Scientists carry out airborne arctic survey

Brussels, 05 June 2002

European scientists braved the cold to carry out an airborne survey of arctic gravity in early May.

The European Survey of Arctic Gravity (ESAG-2002) was successfully carried out close to the North Pole in temperatures of -20 degrees centigrade. The survey collected gravity data and measured ice surface height in the Fram Strait and an area in the north of Greenland and Canada.

The ESAG campaign will support two future European space agency (ESA) Earth Explorer missions - the GOCE (Gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation) mission to study the Earth's gravity field and shape, due for launch in 2006, and the Cryosat mission to measure ice-sheets and sea-ice, due to be launched in 2004.

Following the ESAG field campaign, researchers must now process the data to produce gravity maps and measurements of sea-ice height and thickness.

For further information, please consult the following web address:

http://www.esa.int

CORDIS RTD-NEWS/© European Communities, 2001