After 3 months of the mission, the NASA ICESat-2 satellite managed to exceed the scientists' expectations. The device measures the height of sea ice with an accuracy of an inch, tracking the terrain of previously uncharted Antarctic valleys, studying remote ice sheets and peering into shallow coastal waters.
With each satellite pass, the mission receives new data sets, capturing the rapidly changing ice of the Earth. Scientists are ready to use information to study sea level rise due to the melting of ice caps and glaciers. In addition, it will help improve forecasts for climate and sea ice.
The photo shows the formation of sea ice in open water between the ice floes in the Bellingshausen Sea. The ICESat-2 satellite is able to detect thin sea ice, which makes it possible to more accurately track the seasonal formation of ice.
