It has been reported that Cryosat, a satellite that measures the volume of the sea ice in the Arctic, has recorded that the sea ice covers 6,200 cubic km in the first few weeks of October. Although this figure is lower than that recorded in 2013 and 2014. It is higher than the values between the years 2010-2012. But there is a chance this is down to normal yearly fluctuation rather than any changes in the longer term.
Cryosat works by sending magnetic energy that bounces off both the surface of the ice and sea water and measures the area of ice around the Arctic. Although it is unable to produce valid figures during the summer months, due to the melt water on top of the ice being measured as sea water, this is still a valuable tool. The satellite is part of a mission from the European Space Agency and is used to feed information to businesses that must traverse the Arctic, such as shipping.
It fascinates me that this technology exists which makes an almost impossible tasks so easily done and not only does this benefit businesses and possibly save lives by providing information to those who need it but it provides the perfect way to monitor the levels of sea ice and how it changes of the next coming decades. Although this project is still fairly new, it has only been active for 6 years, once we have a couple of decades worth of data it will provide clear insight into how climate change is effecting the Arctic and the sea ice levels.
If you are interested in finding out more about this story then please use the links below:
BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-34619291
European Space Agency: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/CryoSat
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