Ten-kilometer fiber-optic cable reveals 56,000 glacier calving events beneath Greenland’s fjords
Researchers laid a 10-km fiber-optic cable on the seafloor near a Greenland glacier and used distributed acoustic and temperature sensing to monitor calving. Over three weeks the system recorded more than 56,000 iceberg detachments, uncovering the full calving sequence from internal cracking to detachment and underwater waves, and revealing how iceberg motion drives water circulation and heat distribution. This continuously sensing approach provides high-resolution insights into glacier dynamics and ocean interactions that aren’t captured by surface observations.