Antarctica

What about that hole in the sea ice?

There’s been discussion about a big opening in sea ice, called a polynya, and if it had anything to do with the Russian expedition ship, Akademik Shokalskiy , getting stuck near the Antarctic...

Satellite image of North Polar Cap of Mars, showing dune fields

Megadunes on Mars: an Antarctic analog

Giant snow dunes in Antarctica help researchers decipher strikingly similar dunes on the Martian polar ice caps.

Why is there so much Antarctic sea ice?

Even during the Antarctic summer, heavy sea ice conditions are not uncommon. This photograph of...

What can stall a glacier?

Much talk surrounds the deterioration of glaciers and ice sheets—particularly, how they are thinning and losing mass with global warming; but the mechanisms are complicated and scientists want to...

Is an East Antarctic melt probable?

Does melting of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) pose a threat to sea level rise? Studies of the ice melt that fuels sea level rise often focus on the prominent warming and melting of glaciers in...