Satellite missions, such as ESA’s CryoSat-2 and NASA’s ICESat, along with advancement of observation and computer modelling techniques, are vital in understanding the cryosphere, and its impact on the wider Earth system and climate. Despite the impressive step-change in capability in recent decades, thanks to these impressive space missions, there are still gaps in our understanding and with the Earth’s environment and climate evolving rapidly, the scientific community is continuing to develop and improve satellite capability in monitoring the poles. One impressive example of this is ESA’s CRISTAL mission.
Recent advances in satellite technology
The European Space Agency (ESA) is currently preparing for the launch of the Copernicus Polar Ice and Snow Topography Altimeter (CRISTAL) in 2027.
Set to be a considerable advancement for polar science, CRISTAL will be equipped with a dual-frequency Interferometric Radar altimeter for Ice and Snow (IRIS) – a first for a satellite mission – and a passive microwave radiometer. This will give it the capability to monitor ice-sheet elevation as well as sea ice thickness and the overlying snow depth.
Image credit: ESA
The mission is designed with long-term monitoring in mind, with two identical satellites CRISTAL A and CRISTAL B, with B replacing A before its lifespan finishes to ensure continued data collection.
What’s cool about the IRIS altimeter?
IRIS operates at Ku-band (13.5 GHz) and Ka-band (35.75 GHz) frequencies, known as KuKa. Using both frequencies, this radar can measure snow depth and sea ice thickness at the same time. CRISTAL will be able to measure the thickness of sea ice, the snow that covers it and the elevation of the world’s ice sheets and glaciers ensuring improvement and continuity from the CryoSat-2 mission. This information will be further complemented by data from a Microwave Radiometer providing even more precise information on surface-type classification and snow layer properties.
The ability to assess the depth of the snow overlying sea ice will increase the accuracy of sea ice thickness data, with importance for better understanding polar ice dynamics and global climate. Monitoring the height of ice sheets will support studies on ice mass balance and sea level rise attributed to melting ice sheets.
CRISTAL A is currently having components added by Airbus, with the satellite developed initially by ACPO Technologies. Thales Alenia Space is developing the IRIS altimeter, and the microwave radiometer will be provided by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. You can read more about CRISTAL on ESA’s website.
Header image credit: ESA