 miles since the 1990s.

The glacier holds a large amount of water that, if melted, would raise sea levels by more than 2 feet globally and could further destabilize neighbouring glaciers. Through the use of a robot named ‘Icefin’, researchers have found deeper cracks beginning to form on the shelf of the glacier, although the rate of melting was not as fast as feared. Signs of life were also found on the glacier.

Despite this, the findings are still cause for concern and rapid change is expected to continue and accelerate in the coming years.