How CryoSat detects changes in the ice-thickness?
The SIRAL instrument will send radar signals to the ground and receive the reflected pulses. The traveling time of the signal indicates higher or lower terrain, resulting in accurate topographic profiling of the entire area under investigation. The instrument provides a stereoscopic view, just like the human eye. It monitors changes in ice thickness, especially along the edges, where icebergs usually break off. By knowing the height of floating sea ice above the water surface the under-water ice thickness can be derived.
