Is it colored ice, a plankton bloom, both, or neither?
Published Mar 18, 2012
A guano stain betrays the location of an emperor penguin colony on Antarctic ice in this Landsat image from December 4, 2002.
Published Jun 5, 2009
New elevation measurements will give researchers an unprecedented understanding of the thickness of sea ice, which will be used to help improve climate modeling and forecasts.
Published Dec 18, 2018
This map shows sea ice extent around Antarctica on September 22, 2013, when ice covered more of the Southern Ocean than at any other time in the satellite record.
Published Oct 1, 2013
As the Arctic experienced a new record summer minimum for ice extent, the Antarctic set a new record for maximum winter sea ice.
Published Oct 11, 2012
Low-angled sunlight highlights topography and ice textures along Walgreen Coast in West Antarctica on March 14, 2010.
Published Apr 13, 2010
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
In some places where ice should cover the sea, open water appears instead.
Published Nov 22, 2011
Skylights in Arctic sea ice provided ample light for a massive phytoplankton bloom in July 2011.
Published Dec 11, 2012
Sea ice formed delicate swirls of blue and white in the Sea of Okhotsk in February 2009.
Published Feb 27, 2009
