Donohue reported on late October, 2021 that the high spatial resolution and high orbit of ICESat-2 make it suited for measuring sea level close to the coast and in the polar regions, filling a gap in our sea level observational system. As sea level rises in response to climate change so does the demand for a robust global sea level observing system.
Buzzanga et al. [2021] show that the laser altimeter carried by the Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2), part of NASA’s Earth Observing System, is capable of measuring sea level and sea level rise. These ICESat-2 measurements fill two critical gaps in the existing satellite radar systems: the coast and the polar oceans. Robust sea level observations in these regions are critical for understanding and predicting climate change and will be required for effective mitigation and adaptation efforts.
This research letter is published in the special collection The Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) On-Orbit Performance, Data Discoveries and Early Science
The scientists involved are: Buzzanga, B., Heijkoop, E., Hamlington, B. D., Nerem, R. S., & Gardner, A. [2021]. An assessment of regional ICESat-2 sea-level trends. Geophysical Research Letters, 48, e2020GL092327. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020GL092327
[This New Earth Orbiter Provides a Sharper Look at a Changing Planet (more), mostly caused by Shrinking Ice Sheets Lifted Global Sea Level 14 Millimeters (more), measured by A Floating Buoy Fleet (more).]
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