Mapping sea ice from space

Reduced and thinner sea ice makes Arctic waters increasingly appealing for shipping, fishing, tourism, and mineral exploration. However, with increased accessibility and more dynamic ice conditions comes a greater risk for ship crews to encounter sea ice and icebergs outside of their usual seasonal limits.

To help them navigate, timely and reliable sea ice information is key. Have you wondered how sea ice information can be provided for vast and remote areas such as the Arctic Ocean? Take a look at CIRFA´s contribution to the EGU Cryospheric Sciences Blog when you are curious to learn about mapping sea ice from space!

Drone orthomosaic of the fieldwork area. KV Svalbard was attached to a large ice floe with ridges of drifted snow or pressure ridges, and a large crack and open sea ice on the left side. Photo: Tom Rune Lauknes/NORCE, with kind permission from the Norwegian Coast Guard.