thermal-pulse

The chapter describes a flight over the rapidly destabilizing West Antarctic ice sheet, where a volcanic eruption beneath the ice is accelerating its breakup and causing massive icebergs to calve into the ocean. A geologist explains the geological and climatological factors behind the ice sheet's retreat, emphasizing the potential for catastrophic sea level rise of up to six meters in the near future. The passengers witness the dramatic visual evidence of this environmental crisis firsthand, underscoring the immediacy and scale of the changes underway.