CRYOSAT MEASURING ICE LOSS DANGERS
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Changes in sea-ice
thickness
24 April 2012
After nearly a year and a half of operations, CryoSat has yielded its first seasonal variation map of Arctic sea-ice thickness. Results from ESA’s ice mission were presented today at the Royal Society in London.
In June 2011, the first map of Arctic sea-ice thickness was unveiled, using CryoSat data acquired between January and February of that year.
Now, the complete 2010–11 winter season data have been processed
to produce a seasonal variation map of sea-ice thickness.
This is the first map of its kind generated using data from a
radar altimeter and at such a high resolution compared to previous satellite
measurements.
CryoSat’s altimeter makes precise measurements of its height above
the ice by measuring the time interval between the transmission and reception
of very short radar pulses.
Readings over the Arctic from October 2010 to March 2011 were
processed to map the seasonal formation of floating ice.
ESA and NASA have been collaborating to perform carefully
coordinated flights directly under CryoSat’s orbit over the Arctic, gathering
data to ensure the accuracy of the satellite measurements.
This fThe map, along with a full digital elevation model of Greenland
and other scientific results from the collaborative European mission, were
presented today at the Royal Society in London.
The event was jointly organised by ESA and the UK Space Agency as
part of the wider celebration of the 50th anniversary of the UK in space.
“Within the 50th anniversary celebrations of space activities in
the UK, we have today seen how the UK has been able to contribute to and lead
in the many aspects of ESA’s CryoSat mission,” said David Williams, Chief
Executive of the UK Space Agency.
Director of ESA’s Earth Observation Programmes, Volker Liebig,
outlined the dramatic changes in the Arctic, and how satellites have been
monitoring sea-ice for over 30 years.
“In the coming years, the Arctic will become a very important
geo-political region,” said Prof. Liebig.
“15 to 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas reserves are
expected there, and we will find shorter shipping routes as the ice melts.
Satellites will play and ever-important role in the sustainable management of
this sensitive region.”
Every year, the Arctic Ocean experiences the seasonal formation
and then melting of vast amounts of floating ice. Over the past decade,
satellites have seen an acceleration in the rate of overall sea ice loss.
Radars on satellites such as ESA’s CryoSat can acquire
high-resolution images through clouds and darkness. This is particularly useful
when observing the inaccessible Arctic, which is prone to long periods of bad
weather and extended darkness.
In the coming years, CryoSat data will map precise changes in
sea-ice thickness year to year, furthering our understanding of the effects
that climate change has on the Arctic.
ESA’s SMOS mission is providing complementary information on
sea-ice cover and the thickness of thin ice.
irst validated CryoSat dataset demonstrates the full potential of
this innovative ice mission.
Arctic
Sea Ice Levels Hit Record Low, Scientists Say We're 'Running Out Of Time'
As Arctic sea ice levels hit a new
record low this month, scientists and activists gathered to discuss how to
bridge the gap between scientific facts and the public's limited understanding
that we are, in their words, "really running out of time."
The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) released preliminary findings
Wednesday suggesting that on Sept. 16, Arctic ice covered just 1.32 million
square miles -- the lowest extent ever recorded. This minimum is 49 percent
below the 1979 average, when satellite records began.
“The loss
of summer sea ice has led to unusual warming of the Arctic atmosphere, that in
turn impacts weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere, that can result in
persistent extreme weather such as droughts, heat waves and flooding,” NSIDC
scientist Dr. Julienne Stroeve told Greenpeace in
a press release.
Wednesday morning, a group of
climate scientists and activists met at a Greenpeace International panel in New
York to strategize on potential responses to the changing Arctic climate.
"There's a huge gap between
what is understood by the scientific community and what is known by the public,"
NASA scientist James Hansen said, adding that he believed, "unfortunately,
that gap is not being closed."
What the scientific community
understands is that Arctic ice is melting at an accelerated rate -- and that
humans play a role in these changes.
According to the panel, humans are
"really running out of time" to prevent atmospheric carbon dioxide
concentrations from reaching levels that would precipitate runaway climate
change. Hansen warned that even maintaining current concentrations of approximately
390 parts per million for several centuries "guarantees disaster."
Greenland's
ice sheet melt: a sensational picture of a blunt fact
Once you look at the
colour coding and absorb what it means it is a mapping of potential climate
change catastrophe
The Greenland ice sheet on July 8, left, and four days later on the right. An estimated 97% of the ice sheet surface had thawed by July 12. Photograph: Nasa
This is the most frightening
picture you will ever see. The information expressed visually here can be
summed up in three words: change or die. So let's take a closer look.
These
two juxtaposed images of Greenland are based on observations by
satellites monitored by Nasa. The view on the left synthesises their
collective view of this inhospitable landmass in the Arctic Circle on 8 July
2012. That on the right shows what Greenland looked like to the same satellites
on 12 July, just four days later. A huge amount of ice has melted in an
extremely unusual Arctic heatwave.
It's important to appreciate
the colour coding of this visible science. Areas marked in white are places
where no surface melting of the Greenland ice sheet has taken place. Areas in pale
pink were seen by just one satellite to undergo surface melting. Areas in dark
pink were seen by two or three satellites to undergo surface melting.
Let's
also be clear about what "surface melting" means. The Greenland icecsheet has not vanished. Parts of it are two
miles deep: the entire area it covers is six times bigger than Britain. That's
a vast quantity of ice. Every summer, parts of the surface of this immense
frozen world melt. Temporary lakes even appear on top of the ancient ice mass.
Such activity on the surface of the ice sheet has been observed to be growing. But
nothing prepared Nasa scientists analysing satellite data this month for the
information visualised here. According to these images, 97% of the surface of
Greenland's frozen interior saw a sudden summer melt this month. That is a
spectacular departure from the expected.
It has happened before – in
1889. Glaciologist Laura Koenig, part of the Nasa team interpreting the data,
said that ice cores show this kind of warm summer effect causes unusual melting
about every 150 years, so "this event is right on time … but if we
continue to observe melting events like this in upcoming years, it will be
worrisome."
I am
going out of my way to stress the cautious view of these spectacularly
contrasting images of Greenland. The ice sheet has not vanished, it just went
soft at the top. Even this massive area of surface melt can be seen as a
one-off summer event recurring twice every three centuries. But … we know this
is not the only evidence that the Arctic is losing ice. This picture of sudden
change does not come out of the blue, or the white. It is the kind of thing
alarmists have been predicting for years. Yet here it is, blunt fact. It is the
sceptics who are irrational, revelling in delusion. Here is the reality, clear as day.
The effects of global warming
caused by human action are worryingly visible here. But what effect will this
clear and spectacular evidence have? When it comes to climate change the human
ability to ignore evidence is as terrifying as the facts themselves. How is our
technological ability to record and transmit information so far in advance of
our ability to respond to our growing knowledge? Already, teams of deniers are
probably poring over this latest iceberg of data chipping away until they can
melt its credibility – just that tiny bit that legitimates governments in their
paralysis and inaction.
Nasa could perhaps have
designed this visualisation a bit less sensationally. To a casual eye, the use
of white in the first picture might make it look as if the ice sheet itself has
disappeared. If it does, we will not need satellites to tell us. This is about
events on the surface of a vast and deep layering of ice. But once you look at
the colour coding and absorb what it means it is a mapping of potential
catastrophe. The picture is clear. Can we bear to look? And can the evidence of
our eyes make us act?
Sea ice continues to track at
low levels
Arctic
sea ice continued to track at levels far below average through the middle of
July, with open water in the Kara and Barents seas reaching as far north as
typically seen during September. Melt onset began earlier than normal
throughout most of the Arctic.
Early melt
onset
The timing of seasonal melt onset, which can be estimated from satellite passive microwave data, plays an important role in the amount of ice that melts each summer. Unusually early melt onset means an early reduction in the surface albedo, allowing for more solar heating of the ice, which in turn allows melt ponds and open water areas to develop earlier in the melt season. In 2012, melt began earlier than normal (as compared to averages for the period 1979 to 2000) throughout most of the Arctic, the exceptions being the Bering Sea and the East Greenland Sea. Melt in the Kara and Barents seas began more than two weeks earlier than normal. Melt onset for the Laptev Sea region as a whole started on June 1 and was the earliest seen in the satellite record. Melt began 12 and 9 days earlier than normal averaged over the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, respectively.
The timing of seasonal melt onset, which can be estimated from satellite passive microwave data, plays an important role in the amount of ice that melts each summer. Unusually early melt onset means an early reduction in the surface albedo, allowing for more solar heating of the ice, which in turn allows melt ponds and open water areas to develop earlier in the melt season. In 2012, melt began earlier than normal (as compared to averages for the period 1979 to 2000) throughout most of the Arctic, the exceptions being the Bering Sea and the East Greenland Sea. Melt in the Kara and Barents seas began more than two weeks earlier than normal. Melt onset for the Laptev Sea region as a whole started on June 1 and was the earliest seen in the satellite record. Melt began 12 and 9 days earlier than normal averaged over the Beaufort and Chukchi seas, respectively.
Checking CryoSat reveals rising
Antarctic blue ice
29 March 2012 Field measurements in the spectacular blue ice region of Antarctica not only provide confidence in the accuracy of ESA’s CryoSat mission, but have also shown that this part of the ice sheet has increased in height.
29 March 2012 Field measurements in the spectacular blue ice region of Antarctica not only provide confidence in the accuracy of ESA’s CryoSat mission, but have also shown that this part of the ice sheet has increased in height.
CryoSat breaks the ice with
ocean currents
6 February 2012 Ocean measurements from ESA’s CryoSat mission are being exploited by the French space agency CNES to provide global ocean observation products in near-real time. Understanding sea-surface currents is important for marine industries and protecting ocean environments.
6 February 2012 Ocean measurements from ESA’s CryoSat mission are being exploited by the French space agency CNES to provide global ocean observation products in near-real time. Understanding sea-surface currents is important for marine industries and protecting ocean environments.
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Business is now worried
Global
Warming: Top Firms 'Fear Climate Change'
Major companies are increasingly
concerned that they are at risk from climate change in the face of recent
extreme weather events such as drought and floods, according to a report.
More than a third (37%) see the
physical risks of a changing climate such as extreme weather, rising sea levels
and water scarcity as a real and present danger, up from just 10% two years
ago, says the latest Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) survey of top global
companies.
Four-fifths (81%) identify climate
change risks to their business operations, supply chains and plans, up from 71%
last year.
Of the 379 of the 500 companies
who responded to the CDP's request for information about climate strategies and
emissions data, 78% say they are now integrating climate change into their
business strategy, up from 68% last year, the annual CDP Global 500 report
said.
K Leslie Graves Show So You Cannot Sleep Tell Why
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