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Looking for facts and information? See About the Cryosphere.
On Thin Ice:
Expedition to a Crumbling Ice Shelf
Scientists blog from Antarctica and provide a glimpse of what it's like to do research in the field. Read their blog ...
Current Conditions
Icelights: Answers to your burning questions about ice and climate
What's hot in the news around climate and sea ice and what are scientists talking about now? Read more...
What is the Cryosphere?
When scientists talk about the cryosphere, they mean the places on Earth where water is in its solid form, frozen into ice or snow. Read more ...
We often think of the polar regions as barren, lifeless places. Although conditions are harsh, life thrives above, below, and within sea ice.
Many animals that live in the Arctic and Antarctic are impacted in some way by changes in sea ice from year to year. In some cases, their lives depend on its very presence.
This image is of two polar bears cuddled together on a piece of Arctic sea ice, surrounded by ocean water and thin layers of sea ice.
—Courtesy of Jessica Robertson, U.S. Geological Survey
Last updated: 3 April 2020
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