Eton Student Helps NASA Scientists Study Arctic Sea Ice Melt

Eton student Thomas G. served as the summer intern for NASA’s ARCSIX research mission. ARCSIX research includes data collected by NASA aircraft taking off from Greenland to fly over Arctic sea ice and from NASA buoys set at various points in sea ice sheets. The data collected recorded a range of variables, including CO2concentration, condensation nuclei density, and incident/reflected radiation values, to enhance the research team’s understanding of what causes sea ice melt. The buoys also allowed tracking of the ice sheets’ longitudinal and latitudinal movements over time. Melting Arctic sea ice has profound implications for global sea levels, ocean currents, and marine habitats and species.

Thomas’s role focused on comparing the ARCSIX findings with data collected by NASA’s CERES satellite mission, which monitors Arctic sea ice from space. His task was to verify data accuracy and to account for any calibration errors. He was able to recalibrate the ARCSIX data and find causes for the observed differences, and also attribute the roles of shortwave and longwave radiation, latent and sensible heat fluxes, albedo, and snow and ice thickness to the rate of Arctic ice melt. He was then asked to describe his analysis to NASA scientists in a hybrid in-person and online presentation.