Our World: ICESat-2 Measures Ice Sheets
Why is NASA interested in Earth's ice? The creation of ICESat-2 is allowing NASA's scientists to make accurate maps of polar ice sheets. These maps help them make informed predictions about weather patterns, climate change, and the effects of changing ice structures. The maps are so accurate they can measure to within 3 centimeters of an ice sheet's actual thickness from a huge distance!
Background Information
Grades K through 5
- NASA ICESat-2
- NASA ICESat-2
- NASA Space Place How Much Water Is on Earth?
Grades K through 8
Grades 9 through 12
Activities
Grades K through 5
- GLOBE Earth as a System - Water Cycle Protocol
- Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) What will happen if climate variability and change cause glacier and polar ice cap melting?
- My NASA Data Observing Earth's Seasonal Changes
- NASA/Montana State University Layers of ice
Grades K through 8
- My NASA Data Cryosphere Phenomenon - Changes in Snow and Ice Extent
- My NASA Data Sea and Land Ice Melt