Sea ice formed delicate swirls of blue and white in the Sea of Okhotsk in February 2009.
Published Feb 27, 2009
Changing weather conditions left their mark on sea ice along the Antarctic Peninsula in late 2008 and early 2009. In mid-December 2008, melt water resting on the sea ice colored it sky blue. At the beginning of 2009, however, the sea ice appeared snowy white, and cracks had begun along the ice margin.
Published Jan 9, 2009
Satellites and scientists capture the Mackenzie River in the act of warming the ocean and breaking up ice in the Beaufort Sea.
Published Mar 6, 2014
Summer is a dynamic time for ice in Arctic waters—melting, drifting, and even forming occasionally.
Published Aug 2, 2015
Filaments of sea ice stretch across the waters off southern Greenland, an area that is typically ice-free.
Published May 18, 2019
While pack ice gets jostled by winds and currents in the open ocean, fast ice usually clings to land masses in shallow areas.
Published May 21, 2013
The Sea of Okhotsk is the lowest latitude area where sea ice forms each winter.
Published Jan 11, 2015
Acquired April 13, 2010, this natural-color image shows a long formation of sea ice with a shape that mimics the features of the eastern shore of the Kamchatka Peninsula.
Published Apr 15, 2010
Carried by winds and currents, sea ice can reach the coast of Hokkaido, Japan.
Published Mar 19, 2020
Populations of gentoo penguins are growing, and remote sensing data are helping scientists figure out why.
Published Sep 24, 2020
Winds pushed Antarctic sea ice north of its typical location in February 2013.
Published Mar 1, 2013
Low-angled sunlight highlights topography and ice textures along Walgreen Coast in West Antarctica on March 14, 2010.
Published Apr 13, 2010
As the summer solstice approaches in the Northern Hemisphere, long hours of sunlight brought unusually rapid ice loss
Published Jul 8, 2012
In polar environments, tiny algae and other plant-like organisms that are the foundation of the ocean food web grow not just in the open ocean, but also within brine-filled pores and cracks in the sea ice. In the winter, sea ice insulates the water below, keeping it above freezing. Algae growing on the bottom of the ice can grow into long filaments that trail into the water. As the ice melts, and currents and tides jostle and crush the sea ice into slush and small pieces, the algae are released into the surface water. Blooms of algae and phytoplankton often occur along the ice edge.
Published Mar 5, 2008
A patch of open water made a rare appearance amid winter sea ice in the Weddell Sea near Antarctica.
Published Sep 1, 2016
On February 24, 2008—late summer in the Southern Hemisphere—the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of lingering sea ice in the Southern Ocean.
Published Feb 28, 2008
