The CIRES Innovative Research Program has funded NSIDC researchers Walt Meier and Mary Jo Brodzik to re-examine satellite data from the 1960s that may hold promise for new research. Using new processing methods, the researchers hope to extract valuable information on sea ice extent, extending the historical record back more than a decade.
The NASA Nimbus I, II, and III satellites orbited the Earth in the 1960s and 1970s, collecting data twice daily for periods of several years. However, the data were never fully explored, and only one tape drive remains in the world that can still read the original files. The researchers will use new data processing techniques to convert the archaic data into a high-quality product, making the data available and accessible to scientists around the world.
Dennis Wingo of the NASA Ames Research Center and NSIDC Information Technology Manager David Gallaher initiated the project and will play an integral role.
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