Scientists are using microphones to measure how fast glaciers are melting

How fast are the glaciers melting?

Satellite imagery and photography can be used to determine the rate at which glaciers are vanishing, but they don't tell us what's happening beneath the surface. Scientists are using hydrophones to listen to glaciers.

What sounds like melting glaciers?

You hear something that sounds similar to fireworks. Deane told Morning Edition that the noise is caused by a bubble bursting into the water.

Deane hopes that listening and understanding the noises of the glaciers will help him and his colleagues predict sea level rise.

We can figure out how fast the ice is melting if we know how many bubbles are in the ice. The glaciers are going to retreat quickly if we don't know how fast the ice is melting. If we are going to predict sea level rise accurately, we need to understand these things.

Predicting sea level rise is important as hundreds of millions of people are at risk around the world. Deane says that even a small rise in sea levels could have a big impact on those communities.