The high latitudes of the Arctic and Antarctic, together with some
mountainous areas with glaciers and long-lasting snow, are
sometimes called the cryosphere-defined as that portion of the
planet where water is perennially or seasonally frozen as sea ice,
snow cover, permafrost, ice sheets, and glaciers. Variations in the
extent and characteristics of surface ice and snow in the high
latitudes are of fundamental importance to global climate because
of the amount of the sun's radiation that is reflected from these
often white surfaces. Thus, the cryosphere is an important frontier
for scientists seeking to understand past climate events, current
weather, and climate variability. Obtaining the data necessary for
such research requires the capability to observe and measure a
variety of characteristics and processes exhibited by major ice
sheets and large-scale patterns of snow and sea ice extent, and
much of these data are gathered using satellites. As part of its
efforts to better support the researchers studying the cryosphere
and climate, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
(NASA)-using sophisticated satellite technology-measures a range of
variables from atmospheric temperature, cloud properties, and
aerosol concentration to ice sheet elevation, snow cover on land,
and ocean salinity. These raw data are compiled and processed into
products, or data sets, useful to scientists. These so-called
"polar geophysical data sets" can then be studied and interpreted
to answer questions related to atmosphere and climate, ice sheets,
terrestrial systems, sea ice, ocean processes, and many other
phenomena in the cryosphere. The goal of this report is to provide
a brief review of the strategy, scope, and quality of existing
polar geophysical data sets and help NASA find ways to make these
products and future polar data sets more useful to researchers,
especially those working on the global change questions that lie at
the heart of NASA's Earth Science Enterprise.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
