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What is CryoSat?
Europe's first ice mission is an advanced radar altimeter specifically designed to monitor the most dynamic sections of Earth's cryosphere. It 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. CryoSat-2 measures 'freeboard' - the difference in height between sea ice and adjacent water - as well as ice sheet altitude, tracking changes in ice thickness.
Users can have free access to CryoSat Ice and Ocean Data (browse data).
Latest Mission Operations News
CryoSat 10th Anniversary Science Conference - Registration open27 January 2020Direct registration to the CryoSat 10th Anniversary Science Conference is now open and will close on 15 March. CryoSat Ocean Baseline C reprocessing complete16 December 2019We are pleased to announce that the complete data set of the COP Ocean Baseline C reprocessing has been now published and is available on the CryoSat Science Server. The previous Baseline B dataset has been moved to a dedicated subdirectory and it shall remain available until a new baseline will be brought into operations. CryoSat 10th Anniversary Science Conference - Only 1 week left to register and submit your abstract(s)13 December 2019We would like to remind you that the call for abstracts for the CryoSat 10th Anniversary Science Conference, will close on 20 December 2019.
Latest Mission Results News
CryoSat sheds new light on Antarctica’s biggest glacier27 January 2020
Ice loss from Pine Island Glacier has contributed more to sea-level rise over the past four decades than any other glacier in Antarctica. However, the way this huge glacier is thinning is complex, leading to uncertainty about how it is likely to raise sea level in the future. Thanks to ESA's CryoSat mission, scientists have now been able to shed new light on these complex patterns of ice loss.
CryoSat maps ice shelf on the move13 December 2019It is now almost 10 years since ESA's CryoSat was launched. Throughout its decade in orbit, this novel satellite, which carries a radar altimeter to measure changes in the height of the world's ice, has returned a wealth of information about how ice sheets, sea ice and glaciers are responding to climate change. One of the most recent findings from this extraordinary mission shows how it can be used to map changes in the seaward edges of Antarctic ice shelves.
Greenland ice loss much faster than expected10 December 2019The Greenland ice sheet is losing mass seven times faster than in the 1990s, according to new research.
CryoSat conquers ice on Arctic lakes05 August 2019The rapidly changing climate in the Arctic is not only linked to melting glaciers and declining sea ice, but also to thinning ice on lakes. The presence of lake ice can be easily monitored by imaging sensors and standard satellite observations, but now adding to its list of achievements, CryoSat can be used to measure the thickness of lake ice – another indicator of climate change.
Expanding our knowledge of Arctic Ocean bathymetry24 July 2019Our knowledge of the depth and shape of the Arctic Ocean floor – its bathymetry – is insufficient. Owing to year-round sea-ice coverage and the cost of research in this remote region, much of the Arctic Ocean's bathymetry has remained a mystery, until now.
Modelling tides in the Arctic Ocean11 July 2019We are all aware of the ebb and flow of the tide every day, but understanding tidal flow is important for a range of maritime activities and environmental monitoring, such as search and rescue operations, shipping routes and coastal erosion.
Antarctica detailed in 3D14 May 2019Unfortunately ice is a hot topic when it comes to understanding and monitoring how this fragile component of the Earth system is being affected by climate change. Scientists, therefore, go to great lengths to study changes happening in the remote icy reaches of our planet – a subject that is being discussed in detail at this week's Living Planet Symposium in Italy.
Greenland ice loss quickening06 December 2018Using a 25-year record of ESA satellite data, recent research shows that the pace at which Greenland is losing ice is getting faster.
Science
ScienceAlmost 80% of the Earth's fresh water is locked up in the cryosphere, i.e. snow, ice and permafrost. The cryosphere plays an important role in moderating the global climate and as such, the consequences of receding ice cover due to global warming are far reaching and complex. Due to its high albedo, ice masses directly affect the global energy budget by reflecting about 80% of incident sunlight back out to space. |
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