{"id":473847,"date":"2026-07-10T01:42:58","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=1016018"},"modified":"2026-07-10T01:42:58","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:42:58","slug":"nasa-scientists-take-to-air-and-space-to-study-arctic-sea-ice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=473847","title":{"rendered":"NASA Scientists Take to Air\u00a0and Space\u00a0to Study Arctic Sea Ice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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5 min read<\/p>\n

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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These four views were captured from a World War II-era aircraft in April 2026, when scientists used instruments aboard the plane to study Arctic sea ice. Their flights were timed to coincide with satellites passing overhead so the airborne and orbital data could be combined.<\/div>\n
NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This month, engineers at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California are testing a spacecraft sensor that will help measure how quickly Arctic sea ice is disappearing. And while that instrument won\u2019t launch for another year, scientists started preparing for its use during a recent field campaign in the Canadian wilderness.<\/p>\n

Researchers spent two weeks in April flying above the Arctic Ocean, often watching sunrise from an altitude of 1,500 feet (457 meters) in a World War II-era plane. A variety of cutting-edge sensors used to measure the thickness of sea ice and snow were aboard the plane, including a stand-in for the microwave radiometer now undergoing testing at JPL. Measuring sea ice thickness is tricky, requiring a number of precise figures, including how high the sea ice rises above water, the depth of snow on top of that ice, and microwave emissions from the surface.<\/p>\n

Flights were timed to the passage of satellites overhead so coordinated observations could be taken of the same features. Combining the airborne and satellite data will improve scientists\u2019 ability to measure sea ice and understand how climate conditions are evolving across the Arctic.<\/p>\n

In recent decades, the extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice have changed. Improving measurements of those changes helps scientists better understand the Arctic system while supporting navigation, weather and ocean research, and future satellite observations. As Arctic shipping activity increases, the region is also becoming strategically and economically more significant.<\/p>\n

According to Sahra Kacimi of JPL, who served as the field campaign\u2019s science lead, ongoing warming in the Arctic could potentially impact public safety and economic interests.<\/p>\n

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