What can capsized icebergs reveal about water temperatures in fjords?

Examining the profiles of capsized icebergs can help researchers detect variations in summer water temperatures at different depths within a fjord.

In Arctic fjords, icebergs often undergo differential melting, where the ice melts at different rates depending on the temperature and salinity of the water at various depths. As these variations in melting affect the iceberg's stability, they can cause the berg to capsize. By analyzing the resulting shapes and profiles of these capsized bergs, scientists can infer the temperature gradients present in the water column during the summer months.1

Additionally, the upper surfaces of these capsized icebergs may feature small scalloped indentations, which are by-products of small convection cells that form at the ice-water interface during the melting process.1