In this audio lecture, David Vaughan looks at the operational practical applications that Earth observation of the cryosphere has for both our daily lives and for specialist industry needs.

They can be used to:

• Reduce the loss of life and property from natural disasters such as avalanches
• Assist with water supply management (for example up to 75% of the water supply in the Western United States comes from snow melt)
• Help with wildlife management (regional changes in sea ice affect marine life)
• Monitor transportation routes (frozen rivers and lakes are often used as ‘winter roads’ in some northern regions, and navigating sea ice and important part of shipping in these regions)
• Monitor conditions important for tourism and recreation (for example in ski resorts)
• Monitor icebergs to reduce the hazard they pose to ships

Traditionally, these applications have been very difficult or expensive to monitor and operate. For example, icebergs were traditionally monitored using in-situ reports from ships and sea patrols by places.

It is important to be monitor icebergs as they can pose a significant risk to ships. Icebergs form when a large piece of ice calves (or splits) from a larger sheet of ice, such as a glacier. They can be very difficult to spot because typically only 10-20% of their mass lies above sea level.

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instruments on satellites emit radar and they can detect if the signal has picked up the presence of icebergs.

In September 2019, a large iceberg called D28 calved from the Amery Ice Shelf in Antartica. It covers 1636sq kms and is approximately 30km wide and 60km long. It is expected to contain over 300 billion tonnes of ice. Scientists have been using EO data to track the iceberg as it could be a risk to ships in the area.

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Featured Educator:

• Professor David Vaughan

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