# RAPID: Data Analysis and Modeling of the Grounding Zone of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica

> **NSF 0100CYXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · New York University (NY) · $53,681

## Abstract

Global sea levels have fluctuated dramatically in the past and are expected to continue doing so in the future. It is crucial to be able to forecast future global sea level as a significant portion of the world’s population and built environment is located along vulnerable coastlines. The most crucial uncertainty in predicting future sea level rests with the behavior of the great ice sheets, particularly the marine-based Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. As glaciers melt and calve into the ocean, they contribute to a rise in the global sea level. It is necessary to collect all existing observational data in the ocean surrounding the Thwaites Glacier and to put that data into a mathematical equation, allowing a glacier forecast to be created. This is analogous to a weather forecast typically found on a smartphone. The estimates would provide society with a prediction of the global sea level change over this current century and beyond.

This project will incorporate recently collected observational data in and around the Thwaites Glacier into a computational ocean model with a dynamically static, thermodynamically interactive representation of the ice shelf. This project is a follow-up to the International Thwaites Glacier Collaboration project, which focused on observing and modeling the Thwaites Glacier system. There is an urgent need to integrate the collected data into a model, particularly at the grounding zone of the glacier, while the necessary familiarity and exper

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2535585
- **Awardee organization:** New York University (NY)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** NX9PXMKW5KW8
- **PI:** David M Holland
- **Primary program:** 0100CYXXDB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** ANTARCTIC GLACIOLOGY, RAPID
- **Estimated total:** $53,681
- **Funds obligated:** $53,681
- **Transaction type:** Standard Grant
- **Period:** 08/15/2025 → 01/31/2026

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2535585

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2535585, RAPID: Data Analysis and Modeling of the Grounding Zone of Thwaites Glacier, West Antarctica. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-08 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2535585. Licensed CC0.

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