February 28, 2005 POLAR EXPEDITION CONTRIBUTES TO ESA’S ICE MISSION CRYOSATIn a few days, a three-man scientific expedition called Pole Track is to embark upon a grueling 1000 km trek across the frozen Arctic to collect
valuable data for climate-change research. Throughout the demanding two-month expedition, the team will also take thousands of snow depth
measurements in support of ESA’s CryoSat mission. On skis and dragging sledges, called ‘pulks’, loaded with around 150 kg (330 lbs.) of food and equipment, the Pole Track team will be
setting up three weather beacons (one at 82* N, one at 83.5* N and a third at 85* N), which will transmit meteorological data, such as temperature
and barometric pressure for up to a year. The position of the beacons will also be tracked by GPS so that the drift of the floating sea-ice can be
mapped. The data will be fed into a central database for the International Arctic Buoy Program and used by scientists all over the world for climate
studies. They will also be taking numerous photos to help classify the Arctic terrain. To ensure that the data delivered by CryoSat is as accurate as possible, numerous ground and airborne campaign activities have already been
carried out in the Arctic. Since the CryoSat signal is sensitive to changes in the properties of the snow and ice, it is crucial to understand, and
then correct for, the seasonal changes that occur naturally. Long-term changes due to climate change can then be determined with the highest possible
accuracy. To complement these dedicated data sets, the Pole Track team will be taking many measurements of the snow every day of their two-month
expedition. In addition, when they encounter cracks in the ice they will also be able to take readings of the freeboard (height by which the ice
rises above the water surface) floating sea ice. Not only will the Pole Track team face the challenges of acquiring precise scientific data throughout their 1000 kilometer (622 mile) trek, the punishing Arctic environment will put their physical fitness and endurance to the test. It takes time to acclimatize and adapt to surviving in such a cold and hostile climate so during the early part of the expedition the team expect to travel less than 10 km (6.2 miles) a day. Their progress is also dictated by hours of daylight at this time of year. Since they are walking on floating ice, navigation is always a major issue, so constant compass readings are necessary to ensure that they are
still heading north. Each of the three men will be on skis and pulling a sledge that can also be used as a canoe if they have to cross open water -
although it is often quicker to actually get in and swim across wearing special dry suits. ### Malcolm Davidson This text derived from http://www.esa.int/export/esaLP/SEMLSIYEM4E_index_0.html Recommend this Article to a Friend Back to: News |
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