Satellite Observations Important in Ice Thickness Monitoring
15.06.2010 - Atmosphere & Space, Bi-polar
Scientists underlined the importance of satellite monitoring of the Earth at the IPY Science Conference in Oslo. With the Arctic sea ice is on its way to hit yet another record summer minimum, scientists highlighted the contribution of satellites to the International Polar Year, helping provide a better understanding of the cryosphere and the critical role it plays in shaping Earth's climate system.
During the IPY, the European Space Agency (ESA) has provided coordinated observations of the Arctic and Antarctic from its Earth observation satellites, which include ERS-2 and Envisat. In addition to this, ESA co-led the Global Interagency IPY Polar Snapshot Year (GIIPSY) project. With its newly-launched CryoSat-2 satellite, ESA now has an additional tool to survey ice-thickness change and to find out how fast the volume of ice is changing, not only for ice floating in the polar oceans, but also in the large sheets blanketing Greenland and Antarctica.
Although the speakers hailed the important work done by the satellites, they underlined the need for sustained monitoring of the Polar Regions. Because of the remoteness of these areas, the data from satellite monitoring is crucial to address gaps in our knowledge. With its satellites and various missions, however, ESA appears to be well-positioned to continue supporting this effort.
