An Unexplained Arc Discovered in the Waters of Greenland’s Fjord, Adorned with Icebergs. Experts suggest there are several interpretations for this strange phenomenon, but we may never know the real cause behind it.
The satellite image above reveals a mysterious arc in a fjord, blanketed with deep icebergs in the Arctic.
Researchers discovered a mysterious wave (the white arc in this image) rippling across the surface of Greenland’s fjord last year. (Photo: NASA’s Earth Observatory/Wanmei Liang/Landsat).
A Thin White Arc
Itilliarsuup Kangerlua Fjord is part of the Uummannaq Fjord system in western Greenland, approximately 740 kilometers north of the country’s capital, Nuuk. According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, this narrow waterway, about 2.6 kilometers long, was formed by two glaciers, Sisoortartukassak and Kangilleq, separated by a small island at the fjord’s foot.
During summer, the fjord’s surface becomes scattered with thousands of small icebergs that break off from the glaciers, making the water appear starry from a telescope’s view from above. However, the most intriguing feature in the image is a thin white arc stretching across the fjord.
According to the Earth Observatory, this arc is likely a displacement wave propagating up the fjord from a glacier. The wave may be caused by a large iceberg breaking off from the Kangilleq glacier and falling into the water—similar to the ripples you see when you throw a stone into a still pond.
Josh Willis, an oceanographer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stated, “The perfect shape of the arc and the direction of the wave are similar to spawning events observed at other glaciers.”
Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist at the University of Calgary, and Mike Wood, a glaciologist at the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in California, USA, also believe the arc is the result of a spawning event, according to the Earth Observatory.
However, this wave could also be caused by an “underwater current” emanating from the Kangilleq glacier, Willis added. Such currents are generated by clear meltwater entering the fjord’s saline waters from beneath the glacier and rising to the surface, displacing the surrounding water.
