Tracking The Ice That Covers The Arctic Ocean

This rapid melting has been recorded thanks to a group of experts from the University of Colorado. In the early 2000s, they developed a way to track the movement of the ice sheet that covers the arctic ocean and its surrounding areas.

The group got their data from several sources but relied on satellite passive microwave instruments. These devices gauge a measurement called the brightness temperature, a form of microwave energy the sea ice gives off. NASA scientist Walt Meier described this process as something like bookkeeping as they took note of pieces of sea ice until it melts or leaves the Arctic.