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Health & Science

NASA Scientist: North Pole’s Sea Ice Under Scrutiny This Summer

NASA measures the thickness and extent of sea ice covering the North Pole to track climate change. A sea ice researcher for NASA talks about what is happening to the ice in 2016, and what the future holds for the Arctic region.

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NASA says July was the hottest month ever recorded, going all the way back to 1880 when scientists started keeping track. In fact, each of the past ten months have broken temperature records.

But NASA also tracks climate change in other ways, such as measuring the thickness and extent of sea ice covering the North Pole. News 88.7's Brien Straw spoke with Walt Meier, a sea ice researcher for NASA.

"Sea ice is the ice that grows and melts within the ocean, so it doesn't raise sea level," Meier explained. "But sea ice is very important for the climate because the ice is very reflective of the sun's energy, it's white."

They also discussed what's happening to the ice in 2016, and what the future holds for the Arctic region.

The space agency has plans to launch a new satellite in 2018 that will use the latest technology to track changes in the polar regions.

You can hear the full interview by clicking the audio play button above.