What triggers underwater tsunamis?
When glaciers around Antarctica fracture and calve, massive blocks of ice plunge into the deep. This sudden displacement of seawater can generate powerful, long-wavelength waves that travel beneath the ocean surface. Unlike typical surface waves, these underwater tsunamis move with unique motion, spreading energy horizontally and sometimes surfacing as noticeable surges near coastlines far from the calving event. Scientists are increasingly focused on how the size, speed, and direction of calving events influence the strength and reach of these subsurface waves.
Why Antarctica matters for ocean dynamics
Antarctica’s ice shelves and glaciers hold vast stores of freshwater in a dynamic balance with the surrounding ocean. As climate-driven warming accelerates calving and ice loss, the resulting underwater disturbances can interact with ocean stratification, bathymetry, and currents in complex ways. Researchers believe that studying Antarctica’s calving-driven disturbances offers a natural laboratory for understanding how abrupt ice failures modulate ocean wavefields, even in regions far removed from the continent. The findings could improve models of tsunami genesis in other glaciated and iceberg-rich seas as well.
What the BAS-led project will study
An international team, coordinated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), is launching a targeted investigation into the mechanics of underwater tsunamis generated by glacier calving. The project will combine deep-sea sensors, autonomous underwater vehicles, and satellite observations to capture the sequence of events from a calving trigger to the propagation of underwater waves. Researchers aim to quantify how factors such as ice thickness, calve geometry, ambient ocean conditions, and seafloor topography shape the resulting wavefield. By integrating field measurements with numerical models, the team hopes to forecast the reach and impact of underwater tsunamis linked to Antarctic calving episodes.
Potential implications for coastal regions and science
Understanding underwater tsunamis in the context of Antarctic calving has practical and scientific significance. If underwater disturbances reach continental shelves or pass into straits and fjords, they can influence seabed erosion, sediment transport, and local circulation patterns. Improved knowledge of these processes can enhance early warning capabilities for rare but impactful events and refine global tsunami modeling. Beyond hazards, insights from this research may illuminate how rapid ice loss interacts with ocean dynamics, contributing to broader climate and oceanography knowledge. The work also underscores the interconnected nature of polar regions and distant coastlines, reminding us that events at the edge of the world can resonate across ocean basins.
About the scientists and collaboration
The BAS-led team brings together experts from multiple nations, combining state-of-the-art marine instrumentation with coastal and ocean energy modeling. This collaborative effort reflects a growing trend in polar science: solving complex, cross-border problems through shared data, open science, and coordinated field campaigns. As data accumulate, researchers hope to publish findings that clarify when and where underwater tsunamis filter through Antarctic waters and how their signals might be detected by global monitoring networks.
What comes next
The project is set to advance our understanding of underwater wave phenomena driven by ice, with potential applications to hazard assessment, maritime operations, and climate research. By revealing the hidden dynamics of glacier calving’s impact on the ocean, scientists aim to build a more complete picture of how the planet’s icy fringes shape the seas that feed and affect communities far beyond Antarctica.
