Thanks to NASA, we can finally get an accurate representation of just how fast ice is melting on the north and south poles of our earth. Their satellite, ICESat-2, uses laser projection from outer space to measure the size of polar sheets. The projections will update over time, showing in what areas the ice is declining and where it is not.
The satellite itself is only the size of a smart car, but it costs $1 billion dollars and is one of the most important devices in combatting global climate change on a grand scale. By discovering where the ice is melting and how fast it is decaying, scientists can predict where sea levels may rise and simulate scenarios down to the centimeter of accuracy.
The ICESat-2 launched on September 15th, 2018, and has only been in the sky for a few weeks now, but the potential benefit it can bring over the years is staggering. One reporter from the Guardian even said that, in the time it takes a human to blink, ICESat-2 will have taken 5,000 individual measurements. Now that’s impressive. Check out the videos above for more information on all things environmental when it comes to the polar ice caps.
