Well Max, the latest forage into global warming is actually going to come from outside this world. On the 8^th April, the European Space Agency sent its CryoSat2 satellite into orbit. Its mission – to map and measure the polar ice caps, often seen as key indicators to the rate of global warming.

But what makes this satellite any different from previous attempts to analyse ice from space?

Well, not only will CryoSat2 be looking at the area of the polar ice caps – it will be scanning the ice to determine how thick it is too. What the satellite will do is to emit radio pulses, which, once they bounce back of the ice, will be detected by radar onboard, allowing for a precise measurement of the thickness of the ice above sea-level. Unlike previous attempts, this radar has been developed with dual offset detection mechanism allowing for higher accuracy, that can then be used to predict the overall volume of arctic sea ice.

So, why the need for this satellite?

Well, over the past few decades, the extent of the arctic ice has been shown to be decreasing by as much as 5% per decade, though this depends highly upon the time of year at which the study is undertaken, with figures indicating decreases as great as 11% in the summer but down to 2% in the winter. Separate studies on the Western edge of Antartica have shown the thickness of ice decreasing at alarming rates – far in excess of the loss of area seen from above. This satellite will, for the first time, give scientists the full picture, including an understanding of the evolution of the ice cap across the seasons. When you consider that submarines have shown a decrease of 30-40% of the thickness of the ice draft (that’s the ice below the water-line) since the 1970s, it has become imperative that we get a true understanding of the state of our ice caps as our planet continues to warm.

What are the consequences?

As well as a key indicator of the overall rate of global warming, the loss of sea ice itself has a huge impact on the rest of the planet. The ecosystems at the poles are drastically effected, with polar bears in particular being threatened with extinction in from the wild as a result of the decrease in ice within the arctic circle. This ice serves as the rearing ground for their young and plays a crucial role in their hunting – its loss is already resulting in bears dying due to malnutrition. In the long term, whilst sea levels rose by about 30cm during the last century, it is feared that they could rise a further 2 metres by 2100, threatening low level cities including London and New Orleans, which already rely on storm-surge defences. The more information we can get on these changes, the better.

What’s gone and what's next?

In October 2005, ESA’s original CryoSat Mission was lost after a technical glitch during launch. Then last year, NASA lost it’s own capability when a laser in its IceSat platform failed, ending its six year mission. CryoSat2 fills the gap and is the first dedicated ice observation satellite.

But there’s plenty more to come. Both the European Space Agency & NASA are looking to launch many more projects over the course of the next decade, with as many as 20 Earth observation satellites being in orbit by the end of 2018. Of course, all of that is in the future, but for now, ESA is looking forward to getting its first full sets of data. With it’s calibration nearing completion, CryoSat2 could be about to give us to most in depth, as well as potentially some of the most worrying figures ever recorded about the polar ice caps.