Thorsten Markus reports from aboard Antarctic icebreaker
A research vessel makes its way through the Ross Sea's annual sea ice in Antarctica. Photo: Patrick Rowe/National Science Foundation
Scientists in eastern Antarctica are measuring the thickness of sea ice by hand. And for the first time ever, they’re comparing what they see with live data taken from satellites trained on their location.
This expedition is one of over 200 projects exploring the ends of the Earth, under the banner of The International Polar Year.
Earth & Sky’s Jorge Salazar spoke with NASA physical scientist Thorsten Markus of the Goddard Space Flight Center while Markus was on board the Aurora Australis, an icebreaker in the middle of sea ice in the western Antarctic. Markus talked about doing research on moving ice, how it relates to the big picture of Earth’s climate, and about some curious penguins who couldn’t get enough.
