Seasonal ice is a transient phase of water that forms, persists, and melts on an annual or sub-annual cycle in response to periodic temperature and radiative forcing variations. As a substance, it commonly occurs as freshwater or saline ice with physical properties (crystal structure, brine volume, density, and mechanical strength) strongly modulated by temperature and impurity content. In cryospheric and planetary science, seasonal ice includes lake, river, and sea ice, as well as frost and snow that undergo regular phase transitions, influencing surface energy balance, gas exchange, and hydrological or climatic processes during their recurrent formation–melting cycles.
Although Mars may have once resembled Earth, the rocky red planet now appears far from hospitable. Still, certain details—such as ice-bound water—pique researchers' curiosity. As on Earth, ice on Mars contains valuable records ...
Astrobiology
Sep 30, 2026
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Arctic sea ice reached its annual minimum extent on Sept. 12, according to NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) at the University of Colorado Boulder. The ice covered an estimated 1.78 million square miles ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 24, 2026
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Tiny plantlike organisms called phytoplankton that form the base of marine food webs topped by orcas, whales and sharks usually get eaten or slowly sink to the seafloor, carrying carbon as they go. Across most of the ocean, ...
Earth Sciences
Sep 23, 2026
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Oxidized iron dominates the Martian color palette. The dusty reds, ochers, browns and tans give the planet its nickname: the Red Planet. But new images of Mars' south polar region show something different. Swirls of pink, ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 21, 2026
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Scientists were shocked when they received the first images of Martian gullies. They were even more shocked as those gullies appeared to change over time. Their similarities to gullies seen on Earth were uncanny, but all ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 11, 2026
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113
Relatively few people have been to the Arctic, and even fewer have set foot in Antarctica. Most people rely on imagination and the media to visualize these landscapes and the ways they are changing.
Earth Sciences
Sep 3, 2026
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A Chinese container vessel has set sail for Europe through the Arctic as part of a new weekly service on a route that cuts shipment times in half but that environmental groups warn could speed up the melting of polar ice.
Environment
Aug 16, 2026
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59
For lakes across the Northern Hemisphere, winter ice is more than a frozen surface. It is a seasonal regulator that shapes underwater ecosystems and energy balance. But as the planet warms, this frozen season is disappearing ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2026
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12
The number of chicks in the Coulman Island emperor penguin colony decreased by about 69% in 2025 compared with 2024, according to research published in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors suggest that a large ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 23, 2026
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26
Large seabird colonies have a surrounding boundary known as Ashmole's halo, where food sources are depleted, forcing the birds to travel farther to gather the food they need. The reason seems obvious—the more birds, the more ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 15, 2026
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