Work

Seismo‐Acoustic Detection and Localization of Iceberg Collapse in Atka Bay, Antarctica

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: On 12 January 2022, an iceberg collapsed at the edge of frozen Atka Bay, Antarctica. The event generated seismic, hydroacoustic, and atmospheric infrasound waves recorded by a local network comprising land‐ and iceshelf‐based seismometers, an underwater hydrophone, and an on‐ice infrasound array. Analysis of the seismic and hydroacoustic data shows that the collapse occurred in at least three stages separated by approximately 16.5 and 8 s. The first stage produced a seismic head wave, a P‐wave, and a Rayleigh wave, and clear hydroacoustic and infrasound arrivals. Later stages were dominated by hydroacoustic and seismic Rayleigh waves. Two localization techniques were benchmarked: azimuthal cross‐bearing and a Bayesian joint inversion based on time‐difference‐of‐arrival. Both approaches accurately located the iceberg within a few hundred meters of its geolocation. These unique observations highlight the value of continuous seismo‐acoustic monitoring for investigating local cryospheric dynamics.

Source: Geophysical Research Letters

DOI: 10.1029/2025gl119151

Authors: G. Averbuch, A. Houstin, D. P. Zitterbart, J. Bonnel, J. A. Collins, J. D. Assink

Institutions: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute

Language: English

Topic: Seismic Waves and Analysis

Subfield: Geophysics

Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,190