The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has brought their expertise to studying Icelandic glaciers better.
Glaciers as a natural phenomenon are nothing new, but there is still much about them that remains a mystery to science. RÚV reports that NASA has teamed up with Icelandic scientists to get a better look at some of the country’s glaciers and how they work.
Last week, a team of scientists flew over some Icelandic glaciers with a radar device attached to the bottom of the plane, to get a better look at the glaciers. Icelandic scientist Helga Björnsson said the technology involved is revolutionary, in that it can provide a 3D image of the glacier, inside and out, and provide a clearer image of how it moves. For now, the main focus will be on the glaciers Langjökull and Hofsjökull.
While the technology itself is not new, it has never been used on glaciers before. It is very precise, and able to detect even the smallest movements within a glacier. By flying over the glacier in the same direction, time and time again, a sort of “time lapse” record of how the glacier moves will begin to form.
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