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Fiber Optics In Antarctica Will Monitor Ice Sheet Melting

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the won't-somebody-think-of-the-penguins dept.

sciencehabit writes: Earth is rapidly being wired with fiber-optic cables — inexpensive, flexible strands of silicon dioxide that have revolutionized telecommunications. They've already crisscrossed the planet's oceans, linking every continent but one: Antarctica. Now, fiber optics has arrived at the continent, but to measure ice sheet temperatures rather than carry telecommunication signals. A team of scientists using an innovative fiber-optic cable–based technology has measured temperature changes within and below the ice over 14 months. This technology, they say, offers a powerful new tool to observe and quantify melting at the base of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet.

2 of 92 comments (clear)

  1. WTF, the antarctic gets FO before me? by Nyder · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Nice, here I live in Seattle, just off of downtown, can't get fiber optics, but hey, whatever. fuckers.

    --
    Be seeing you...
    1. Re:WTF, the antarctic gets FO before me? by dbIII · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Maybe, but that's just a guess isn't it? Perhaps it's a good idea to let scientists take a look at it to understand what is going on instead of attempting to trump reality by some sort of political fiat. Even if some declare the climate has never changed since Genesis there's still a great deal of value for global weather forecasting in monitoring conditions in Antarctica - it's half the reason Scott etc went there a century ago after all.
      King Canute's lesson to his court over how political will cannot command nature is very apt. You can shout from the rooftops that nothing is happening but there is some reason why last month was the hottest September in more than a century. Putting on a blindfold is not going to help.