The Unmanned Ariel Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar, or UAVSAR, calibrates and supplements satellite data, while the Glacier and Land Ice Surface Topography Interferometer, or GLISTIN, creates high-resolution maps of ice surface topography, said the statement.

"We hope to better characterize how Arctic ice is changing and how climate change is affecting the Arctic, while gathering data that will be useful for designing future radar satellites," said UAVSAR Principal Investigator Scott Hensley of the JPL.

Until now, scientists have relied on laser altimeters for such mapping efforts. High-frequency microwave radar systems, however, can provide greater coverage and operate in a wider range of weather conditions, JPL officials said.

In the future, GLISTIN could also assist scientists mapping ice on other celestial bodies, or could be used to map ocean topography on Earth, according to JPL scientists.

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Editor:Yang Jie