Students will learn about sea ice and land ice in this project. They will witness ice melting on a solid surface near a body of water as well as ice melting in the body of water. Students will anticipate what each event will do to the amount of water prior to the exercise and then compare their predictions to what they observe. They will also research other factors that affect both types of ice, such as air temperature and precipitation. Sea ice is frozen ocean water that forms in winter and covers large areas of the Arctic Ocean. Sea ice is important for several reasons. First, it provides a protective cover for marine animals from wind, waves, and predators. Second, it acts as a sponge for heat around the Arctic Ocean, which prevents more heat from being absorbed by the ocean waters. Finally, some scientists believe that changes in sea ice may be responsible for changing climate patterns across the Arctic. Land ice is frozen soil or rock that covers large areas of the planet's land masses. Land ice plays an important role in regulating Earth's climate because it can absorb solar energy when it is frozen over and then release this energy when it begins to melt in spring or summer. The most common type of land ice is snow, which falls primarily in the Northern Hemisphere's latitudes (between 30 degrees north and 60 degrees south). Snow accumulates during cold months and melts in warmer months. Ice sheets are large bodies of ice that cover large parts of Greenland and Antarctica.