UC scientists mapping new ground in Antarctica
Published by Communications and Development
29 October 2009
A group of UC glaciologists are in Antarctica for the next month taking ground-based and airborne measurements of land and sea ice for the validation of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) CryoSat-2 satellite.
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| (From left) James Pinchin, Dr Wolfgang Rack and Nikolai Kruetzmann. Dr Rack is holding a model of the CryoSat-2 satellite. |
Dr Wolfgang Rack (Gateway Antarctica) and PhD students James Pinchin (Geospatial Research Centre) and Nikolai Kruetzman (Gateway Antarctica/Physics and Astronomy) will be joined by Wendy Clavano and Professor Christian Haas (University of Alberta) down on the Ice for the field mission and will also collaborate with the University of Otago sea ice group led by Dr Pat Langhorne.
The data the research team is collecting will provide the high precision measurements needed for the validation of the ESA’s dedicated polar research satellite CryoSat-2, which is to be launched in early 2010.
“We are looking at surface and internal snow properties – ice layers, crystal size, snow morphology – and sea ice thickness,” said Dr Rack.
“We know the Antarctic ice sheet is shrinking at various places but we want to learn to what extent and how fast.”
Dr Rack said while much was known about the ice retreat in the Arctic, less was known about the Antarctic and his team’s research, funded by Antarctica New Zealand, would provide significant information critical to understanding climate change and its consequence for the southern hemisphere and global climate.
“Ground validation is needed to understand the reflected satellite signal and to prove how accurate the satellite measurement actually is,” he said.
Measurements will be taken within an approximately 100km radius of Scott Base and extrapolated to larger areas using other satellite data. For airborne measurements the researchers will use a laser ranger and a digital camera on a mini UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) developed by the Geospatial Research Centre at UC and a helicopter equipped with a Canadian instrument called the EM Bird.
“The UAV and the EM bird are being used for the first time at Scott Base and, together with ground measurements those instruments will provide the first sea ice thickness map of McMurdo Sound, which is fantastic and absolutely exciting,” Dr Rack said.
For further information please contact:
Maria De Cort
Communications Officer
University of Canterbury
Ph: +64 3 364 2072
maria.decort@canterbury.ac.nz