Scientists noted that the slope on Barry Arm fjord on Prince William Sound in southeastern Alaska slid some 120 meters from 2010 to 2017, a slow-moving landslide caused by glacial melt that could trigger a devastating tsunami. These are some of the first measurements to quantify how the slope is falling there; the study also models a potential tsunami.

In a study published last week, scientists noted that the slope on Barry Arm fjord on Prince William Sound in southeastern Alaska slid some 120 meters from 2010 to 2017. These are some of the first measurements to quantify how the slope is falling there.

«We are measuring this loss of land before the tsunami occurs,» said Chunli Dai, lead author of the paper and a research scientist at The Ohio State University’s Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center.

The study was published in Geophysical Research Letters.

Landslides on slopes near glaciers generally occur when glacial ice melts, a phenomenon occurring more rapidly around the world because of climate change. Landslides can prompt tsunamis by sending massive amounts of dirt and rocks into nearby bodies of water. Such a landslide happened in 2017 in western Greenland, prompting a tsunami that killed four people.

Scientists estimate that a landslide at Barry Arm fjord could be about eight times larger than that Greenland landslide.

Story Source:
Materials provided by Ohio State University. Original written by Laura Arenschield. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.