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A major international research mission, led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is underway to investigate a newly discovered phenomenon: powerful underwater tsunamis triggered by collapsing Antarctic glaciers.
These hidden waves are created when icebergs calve (shed and collapse) from the fronts of glaciers, and they can reach several meters in height beneath the ocean surface. They create bursts of mixing that churn together different layers of seawater.
This process is now understood to be a critical driver in redistributing heat, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the polar oceans, with profound implications for marine life and global climate regulation.
Previously, ocean mixing in the region was thought to be primarily caused by wind, tides, and surface cooling. However, early data suggest the force of these calving-generated tsunamis rivals wind-driven mixing in certain areas and exceeds tidal influences in moving ocean heat.
The discovery was made when researchers on a previous BAS expedition collected ocean data immediately before and after a calving event. Now, scientists based at Rothera Research Station and aboard the polar ship RRS Sir David Attenborough are conducting a targeted study.
The team is deploying a suite of advanced technology, including satellites, drones, underwater robots, and moorings, to capture data from dangerous, inaccessible glacier fronts. The latest technology and underwater imaging are helping scientists, as Dr. Alex Brearley, an oceanographer from the British Antarctic Survey, explains, “At the moment we’re waiting for confirmation that our controller back in Cambridge can actually see this. What I always think is really cool about one of these things is I can be sitting in the office in Cambridge, which is 10,000 km away; it’s kind of remarkable.”
The research aims to determine how different calving events generate tsunamis and how the resulting mixing affects polar ecosystems and climate. Studying deep ice cores is one way scientists can monitor climate change over centuries. There seems to be clearer evidence that human activity has accelerated climate change in the 20th century.
This article was provided by The Associated Press.