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.
A 93-strong international expedition team has been exploring the northwestern Weddell Sea in the Antarctic on board the Alfred Wegener Institute's icebreaker Polarstern since February 8, 2026. In this key region for global ...
Earth Sciences
Apr 8, 2026
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A new Stanford University study has helped solve a mystery about dramatic swings in sea ice extent around Antarctica.
Earth Sciences
Mar 28, 2026
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Arctic sea ice reached its lowest level ever recorded, statistically tying last year's record, a leading US climate observatory for this geopolitically significant region said on Thursday.
Environment
Mar 26, 2026
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Arctic sea ice is headed for one of its smallest winter peaks on record, an AFP review of U.S. data showed Wednesday, as climate change shrinks the region's frozen cover and heightens geopolitical tensions.
Environment
Mar 11, 2026
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Northern Japan, especially the island of Hokkaido, is home to some of the snowiest cities in the world. Sapporo, the island's largest city and host of an annual snow festival, typically sees more than 140 days of snowfall, ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 17, 2026
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The Japanese priest and his parishioners gathered before dawn, hoping that climate change had not robbed them of the chance to experience an increasingly rare communion with the sacred.
Environment
Feb 15, 2026
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Standing in his boat with binoculars in hand, hunter Malik Kleist scans the horizon for seals. But this February, the sea ice in southwestern Greenland has yet to freeze, threatening traditional livelihoods like his.
Environment
Feb 10, 2026
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Paleontologists at the Canadian Museum of Nature have recently been studying the skeletal remains of a rhinoceros. This might not sound remarkable at first, but what makes these remains fascinating is that they were found ...
Paleontology & Fossils
Feb 2, 2026
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When it comes to global warming and climate change, we often hear news stories about tipping points where Earth's systems shift into a new and dangerous state. One such may have been reached in the year 2000 that caused tropical ...
Every winter in the Ladakh region in northwest India, the two roads that connect the small villages in the Zanskar Valley with the rest of the country close, overwhelmed by snow. But for centuries, locals have had a workaround: ...
Environment
Jan 9, 2026
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