“One of the highest ever documented” tsunamis struck Alaska in 2015 and scientists say this is just the beginning.
The monster wave measured a staggering 193 metres tall – more than twice the size of the 93 metre tall Big Ben.
The tsunami struck the Taan Fiord in Alaska and was caused by a landslide at the Tyndall Glacier when 180 million tons of rocks crashed into the water.
Researchers say this was due to global warming.
As the planet continues to heat up, glaciers are melting and as a result more landslide will occur as rocks come loose from the ice.
An international collaboration of 32 experts wrote in the journal Nature: “The landslide and tsunami predicated by glacial retreat at Taan Fiord represent a hazard occasioned by climate change
“More such landslides are likely to occur as mountain glaciers continue to shrink and alpine permafrost thaws.
“These landslides can more often be expected to produce tsunamis as water bodies grow and extend landward, closer to steep mountain slopes.
“Our results call attention to an indirect effect of climate change that is increasing its frequency and magnitude, near mountain glaciers.”
Another recent study found similar results as the Nature research, adding that coastal cities are in danger of climate change induced tsunamis in the future.
The researchers focused on the territory of Macau, located on China’s southern coast.
The region is currently situated in a major earthquake zone, but is not at any real risk from a tsunami – it would take a magnitude 8.8 to cause widespread tsunami flooding in Macau.
However, a half metre rise in sea levels – which is predicted by 2060 – will almost double the risk of tsunamis.
A three-foot sea level rise, which according to current models will come by 2100, would increase the risk up to 4.7 times.
Lead researcher Dr Robert Weiss, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in the US, said: “Our research shows that sea-level rise can significantly increase the tsunami hazard, which means that smaller tsunamis in the future can have the same adverse impacts as big tsunamis would today.
“The South China Sea is an excellent starting point for such a study because it is an ocean with rapid sea-level rise and also the location of many mega cities with significant worldwide consequences if impacted.”