Airship promises better measurements than ship or helicopter.

A French explorer has unveiled plans to fly over the Arctic in an airship to measure the ice cap amid concern at the pace it is melting.

Jean-Louis Etienne said his 10,000 kilometer (6,214 mile) journey will serve as a benchmark for monitoring the impact of global warming on the North Pole.

Etienne’s expedition will begin in April 2008 in northern Norway and take him over the Barents Sea to Spitzberg. He will then fly over the magnetic North Pole and Beaufort Sea before heading to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, where he is due to land in May.

“Measurements are being made by ships but ships do not cover the kind of surface that we will cover,” Etienne told Reuters.

“The airship will allow us to fly over vast areas and it will give our measuring equipment the stability that a helicopter cannot give.“

Full story (Environmental News Network) | Expedition website (in English)

[tags]Blog Action Day[/tags]