Pioneering research deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and satellite modelling means the thickness of Arctic sea ice can be measured all year round for the first time, bringing significant benefits for future weather forecasts and shipping in the region.
Pioneering research deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) and satellite modelling means the thickness of Arctic sea ice can be measured all year round for the first time, bringing significant benefits for future weather forecasts and shipping in the region.
The study, published today in Nature and led by researchers at the University of Bristol and UiT The Arctic University of Norway, provides the first dataset showing the thickness of sea ice across the entire Arctic through the whole year.
Lead author Dr Jack Landy, sea ice scientist at UiT and formerly at Bristol, said: "The Arctic ice is melting faster than ever. We need knowledge about the thickness of the sea ice, both to reduce safety risks for businesses and shipping in the Arctic, but also to make forecasts for the future climate."
Satellites have been used to measure the thickness of ice in the Arctic since the 1980s. But the technique has only worked in winter, from October to March, when the ice and snow are cold and dry.
Read more at University of Bristol
Image: The image shows melting sea ice in the Arctic photographed from the Alfred Wegener Institute’s airborne sea-ice survey IceBird. (Credit: Alfred-Wegener-Institute / Esther Horvath)
