This study by Karen Alley et al. uses satellite imagery and laser altimetry to examine the dynamic changes and instability of the Thwaites Eastern Ice Shelf (TEIS) in West Antarctica over the past two decades. The TEIS plays a crucial role in buttressing the eastern grounded portion of the Thwaites Glacier, and its loss will likely accelerate the glacier’s flow and contribute to sea level rise. The study found that the TEIS has experienced a period of acceleration and thinning due to the influence of the nearby Thwaites Western Ice Tongue (TWIT), which has disintegrated in recent years. The TEIS is now showing signs of destabilization, with new rifting, concentrated strain rates, and increased basal melt in a shear zone upstream of a pinning point that confines the ice shelf. The study suggests that these changes are likely driven by a combination of ice dynamic processes and ocean forcing, and that the TEIS is likely to disintegrate in the next few decades, further accelerating the retreat of Thwaites Glacier.