Changes in the range and duration of global sea ice, some scientists
believe, could provide an early warning system for changing climate.
Climate, we all know, is dynamic. It is not a static system. (Just ask
any mammoth, or the hippos that once inhabited what is now the Great Sahara
Desert.) Satellites, in this case the Nimbus 7 and the Defense
Meteorological Satellite, are the best tools for monitoring global sea ice
cover. The most consistent record comes from microwave sensors which can
see through clouds to provide complete coverage of regions where sea ice is
an important part of the environment. In this CSI, sea ice around the
world's most southern continent, Antarctica, is mapped and cataloged.
Changes in the margins of sea ice may indicate changes in climate,
including changes that could be caused by human activities such as the
burning of fossil fuels.
You can find out more about a nifty scientific program aimed at keeping
tabs on this slippery creation of climate by going to Norway and visiting
the folks at the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center.
