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Hundreds of images of arctic sea ice taken in the last ten years have been released by the government that could prove valuable to research on climate change. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced July 16 that these images, 700 in total that show changes that have occurred in the last decade, are now available to the public.
The images are part of the United States Geological Survey's Global Fiducials Library dedicated to environmental assessment and analysis to support current and future researchers and policy makers in identifying and understanding long-term environmental trends and processes.
According to the Department of the Interior, the Arctic images collection is reportedly the largest release of information derived from classified material since the declassification of "corona" satellite images during the Clinton Administration.
The announcement comes a day after the National Research Council (NRC) urged the release of the images to be used by scientists. A new report from the NRC says the images serve as data not available elsewhere, such as detailed melting and freezing processes and information at scales, locations, and time periods relevant to the effects of climate change on sea ice and habitat.
