Open AccessSatellite to measure ice sheet elevations
Author(s) -
Jacobs Judy
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
eos, transactions american geophysical union
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.316
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 2324-9250
pISSN - 0096-3941
DOI - 10.1029/2003eo030004
Subject(s) - cryosphere , ice sheet , satellite , environmental science , sea ice thickness , sea ice , altimeter , antarctic ice sheet , remote sensing , elevation (ballistics) , atmosphere (unit) , climatology , geology , physical geography , meteorology , oceanography , geography , geometry , mathematics , engineering , aerospace engineering
On 12 January the National Aeronautic and Space Administration successfully launched its Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The data from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) onboard will be used to quantify ice sheet mass balance and understand how changes in Earth's atmosphere and climate affect polar ice masses and global sea level. The distribution of clouds and aerosols, as well as land topography sea ice, and vegetation cover will also be measured.