Underwater robot provides first detailed, high-resolution 3D maps of Antarctic sea ice

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Antarctic scientists have combined measurements provided by an underwater robot with existing satellite data to show that Antarctic sea ice may be thicker than previously thought. Their first-of-a-kind high-resolution 3D maps cover over 500,000 square meters in the Weddell, Bellingshausen, and Wilkes Land sectors of Antarctica, and they reveal heavy deformation in all three near-coastal regions that produces mean sea-ice draft (thickness of the submerged part of the ice) far in excess of ice drilling and ship-based measurements. This is a big leap forward in our ability to understand why and how the ice is changing on both small and large scales... Continue Reading Underwater robot provides first detailed, high-resolution 3D maps of Antarctic sea ice



Section: Robotics



Tags: Antarctic, Autonomous Vehicles, Mapping, Underwater, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution



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via http://www.gizmag.com/