Apart from access to the ice via Antarctic research stations, the only way to penetrate into heavy pack ice is by ice-breaker such as the R.V. Polarstern. Scientists working off the ship descend via a gangway or are lowered onto the ice by crane in a so-called mummy chair. Recent climate changes, however, have caused scientists to wonder whether these alterations are part of the natural cycle or created by human activity. The Antarctic ice may hold some answers. Each year scientists have about a 40-day window in January and February to visit this remote continent and collect data.
Some scientists say a collapse is inevitable, possibly even imminent.
Click on the images below to get a look at selected coasts in the aftermath of such a melting. This page was last updated July 26, 1999.