Following Formula E’s pioneering #ProjectIce adventure during which Lucas di Grassi drove the all-electric racer, the championship has teamed up with Southampton University in order to advance the understanding of the effect of climate change on the ice that is breaking off from the Arctic ice sheet.
During the expedition, Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag planted a tracking device on one of the icebergs off the coast of Greenland, which will be monitored in real time to record information about the journey the iceberg is undertaking. You can keep abreast of this too here: https://my.yb.tl/greenlandiceberg
Since the tracker was placed in early August, when it was off the west coast of Greenland, it has slowly made its way down the coastline, and it is now situated inside a bay. The sensor itself has a life expectancy of several years.
Southampton University will continue to monitor the movement if the iceberg and gain a greater understanding of the way these are contributing to rising sea levels.
Professor Jane Hart of University of Southampton said: “Climate change and its effects require considerable technological advances in order for us to understand and counter them. Formula E are a good example of cutting edge research into new vehicles and the technologies used are closely related to many we work on at the University of Southampton. We hope that the exchange of information between us will benefit not only our research but the public understanding of science and technology.”
The aim is to have a second data tracker on a separate iceberg by next summer to help further examine how ice travels before it becomes an iceberg.