Windrace ULTRA, a dual-use heavy lift drone, is set to be deployed in Greenland to record new climate data in one of the most remote and extreme environments on Earth.

The deployment, planned for June 2026, forms part of the GIANT program (Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points from ice loss), an international research mission to understand how melting glaciers are pushing the Atlantic Ocean toward a crucial climate tipping point.

GIANT, led by a team of international scientists, will use a range of technologies alongside Windracers ULTRA to better understand how ice interacts with ocean waters, including marine robots, satellites and sensors.

Continue reading Windracers ULTRA drones to be deployed in Greenland on glacier surveying mission at Meteorological Technology International.

China’s Lenghu Unmanned Atmospheric Background Observation Experiment (CRUX-2.0) has achieved key progress toward automated monitoring systems intended to support future atmospheric observations in Antarctica.

The Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences (CAMS), part of the China Meteorological Administration, said the CRUX-2.0 project has successfully demonstrated unmanned and automated monitoring, sampling, calibration and data transmission for atmospheric background observation equipment. The work is designed to provide technical support for long-term monitoring in Antarctica’s inland regions.

Ding Minghu, director and researcher at CAMS’ Institute of Global Change and Polar Meteorology, said the goal is to support observations at China’s Kunlun Station in Antarctica, located at Dome A, one of the continent’s highest inland points.

Continue reading Unmanned Antarctica atmospheric observation experiment advances in China at Meteorological Technology International.

A robotic Argo float has completed an ocean transect beneath an East Antarctic ice shelf – said to be the first of its kind – after spending more than eight months under the Denman and Shackleton ice shelves and collecting detailed temperature and salinity data.

Over two-and-a-half years, the float completed a 300km drift, collecting nearly 200 profiles from previously unsampled parts of the ocean. The mission offers rare insights into how ocean conditions are influencing the stability of East Antarctica’s ice.

“We got lucky,” said Dr Steve Rintoul, oceanographer at SCIRO and partner with the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership.

Continue reading Robotic Argo float sends back first ocean transect beneath East Antarctic ice shelf at Meteorological Technology International.

A specialized atmospheric instrument is flying on board routine transportation missions to and from McMurdo Station during this Antarctic summer, providing rare measurements of how carbon dioxide is exchanged between the atmosphere and the Southern Ocean.

The Southern Ocean Carbon Gas Observatory (SCARGO) project, led by the US National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR), runs from November through February and aims to fill one of the largest remaining gaps in global carbon cycle observations.

Because of the region’s extreme remoteness and harsh weather, existing carbon measurements rely mostly on sparse shipborne sensors and robotic floats.

Continue reading Antarctic flights carry NSF NCAR instrument to measure Southern Ocean carbon at Meteorological Technology International.

A new study by scientists from the University of Exeter and the UK Met Office has revealed that the loss of Arctic sea ice could have a significant effect on winter weather patterns across Great Britain and Ireland.

Published in the Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society, the research highlights how a “tug-of-war” between Arctic sea-ice loss and global temperature rise could influence the strength and position of the Atlantic jet stream, one of the key drivers of winter weather in northwestern Europe.

The study found that extensive sea-ice loss could lead to a weakening and southward shift of the jet stream, producing weaker, slower-moving storms that are more likely to affect southern parts of Britain.

Continue reading Arctic ‘tug of war’ could shape Britain and Ireland’s winter weather, study finds at Meteorological Technology International.

China successfully launched the Fengyun-3H meteorological satellite (FY-3H) using a Long March 4C carrier rocket at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu on September 27.

The satellite is a new member of the FY polar-orbiting meteorological ‘afternoon satellite’ family, with a payload configuration and performance indicators that are said to be on a par with the most sophisticated technologies in the world, according to the CMA.

It will take over the in-orbit operations of the FY-3D, which has been in service for nearly eight years.

It is predicted that the FY-3H will expand the data acquisition capability for multiple spheres of the Earth system and further enhance global service quality, while guaranteeing its core operations of global imaging and atmospheric vertical sounding.

Continue reading China launches Fengyun-3H meteorological satellite to boost global climate monitoring and weather forecasting at Meteorological Technology International.

R M Young Company has announced it is to host its inaugural webinar, ‘Reimagining Snowfall: Introduction to Snodar’, which will take place on Thursday, August 21, 2025, at 8:00am and 1:00pm EDT. This event marks the beginning of a three-part educational series focused on tools and techniques for winter weather monitoring.  

The first session will spotlight Snodar, R M Young’s latest lidar-based snow depth sensor, designed to deliver reliable performance in harsh winter environments. Led by Andy Oliver, director of product and applications management, and Ed DiFilippo, vice president of global sales and marketing at R.M.

Continue reading R M Young Company to host first-ever webinar at Meteorological Technology International.

A research team from the National Institute of Polar Research, Japan, has conducted an extensive four-month study of cloud behavior over the Southern Ocean in Antarctica. Their findings, published online in Scientific Reports on May 28, 2025, provide observational evidence about supercooled liquid water (SLW) clouds that could reportedly revolutionize how climate models simulate polar weather systems.

The study was supported by the Science Program of the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE) as Prioritized Research Projects (AJ1005 and AJ1003), JSPS Kakenhi (grant numbers: JP23H00523 and JP24H02341), and the National Institute of Polar Research (NIPR) through research projects KP-402 and KC-401.

Continue reading Japan deploys lidar ceilometer and a microwave radiometer to improve climate models at Meteorological Technology International.

Tajikistan has hosted the International Conference on Glaciers’ Preservation to highlight the urgent need to halt glacial retreat and raise it to the top of the global climate agenda.  

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Asian Development Bank and UNESCO partnered to organize the conference, which was attended by government leaders and ministers, as well as UN deputy secretary-general Amina Mohammed. The three-day conference brought together government leaders, heads of international agencies, glacier experts, policymakers and climate leaders from around the world.

Key topics of discussion included glacier preservation, water cooperation, the role of cryosphere monitoring in water allocation, sea-level rise and transboundary collaboration.

Continue reading Tajikistan hosts international conference on preservation of glaciers at Meteorological Technology International.

Meteorological instrument manufacturer RM Young Company has acquired the Snodar snow depth sensor, following its acquisition of SensorLogic. 

Specialized snow depth sensor

The Snodar uses lidar technology to monitor snow depth and new snowfall, even during winter storm events. This method enables the Snodar to create detailed, real-time snow depth data, ensuring reliable and efficient snow monitoring for a variety of applications. Additionally, the Snodar is reportedly the only snow depth sensor that calculates an estimated snow water equivalent (SWE) value.

The Snodar sensor can be set up to operate as a distance sensor, storm-board snowfall sensor, or a seasonal snow depth sensor.

Continue reading RM Young Company acquires specialized snow depth sensor at Meteorological Technology International.