A sea ice tracker is a GPS device that is built to float when the ice it is placed on melts or breaks apart. In the above photograph, the white ball-shaped object is a tracker that has been placed between the three black flags. This particular tracker was placed on McMurdo Sound land-fast sea ice in November 2023. Photo: Inga Smith.
In November 2023, multiple sea ice trackers were placed on the McMurdo Sound land-fast sea ice. These sea ice trackers send position information (latitude and longitude) via Iridium satellite. Sea-ice break-out can then be studied as it happens.
This research is part of the Antarctic Science Platform's Sea Ice and Carbon Cycle Feedbacks Project. You can find out more information about this project here.
You can find more information about this research, including how and when the trackers were placed on the sea ice, in an Antarctic Science Platform update here.
If you want to follow the trackers in realtime, either follow the Overview link in the menu or go here.
