ENGEOS Researchers Strategically Install SIMBA in April, before Formation of Sea Ice Starts, to Gain Insights on Ocean and Atmosphere Characteristics听
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Uncover insights on Antarctic ice and sea level rise鈥攍isten now!
Khalifa University of Science and Technology today announced scientists and researchers from its Environmental and Geophysical Sciences (ENGEOS) laboratory and the Earth Science department have deployed Snow Ice Mass Balance (SIMBA), a special instrument to study ice in Antarctica. This is the first time scientists from any institution in the UAE have deployed operational instruments on the icy southern continent.听
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The project led by Khalifa University鈥檚 Dr. Diana Francis, Head, ENGEOS lab, and Assistant Professor, Earth Sciences, is supported by five researchers. Two scientists from the Australian Antarctic Division are also working with the Khalifa University team.听听
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Prof. Bayan Sharif, Provost, Khalifa University, said: 鈥淲e are honored to be the first academic institution from the UAE to deploy this instrument to study sea ice formation and melting, aiding in better understanding the risk of rising sea levels. We are proud of this achievement and remain dedicated to pioneering innovation and scientific exploration, particularly in climate change. This initiative started in 2020, has successfully attracted international collaborations with those countries already present in Antarctica.鈥澨�
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Sea ice in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica starts to form every year around May and reaches its maximum extent and concentration in July, in the middle of the austral winter. SIMBA is deployed strategically in April before the formation of sea ice starts in order to gain insights on the ocean and atmosphere characteristics before this critical phase.听
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Dr. Diana Francis said: 鈥淥nce the ice forms, it surrounds the instrument which continues to measure all the parameters in addition to the evolution with time of the sea ice thickness. When the melting season starts at the beginning of austral fall, once again the instrument is here to record the state of ice, water and atmosphere. This offers invaluable information about the ocean, ice and atmospheric conditions governing formation and melting of sea ice.鈥澨�
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Antarctic sea ice plays the role of a protective band around Antarctica against waves and the ocean forcing on the glaciers. It exerts buttressing effects, slowing down the flow of ice from the interior part of Antarctica (the ice sheet and the glaciers), which contribute to rise in sea levels. Knowing the processes at play in sea ice formation and melting is crucial for better understanding of the risk in the rise of sea levels due to Antarctic ice.听
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Over 99.5% of Antarctica is covered in ice, and the icy continent contains 90% of the freshwater ice on the planet. Antarctic ice plays a critical role in regulating the Earth鈥檚 climate by reflecting the sun鈥檚 heat, providing a habitat for microscopic plants that absorb carbon, controlling global sea levels and generating cold, salty water that helps drive global ocean currents.听
