The cities are in completely different parts of the world but would all be impacted by the Doomsday Glacier
Scientists have named three major cities that could be at serious risk if the massive ‘Doomsday Glacier’ continues to melt.
Climate experts have long warned us about the dangerous effects of global warming. We’ve already seen how it causes higher temperatures and rising sea levels, and they’ve cautioned that the future could be even more alarming if real action isn’t taken soon.
The growing concern has been underscored by new findings about the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica. Known as the ‘Doomsday Glacier’, it contains enough ice to push sea levels up by over two feet if it fully melts and that’s just the beginning.
Thwaites is often described as acting like a stopper or a ‘cork’ for the wider Antarctic ice sheet. If this glacier collapses, it could unleash a chain reaction that would raise sea levels by an astonishing 10 feet, severely affecting countless coastal areas across the planet.
If that were to happen, some of the world’s most iconic cities—including London, New York, and Bangkok could find themselves underwater. These global hotspots, which attract millions of tourists each year, would be left completely unrecognizable or worse, wiped out altogether.
Researchers have been studying the Thwaites Glacier intensely, trying to figure out exactly how much damage it might cause and how quickly things could change. But finding concrete answers has proven to be incredibly complicated.
A number of cities are at risk from the Doomsday GlacierGetty Stock Image
One of the big challenges is the presence of what experts call ‘hidden lakes’ inside the glacier. These secret reservoirs of water may end up having a much bigger effect on the glacier’s behavior than anyone originally thought.
The International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration (ITGC) has been monitoring the glacier closely since 2018. Their findings suggest that rapid melting and ice loss are going to speed up dramatically in the years ahead. In fact, the entire glacier could collapse within the next 200 years if trends continue.
Professor Noel Gourmelen, who led a study published in March 2025 and is part of the ITGC team, said: “We expected that water draining from the underside of the ice sheet plays a role in modulating ocean melting, the sheer magnitude of this lake drainage gave us the opportunity to finally observe and quantify its impact.”
London would be underwaterGetty Stock Image
“The lake outflow took place in a key sector impacting Thwaites’ stability, the drainage in effect momentarily turbo-charged Thwaites’ ocean-driven retreat.”
So far, 2025 has brought hotter-than-expected conditions in the Southern Hemisphere, which experts believe have only made the problem worse and sped up the glacier’s retreat.
In an interview with News.com.au, Dr. Alastair Graham from the University of South Florida added: “If Thwaites Glacier collapses it would cause a rise of around 65cm (25 inches) in sea level.”
“This year is really different. It’s very difficult to recover from this in one season. The game has changed
