1. Home
 / Modified jul 19, 2018 2:37 p.m.

Episode 139: How Satellites Measuring Polar Ice Can Help Predict Rising Sea Levels

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment has been measuring changes in Antarctic ice mass to help predict climate change.

AZSCI Rising Sea Levels The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment has been measuring changes in Antarctic ice mass to help predict climate change.
NASA

A pair of Earth orbiting satellites are giving University of Arizona scientists an accurate view of the impact of melting polar ice on the world's climate. The GRACE, or Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, has been measuring monthly changes in the Antarctic ice mass. The data is helping scientists determine the degree and speed of melting ice around the South Pole, which could bring a noticeable rise in sea levels worldwide.

Chris Harig is an assistant professor in Geophysics at the University of Arizona. His research looks at how climate change on the surface of the Earth interacts with the solid Earth below. He studies the mass balance of ice sheets and glaciers, and links local changes in the Earth's gravity to local causes. Tim Swindle of the University of Arizona Lunar Planetary Lab talks with Prof. Harig about the information coming back from the GRACE project.

Arizona Science
Catch Arizona Science each Friday during Science Friday on NPR 89.1. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Science.
MORE: Arizona Science
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona