Listening to glaciers to better understand their instability





A team of glaciologists, seismologists, and geophysicists from the University of Oslo, ISTerre (CNRS/University of Grenoble Alpes), the Norwegian Polar Institute, NORSAR, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, IGE (CNRS/University of Grenoble Alpes), and the University Center of Svalbard has attempted to understand why the Kongsvegen glacier, Svalbard, is now advancing at a rate of more than 100 meters per year, compared to just a few meters per year in the early 2010s. Increased surface melting due to anthropogenic climate change appears to be a factor in this acceleration

Fig6. Satellite picture of the accumulation area of the glacier Kongsvegen, at the end of summer 2020 (above) and 2025 (below). Note the difference in the old snow (firn) cover and the development of pervasive surface crevasses.
Credits : Pleiades © CNES 2020, 2025, Norwegian Polar Institute.


Fig2. T.V. Schuler (left) and U. Nanni (right) on Kongsvegen glacier, Svalbard, downloading the seismic data. Spring 2023. Picture credit : C. Bouchayer
Based on observations collected over more than 20 years, this study documents the spectacular acceleration of an Arctic glacier, whose speed has increased from a few meters per year to nearly 100 meters per year. For the first time, we are directly observing how climate change can trigger a transition from stable glacier flow to an unstable regime. The observations focus on the Kongsvegen glacier in Svalbard, a so-called surging glacier characterized by long phases of slow flow interrupted by short periods of rapid acceleration. Located near the Ny-Ålesund research station, Kongsvegen is one of the best-equipped glaciers in the Arctic, in a region where warming is nearly seven times faster than the global average.

The study is based on a combination of long-term data and high-resolution observations. More than 20 years of flow velocity measurements are complemented by satellite observations that track crevasse evolution and ice thickness. A seismic network installed on the glacier since 2018, comprising sensors placed up to 250 meters below the surface, allows scientists to “listen” to the glacier by recording signals related to ice fracturing and its sliding over the underlying rock. This data shows that an initial acceleration of the glacier promotes the opening and deepening of crevasses, which become access routes for meltwater. When it reaches the base of the glacier, this water lubricates the glacial bed and increases sliding.



This process creates a positive feedback loop : the faster the glacier moves, the more crevasses develop ; the deeper the meltwater can penetrate, the more basal sliding increases, leading to further acceleration. The mechanism observed has already led to an acceleration of more than one order of magnitude in the Kongsvegen Glacier and shows that climate change can amplify dynamic instabilities capable of propagating on a large scale. The results highlight the potential of seismology to detect and track these processes and provide key observations for improving glacier models, risk assessment, and sea level rise projections.


Fig4. U. Nanni (right) retrieving a seismometer at the front of a surging glacier in Svalbard. Spring 2025. Picture credit : E. Le Cornec


The full study is published in : Nature Communications

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References :

Seroussi, H. élène et al. (2020) Ismip6 antarctica : a multi-model ensemble of the antarctic ice sheet evolution over the 21st century. Cryosphere 14, 3033–3070.

Schuler, ThomasVikhamar et al. (2025) Svalbard’s 2024 record summer : An early view of arctic glacier meltdown ?Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. 122, e2503806122.

Foss, Ø. et al. (2024) Ocean warming drives immediate mass loss from calving glaciers in the high arctic. Nat. Commun. 15, 1–9.

Scientific contacts :

  • U. Nanni - ISTerre, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Université Gustave Eiffel, Grenoble, France / Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • T. V. Schuler - Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
  • O. Gagliardini - IGE, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Université Gustave Eiffel, Grenoble, France
  • François Renard - ISTerre, Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont Blanc, CNRS, IRD, Université Gustave Eiffel, Grenoble, France / Njord Centre, Departments of Geosciences and Physics, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway