Tracking Antarctic meltwater from space
Nasa's IceSat-2 laser mission was launched a year ago to measure the shape of Antarctica and Greenland, and to track the thickness of Arctic sea-ice. But early results show a remarkable capability also to sense water depths. Prof Helen Fricker from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography is using this to monitor meltponds - the large bodies of meltwater that form on ice surfaces in the warmer temperatures of Summer. She spoke with our science correspondent Jonathan Amos.
Image courtesy of Richard Coleman/UTAS