Essential data:
Despite the technological advances of the 20th century, we still only have estimates
of the thickness of the sea ice cover on the Arctic Ocean. Travelling across the
sea ice, the Catlin Arctic Survey team will take precise measurements of its thickness
and density. This will enable the programme’s Science Partners to determine, with
a greater degree of accuracy, how long the sea ice will remain. Currently, its predicted
meltdown date is anywhere between four and a hundred years from now.
Global significance:
The melting of the sea ice will accelerate climate change, sea level rise and habitat
loss on a global scale. Its loss is also a powerful indicator of the effects of
human activity on our planet’s natural systems and processes. The Survey’s scientific
findings will be taken to the national negotiating teams working to replace the
Kyoto Protocol agreement at the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties in Copenhagen
in December 2009.
Pioneering technology:
The Catlin Arctic Survey has developed and tested a portable, ice-penetrating radar.
This will take continuous and detailed measurements of both the snow and ice layers
along the 1000 km route.
Ground-breaking satellite communications equipment, developed specifically for this
project, will allow the survey team to transmit their unfolding story directly from
the ice to a global audience.