“OMG Project,” the Greenland glacier observation project 2021.07.21
AXCTD (Airborne eXpendable Conductivity Temperature Depth profiler)
Overview
Oceans Melting Greenland (OMG) is a mission by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to investigate how the ocean changes are affecting the melting of Greenland’s glaciers in the Arctic region. The OMG Project is collecting data regarding glaciers, such as water temperatures and salinity in the area around Greenland, by air and by sea, in order to more accurately assess the speed at which the ice is melting and how quickly global sea levels will rise. In areas which are not accessible by ships, the project is using Airborne XCTD (AXCTD), which are deployable from the air.
Project
“OMG Project,” the Greenland glacier observation project
The OMG Project is a NASA observation project that seeks to improve the accuracy of predictions regarding rising global sea levels, one of the major environmental issues of the 21st century. It is observing how glaciers are being affected by changes in water temperatures around the continental shelf near Greenland and by currents from the Atlantic Ocean. The project requires observation systems that can perform measurements of the vertical distribution of water temperatures and salinity, data necessary for gaining a better understanding of the process of glacier melting. These systems must be able to perform observation over wide areas, including areas where ship observation is not possible.
AXCTDs that can be used from aircraft
- NASA’s OMG: Where the Water Meets the Ice ©NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
- Animation: How a Glacier Melts ©NASA
AXCTD (Airborne eXpendable Conductivity Temperature Depth profiler)
The AXCTD (Airborne eXpendable Conductivity Temperature Depth profiler) contains sensors for water temperature, pressure and conductivity in a probe which is deployed into the sea to perform a vertical profile of water temperatures and salinity.
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