The European Space Agency has a new ice mission which involves the first satellite ever launched that can show the Arctic ice thickness extremely accurately and in real time.
The ESA new ice mission is called Earth Explorer CryoSat mission and was launched five years ago, in 2010.
According to the scientists who work at the European Space Agency and who were involved in the project, said that the satellite was designed with the purpose of measuring as accurately as can be, the thickness of the Arctic ice, both on sea and on land.
The scientists explained that it’s very important for climatologists to know exactly in what the condition is the ice field of our planet. According to the experts, this is extremely important in order to learn new ways of combating the damaging effects of climate change.
The latest Earth Explorer CryoSat satellite consists of a special radar altimeter that provides an extremely-accurate measurement of the sea.
Researchers involved in the project said that the satellite is so advanced that it can transfer the collected data to the technicians at the European Space Agency in just two days.
Normally, scientists explain, the efficiency of a satellite is measured depending on how fast it can deliver the collected data to the specialized agency.
The shorter the delivery time is, the better the scientists can properly manage and control every activity that involves ice, such as ice exploration missions and tourism.
The researchers involved in the new mission stated that CryoSat has successfully delivered super-comprehensive maps, based on the data collected on the thickness of the Arctic sea ice.
According to the experts, these maps are very important because they provide significant information and details about how global warming is affecting the ice.
The maps delivered by the new CryoSat mission show that the ice that is present in the Svalbard Archipelago, in Norway, is approximately 1 m thick.
The scientists say that this information is very alarming, because the ice in this region measured twice as much in 2011.
According to professor Andy Shepherd, one of the lead researchers at CryoSat, explained the importance and the usefulness of this satellite, saying that this latest mission has become extremely essential for a wide range of services in Earth regions covered in ice.
Tommaso Parrinello, the lead manager of the mission, said that the satellite has provided significant answers but it also revealed how little information scientists have on these matters.
Image Source: icesat4.gsfc.nasa.gov
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