OIB Arctic 2011 45-second Package

Ice near the poles is changing. In spring 2011, the annual maximum extent of Arctic sea ice was among the lowest in the satellite record. Using satellites to track Arctic ice and comparing it with previous years is one way that scientists gauge the Arctic's health and the impacts of climate change. Now, NASA scientists are in the field for the most recent leg of Operation IceBridge, a six year mission to study the Earth's polar regions, not from satellites, but from onboard aircraft. Over the next eight weeks, researchers will fly over the Arctic aboard airborne science laboratories, tracking changes to ice cover and glaciers, and even performing some measurements not possible from space.

For more information, go to www.nasa.gov/icebridge