[guitar strumming] >>Singing: ICESat
launched 11 years ago, measuring
ice, glaciers and snow. Lasers
housed in a device called "GLAS", observed the Earth
and sent the data fast. Lasers bounced off the
polar sector, mapping the Earth with a
photon collector. Lasers captured both width
and depth, so we can better study the polar
breadth. Using our laser technology,
results in 3D cartography.
Using our laser technology, we can
do accurate topography.
>>Anna: As the global sea level continues to rise, it becomes more and more
necessary to map how much land ice has melted. But
how do we map such a big area with any accuracy? The answer
is lasers. >>Geof: Photos show the changes
in the surface area of ice, but don't show depth. Lasers can measure
topography to within an inch. Because of that precision and speed, laser ranging instruments
are in use to measure the surface topography of the ice and study how much ice has been
lost. >>Anna: NASA measure two types of ice. Ice on land,
and sea ice. Ice sheets and glaciers found on land, like
Greenland and Antarctica, are formed as snow accumulates
and is compacted into ice. Sea ice on the other hand, is frozen
sea water found floating in the Arctic Ocean and offshore of Antarctica.
>>Geof: IceBridge flights over the ocean near Greenland allow
researchers to measure the height differences between open water and sea ice,
which is key to determining the ice thickness. >>Anna: ICESat-2 will measure elevation
across Earth's entire surface, including vegetation
and oceans, but with a focus on change in the frozen areas of
the planet where scientists have observed dramatic impacts on
climate change. ICESat-2 will be launched in the near future.
Until then, follow NASA's mapping missions. >>Singing: 2010
was the end of the mission. IceBridge
and LVIS flew into position. Crisscrossing
grids across the ice, measuring once,
measuring twice. ICESat-2 in the
next few years, will launch to measure
new frontiers. ICESat's laser
technology, reveals our hidden
geography. Using our laser technology,
results in 3D cartography.
Using our laser technology,
we can do accurate topography.
[guitar strumming]
[final guitar strum]