BERLIN — The European Space Agency is launching a sophisticated satellite that scientists hope will help them more precisely gauge the effects of global warming on the earth’s ice packs by accurately measuring the thickness of the ice.
Though most scientists agree that global warming is significantly affecting the ice sheets, many also say too little is known with certainty, and that is where the CryoSat 2 mission aims to help.
“We hope to find out more about the role the sea ice plays for the climate system and more about the height of the land ice,’’ said Heinrich Miller, one of the two CryoSat project directors. “We know that it is dwindling, but we don’t know exactly what mechanisms are at work.’’
Article courtesy of The Associated Press/Boston Globe www.boston.com
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