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The ice shelf of Ross in Antarctic emits tones reminiscent of a didgeridoo, or the drone of a horror movie soundtrack. Sounds are created when the wind blows on the snow-covered dunes, causing the ice to vibrate.
In addition to being strange, the discovery of sounds reveals new opportunities for studying glaciers, said Rick Aster, a professor of geophysics at Colorado State University.
When humans burn fossil fuels, heat-trapping gases are released into the atmosphere, contributing to warming oceans and melting ice. Sea levels are rising because of this warming trend – both when ground ice is melting and ocean molecules are developing.
An ice shelf is like a cork in a bottle, Aster told CNN. "If the ice separates, the restraining force decreases, and the ice can flow more quickly from within Antarctica into the ocean and increase the rate of contribution to the ice. Rising sea level. "
To better understand these climbs, Aster collaborated with lead author Julien Chaput to discover how the deployment of sensitive seismographs can change the way scientists study glaciers. They placed the instruments a few meters from the pack ice and managed to capture the haunting frequencies.
The researchers collected data over a two-year period and found the Ross Ice Shelf "almost continuously sung at frequencies of five or more cycles, "according to Chaput's research letter.
"It's really a remarkable data set and the first of its kind," Aster told CNN.
The difference in frequencies, or what Chaput describes as singing, occurs when the surface of the snow-covered dunes changes.
According to this study, this seismological monitoring can be used to observe ice platforms from remote locations.
The recently published seismological method is not the only way to monitor glaciers, according to the glaciologist and University of Chicago professor Douglas MacAyeal, who did not participate in the study . Other methods include the use of satellites and large thermometers called standalone instruments.
"No method is perfect, all are complementary, but the bottom line is that this seismological method provides continuity," MacAyeal said. This allows glaciologists to see the immediate differences between the ice plateaus at night and day, as well as the differences between the seasons, he added.
CNN's John D. Sutter contributed to this story.
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