KU Polar Research Grant

The University of Kansas (USA) gets a prominent role in a global study of polar melting.

The university announced a $19 million grant to operate a new Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets for five years. Scientists there will create new technology for studying polar ice caps and develop new ways to interpret data.

KU officials say the grant from the National Science Foundation is the largest federal award ever made to a university in the state. More than 40 scientists from ten universities as well as NASA will be involved in the centre's research.

The grant comes as some scientists worry about the thinning of polar ice caps and the potential for higher sea levels around the world. Last year, NASA researchers found that glaciers in Antarctica were thinning faster than they did in the previous decade.