The Song of the Ross Ice Shelf
Scientists buried sensors in Antarctica's largest ice shelf and found it hums almost constantly, a song too low for human ears.
What was reported
The Ross Ice Shelf is a floating slab of ice about the size of France. From 2014 to 2017, scientists buried 34 sensitive seismic sensors in its snow to study its structure.
They found that the ice shelf vibrates almost all the time, producing a range of low tones. When the recordings were sped up so people could hear them, they sounded like an eerie, shifting hum.
Explanations offered
The scientists concluded that wind blowing across the huge snow dunes on the ice shelf's surface makes the top layer of snow vibrate, like the skin of a drum. Changes in the 'song' could help scientists monitor the ice shelf for melting and cracking in the future.
- When
- Recorded 2014–2017; reported in 2018
- Where
- Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
- Witnesses
- Seismic sensors buried in the ice
- Status
- Explained
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