Bangor University researchers to undertake ground-breaking study on underwater tsunamis around Antarctica 

The group, which has been awarded £3.7M, and is led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), will work with researchers from the University’s School of Ocean Sciences. 

The research will analyse how these underwater tsunamis contribute to the mixing of ocean waters, a process that plays a critical role in shaping global climate systems, the Antarctic Ice Sheet, and marine ecosystems.

Recently scientists from the project called POLOMINTS met at the BAS headquarters in Cambridge to finalise plans for the project, which promises to shed light on this newly discovered phenomenon. 

The project builds on recent findings that challenge traditional beliefs about the forces driving mixing in Antarctic waters. Historically, winds, tides, and heat loss were thought to be the primary drivers of oceanic mixing around the continent.  

However, the team recently identified that ice chunks breaking from the edge of a glacier in a process known as calving can initiate underwater tsunamis—multi-metre waves that travel rapidly from the ice, breaking and generating powerful bursts of ocean mixing. Initial calculations suggest these tsunamis could rival the impact of wind-driven mixing and play a larger role than tides in redistributing ocean heat. 

PhD student Kate Retallick from the School of Ocean Sciences said, "Acoustic mapping experts at Bangor University will travel to Antarctica and investigate the shape of the glacier ice front all the way down the seabed. This challenging research will help understand the process of icebergs breaking off and stirring the oceans." 

Professor Katrien Van Landeghem added, “The expertise from our technicians and PhD student Kate is vital here. We are creating underwater sonar imaging of the ice margin by designing a bespoke solution with one of Bangor University's multibeam echosounders - a type of sonar that is used to map the seabed. 

“We will aim it sideways to send sound waves sideways, which we then receive and calculate distance between boat and ice front, in 3 dimensions. This bespoke setup will be from the Erebus, the small research vessel which is part of the Sir David Attenborough polar vessel. Kate will go to Antarctica to do this in the next 2 winters (Antarctic summers).”  

POLOMINTS is led by oceanographer Professor Mike Meredith from BAS.  

He said, "We're excited to explore this uncharted scientific territory. By learning more about underwater tsunamis and their influence on ocean mixing, we can refine ocean models, which in turn will help project future climate scenarios more accurately. This knowledge is crucial for the global community as we all grapple with the complex impacts of climate change." 

To investigate the extent and effects of these underwater tsunamis, the team will deploy advanced technology, including robotic underwater vehicles and remotely piloted aircraft, to gather data near calving glaciers. They will also employ deep-learning algorithms to analyse satellite data, and computer simulations to model the generation and spread of these tsunamis. These cutting-edge methods will allow the researchers to assess the impacts of intense mixing on factors critical to climate and ecosystems, such as ocean temperature, nutrients, and marine productivity. 

The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) is a key partner in the project.  

Professor Mark Inall from SAMS said, “Whilst we have many images of icebergs calving from glaciers, and have studied internal waves within the ocean interior, we know next to nothing about calving generates these large waves hidden from sight below ocean’s surface. POLOMINTS will break new ground in our knowledge of how crumbling ice sheets stir the coastal oceans of polar regions.” 

Professor Kate Hendry from BAS co-leads the project. 

She said: “Our project is a key step toward filling critical gaps in our understanding of Antarctica’s influence on the global climate.” 

POLOMINTS is a collaboration led by British Antarctic Survey, and includes the Scottish Association for Marine Science, the University of Southampton, the University of Leeds, the National Oceanography Centre, the University of Exeter, and Bangor University. International partners are from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Institute of Geophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Delaware, and Rutgers University. 

POLOMINTS is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (nerc.ac.uk)