ESA’s CryoSat shows arctic ice volume decline
The European Space Agency (ESA) issued anews release stating that CryoSat measurements of Arctic sea-ice thickness for three consecutive years reveal that the ice volume continues to decrease. While the extent or coverage of Arctic sea-ice has declined for the past two decades, CryoSat measures the mass or volume of ice, which is a more accurate measure of the extent of change.
Offering new insights into fragile polar regions, ESA’s CryoSat mission has provided three consecutive years of Arctic sea-ice thickness measurements, which show that the ice continues to thin.
Although satellites have witnessed a downward trend in the extent of sea ice over the last two decades, it is essential to have accurate information on the mass or volume of ice being lost. This is a more accurate measure of the changes taking place.
Along with observations of ice extent, CryoSat’s measurements of thickness now span from October 2010 to April 2013, allowing scientists to work out the real loss of ice, monitor seasonal change and identify trends.
Speaking at the Living Planet Symposium in Edinburgh, UK, Prof. Andrew Shepherd from the University of Leeds, UK, said,
“CryoSat continues to provide clear evidence of diminishing Arctic sea ice.”
“From the satellite’s measurements we can see that some parts of the ice pack ice have thinned more rapidly than others, but there has been a decrease in the volume of winter and summer ice over the past three years.”
“The volume of the sea ice at the end of last winter was less than 15 000 cubic km, which is lower than any other year going into summer and indicates less winter growth than usual.”
Images Credit: ESA
While it seems unlikely that a record minimum of sea-ice extent will be set this September, the thinner ice at the start of summer could mean that the actual volume of ice may reach a new low.
“CryoSat has been in orbit since 2010 and with the satellite still in excellent health it is now set to continue providing precision measurements until 2017,” said ESA’s Tommaso Parrinello, who is responsible for the mission.
CryoSat is also delivering important results on land ice. Recently, it provided evidence of a huge flood under the Antarctic ice sheet. New measurements combined with older data from NASA’s ICESat mapped a large crater that formed as the overlying ice sank to fill the gap left by lake water that drained away.
The map revealed that about six cubic km of water had escaped from under the ice, probably straight into the ocean, between 2007 and 2008.
Watch the Arctic Sea Ice Thickness 2010-2013.
