How Perpetual is the Perpetual Ice?

The polar regions of our planet have special significance to the planet’s climate. It is becoming increasingly clear that spectacular changes are currently taking place there. The retreat of the sea’s ice is considered a classic indication of global climate change. However, in order to create meaningful climate models, scientists need reliable measurement data. But how do you gather such data in the hostile environment of the polar regions? Of course, resourceful researchers have already found solutions to this problem. While some are sending recording devices weighing several tons into the depths of the Arctic Ocean, others rely on a satellite that records the thickness of the ice layers thousands of metres above the earth. In both cases, optical technologies play an important role.