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ice caps

Wind patterns in the ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska on March 18, 2011.

Sea ice has hit new record lows at both poles

Science

These are the smallest polar ice caps in the Arctic and Antarctic this time of year in the 38-year satellite record.

Ice scientists Ken Golden and Chris Polashenski drill a plastic tube into the Arctic ice cap north of Alaska as part of their research into melt ponds that form on the ice every spring. The ponds play a key role in the accellerated warming of the Arctic,

A scientist unlocks one of the mysteries of Arctic ice melt

Environment
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