What is CryoSat researching?
What is CryoSat researching?
CryoSat-2 is a European Space Agency environmental research satellite which was launched in April 2010. It provides scientists with data about the polar ice caps and tracks changes in the thickness of the ice with a resolution of about 1.3 centimetres (1⁄2 in).
What does CryoSat measure?
CryoSat determines the thickness of floating sea ice by measuring the freeboard of ice floes; that is the height by which the ice extends above the water surface.
What is the CryoSat-2 mission?
– May 2012: While the main objective of the CryoSat-2 mission is to measure the thickness of polar sea ice and monitor changes in the ice sheets that blanket Greenland and Antarctica, the radar altimeter, SIRAL (SAR Interferometer Radar Altimeter), is not only able to detect tiny variations in the height of the ice but …
How does CryoSat work?
– ESA’s CryoSat altimeter returns readings of ice height by timing how long it takes for radar waves to bounce back to the satellite from the ice surface. When it comes to ice floating in the polar oceans, ice thickness is inferred by measuring the height of the ice above the water.
What are the mission objectives of CryoSat 2?
CryoSat-2 will have the same mission objectives as the original CryoSat mission; it will monitor the thickness of land ice and sea ice and help explain the connection between the melting of the polar ice and the rise in sea levels and how this is contributing to climate change.
How is CryoSat data used in everyday life?
CryoSat data is freely and openly available to everyone. A number of tools are available for visualising, processing and analysing CryoSat data. CryoSat determines variations in the thickness of continental ice sheets and marine ice cover.
When was the CryoSat 2 launch date lost?
CryoSat-2 is the follow-on Earth Explorer Opportunity Mission in ESA’s Living Planet Program. It replaces CryoSat, which was selected for development in 1999 and lost as a result of launch failure on October 8, 2005.
How is CryoSat used to measure sea ice?
CryoSat borrows synthetic aperture radar and interferometry techniques from standard imaging radar missions to sharpen its accuracy over rugged ice sheet margins and sea ice in polar waters. It measures ‘freeboard’ – the difference in height between sea ice and adjacent water – as well as ice sheet altitude, tracking changes in ice thickness.
