BBC: Different types of icebergs make different sounds as they break away from glaciers, according to a study published in Geophysical Research Letters. Oskar Glowacki of the Polish Academy of Sciences and colleagues placed underwater microphones in the ocean and listened to the rumbles, groans, and snaps emitted as ice calved off the Hans Glacier in Svalbard. Combining the acoustic data with time-lapse photography, the researchers discovered three distinct underwater acoustic signatures from the glacier. The data allowed them to distinguish among the various stages of the calving process and determine when they were occurring. To date, glaciers have been monitored primarily with satellites, which can track only large pieces of ice. Hydroacoustics could allow researchers to track smaller ice blocks and better monitor global ice loss as Earth’s temperature rises.
Despite the tumultuous history of the near-Earth object’s parent body, water may have been preserved in the asteroid for about a billion years.
October 08, 2025 08:50 PM
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Physics Today - The Week in Physics
The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.