Russian scientists have proposed a new method to monitor the ice cover of the world's oceans, which tracks changes in the frequencies of radio waves emitted by GPS and GLONASS satellites reflected from the Earth's surface. The frequency range of reflected radio waves depends on the characteristics of the reflecting surface, which makes it possible, for example, to distinguish ice from open water.
This factor is critically important for climate research and ensuring safe navigation, and the method proposed by scientists lays the foundation for the development of automated monitoring of the behavior and condition of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic.
The area of sea ice plays an important role in regulating the Earth's climate – it affects air temperature, the movement of ocean and air masses, currents and winds. However, the inaccessibility and vastness of the territories occupied by sea ice makes it difficult to observe it.
According to the researchers, the proposed method can be used to map the ice cover in the Arctic and Antarctic, including for monitoring the Earth's climate and for navigation along the Northern Sea Route, goarctic.ru notes.
Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished
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