“Cryo-egg” to predict changes in sea levels
December 12th, 2009 - 1:46 pm ICT by ANI ( Leave a comment )London, December 12 (ANI): Scientists at Bristol University are working on creating a hi-tech device called the “Cryo-egg” that will help predict changes in sea levels.
According to a report by BBC News, the device will be sunk into the depths of the Greenland ice sheet before beaming back data about how frozen water is moving into the sea.
Bristol University won 225,000 pounds from the government-funded Natural Environment Research Council to build the egg.
“The engineering challenges for cryo-egg are vast,” said Dr Jemma Wadham, Project leader and geographical scientist.
“In addition to the need to survive crushing by ice and extreme cold, the probe must be able to communicate with scientists on the surface through kilometres of ice. This will be the first goal of the project, and is the focus of the current funding,” she added.
Glacial ice moves around; so any cables linking the probe to the surface would eventually snap.
The only solution for the development team will be to employ wireless communication.
The wireless cryo-egg - whose name is derived from cryogenics, the study of low temperatures - will be developed over two years and is also intended to monitor the Antarctic and its largely uncharted subterranean landscape. (ANI)
- Warming ocean layers melt polar ice sheets faster - Jul 04, 2011
- Experts may reach bottom of Antarctic lake in 2014 - Feb 09, 2012
- Arctic sea ice to melt by 2015: Expert - Nov 10, 2011
- Launch of CryoSat-2 ice satellite successful - Apr 09, 2010
- Greenland ice sheet melted at record rates in 2010 - Jan 22, 2011
- Melting glaciers to contribute 12cm to world sea-level increases by 2100 - Jan 11, 2011
- Ice samples show climate capable of abrupt changes - Sep 11, 2011
- Low-level aerial surveys aim to understand rapid Antarctic melting - Oct 08, 2009
- Polar ice melt 'accelerating rapidly, raising sea level' - Mar 09, 2011
- Melting ice sheets largest contributor to sea level rise - Mar 10, 2011
- Satellite lasers show rapid thinning of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets - Sep 24, 2009
- Greenland ice sheet is safer than scientists previously believed - Jan 27, 2011
- Chunk of Greenland glacier breaks up overnight - Jul 13, 2010
- East Antarctic ice sheet losing mass from last 3 years - Nov 23, 2009
- Hot season triggers 100 bn tonnes Greenland ice loss - Dec 11, 2011
Tags: bbc, bristol university, cables, egg, frozen water, glacial ice, greenland ice sheet, jemma, kilometres, landscape, london, natural environment research, project leader, scientist, scientists, sea levels, study of low temperatures, wadham, wireless communication