Mission

Cryosphere investigates polar ice, including the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets, polar glaciers, and sea ice in the Arctic and Southern Oceans, with a focus on satellite and airborne observations. Cryosphere also seeks to improve our understanding of processes, advance prediction, and link the cryosphere to the Earth system.

Overview

Polar ice is a key component of the Earth system, interacting with the biosphere, atmosphere, ocean, and solid earth. It is sensitive to changing atmospheric and oceanic conditions and currently undergoing rapid change. For example, melting ice from the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets contributes to sea level rise while changes in sea ice impact ocean biology, air-sea exchanges, and the ocean circulation. Furthermore, ice at the poles is highly reflective and changes to the surface area or ice surface reflective properties impact the Earth’s radiation balance. Several feedback mechanisms thus link changes in the polar regions to conditions globally. 

Monitoring the cryosphere and to understanding the underlying physical processes that govern its behavior are critical to the US economy and national security. Despite the importance of polar observations, the remote and harsh nature of these regions means in situ measurements are often sparse. NASA Cryosphere thereby uses satellite and airborne based observations to provide large-scale and continuous measurements of the polar regions for the betterment of society. 

Contacts

Thorsten Markus 
Cryosphere Program Manager 
Cryospheric Science Research
Contact | Bio 

Earth Action Embed 

Ali Giese 
Earth Science Management Analyst
Cryospheric Science Research
Contact