Satellite View of the Great (& Frozen) Down Under
Changes in the range and duration of global sea ice, some scientists believe, could provide an early warning system for changing climate. Climate, we all know, is dynamic. It is not a static system. (Just ask any mammoth, or the hippos that once inhabited what is now the Great Sahara Desert.) Satellites, in this case the Nimbus 7 and the Defense Meteorological Satellite, are the best tools for monitoring global sea ice cover. The most consistent record comes from microwave sensors which can see through clouds to provide complete coverage of regions where sea ice is an important part of the environment. In this CSI, sea ice around the world's most southern continent, Antarctica, is mapped and cataloged. Changes in the margins of sea ice may indicate changes in climate, including changes that could be caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels.

You can find out more about a nifty scientific program aimed at keeping tabs on this slippery creation of climate by going to Norway and visiting the folks at the Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center.