NASA's Operation IceBridge research aircraft taxis after landing at Thule Air Base on March 24, 2017 in Pituffik, Greenland.

NASA’s view from space shows our planet is changing, but to really understand the nitty-gritty of these shifts and what they mean for our future, scientists need a closer look.

For the past eight years, Operation IceBridge has been conducting aerial surveys of polar ice.