Ice loss in Barrow Alaska from 2006 to 2007. Credit: US
Geological Survey
Last week the US government released more
than a thousand intelligence images of Arctic ice that have been used to help
scientists study the impact of climate change. The images were taken by spy
satellites, as part of the Medea program, which lets scientists request spy
pictures from environmentally sensitive locations around the world. After they
were taken, the Bush Administration released the photographs to the scientists
but deemed them "unsuitable for public release." Earlier this month, the
National Academy of Sciences recommended the Obama Administration declassify the
photos, which they did within a few hours of the recommendation.
Various blogs are saying these dramatic images are faked, but since they are
available through the US Geological Survey , that hardly
seems likely. Over 700 images show changes of sea ice in various recent years
from six sites around the Arctic Ocean, with an additional 500 images of 22
sites in the United States.
(...)
Read the rest of Declassified Ice Loss Images (87
words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2009. | Permalink | 10 comments | Add to del.icio.us