Checking CryoSat reveals rising Antarctic blue ice Field
measurements in the spectacular blue ice region of Antarctica
not only provide confidence in the accuracy of ESA’s CryoSat
mission, but have also shown that this part of the ice sheet has
increased in height. Making sure that CryoSat is delivering
accurate data to work out precisely how the thickness of Earth’s
ice is changing is a continuing effort, and one that takes teams
of scientists to some of the harshest environments on the
planet. These particular campaigns were carried out on a
desolate plateau known as the blue ice region, which lies on the
edge of Antarctica. As its name suggests, this unique region
features a vast expanse of polished blue ice, devoid of snow. It
is precisely this lack of snow and unusual icy surface that
makes the region very useful for determining the accuracy of
CryoSat’s radar altimeter. The lack of snow in this part of
Antarctica means that radar signals emitted by CryoSat’s
altimeter bounce straight off the glistening