Thinning of polar ice will be measured from space

A European satellite to be launched soon will use a radar altimeter to check the impact of global warming on the Arctic and Antarctic ice.

New pictures of Arctic sea ice suggest melting has accelerated to record levels. Passing over each pole every 100 minutes, the Euro 135m Cryosat will offer a three-dimensional snapshot, updating the patchy declassified Arctic ice thickness data recorded by nuclear submarines, The Guardian reports.

Duncan Wingham, an ice expert at University College London and mission chief scientist, said: "The situation could be very much worse than we think."