Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Arctic sea ice is changing, with implications for ocean conditions, weather patterns, ecosystems, and shipping routes. To better understand these changes, researchers are using new types of measurements.
During a field campaign over the Arctic Ocean and remote parts of northern Canada in April 2026, researchers collected airborne data alongside satellite observations. By combining the two, scientists hope to improve measurements of sea ice thickness in particular.
The campaign used data from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite; NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2); and ESA’s (the European Space Agency’s) Cryosat-2. Instruments aboard the research flights were similar to what ESA will use on its upcoming CRISTAL satellite.
For more information, visit: swot.jpl.nasa.gov and icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Arctic sea ice is changing, with implications for ocean conditions, weather patterns, ecosystems, and shipping routes. To better understand these changes, researchers are using new types of measurements.
During a field campaign over the Arctic Ocean and remote parts of northern Canada in April 2026, researchers collected airborne data alongside satellite observations. By combining the two, scientists hope to improve measurements of sea ice thickness in particular.
The campaign used data from the international Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite; NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2); and ESA’s (the European Space Agency’s) Cryosat-2. Instruments aboard the research flights were similar to what ESA will use on its upcoming CRISTAL satellite.
For more information, visit: swot.jpl.nasa.gov and icesat-2.gsfc.nasa.gov
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
