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Citizen In Deed

Έργο Πολιτών / Citizen in Deed - Home Survey to probe Arctic ice melt Explorers will make regular stops to take readings from the water below the floating iceScientists and explorers will shortly set off on an expedition aiming to discover how Arctic sea ice melts. This year's Catlin Arctic Survey will focus on thethin layer of water immediately under the floating ice. Arctic ice is melting faster in summer than many computer models predict. Survey data could improve forecasts of the region's future, and also show how likely it is that the flow of warm water in the North Atlantic, known as the Gulf Stream, will switch off. This would bring colder weather to the UK and other parts of western Europe. The Arctic is one of best barometers of climate change, where we see big changes taking place today, said Simon Boxall from the National Oceanography Centre at the UK's University of Southampton. This is not just about polar bears - it's about our lives in the UK and in North America. In early March, four explorers will set off on foot from the geographic North Pole, trekking across the ice and ending up 10 weeks later in Greenland. They will make regular stops to drill holes through the floating ice and lower a package of instruments into the water on the end of a piece of rope - instruments that measure the water's temperature, salinity and flow. This data will allow scientists to calculate the rate at which the water is sinking.

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