Overview

• Researchers laid a 10 km fiber-optic cable on the fjord seafloor at Eqalorutsit Kangilliit Sermiat to monitor calving dynamics remotely using distributed acoustic sensing.
• Calving events generated surface tsunamis and internal gravity waves as tall as skyscrapers that mixed warm subsurface Atlantic water with glacial melt.
• Analysis revealed a multiplier effect in which these subsurface waves intensify underwater melt erosion and further destabilize the glacier’s vertical ice front.
• Published August 13 in Nature, the study provides the first direct DAS-based observations of calving-induced internal waves and refines earlier satellite and point-sensor insights.
• High-resolution DAS data could help improve ice-ocean interaction models and pave the way for operational forecasting and early-warning of calving-driven hazards.