polar ice cap
Frozen planetary crown
A polar ice cap is a thick sheet of ice covering a large area around a planet's poles, formed from accumulated snow compressed over thousands of years.
Earth has two: the Arctic ice cap in the north and the Antarctic ice cap in the south.
The term appears frequently in discussions of climate change, as rising temperatures cause these ice masses to shrink: Scientists warn the polar ice caps are melting faster than predicted.
Frigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- Aurora BorealisPolar atmospheric luminescence
- midnight sunPerpetual summer daylight above Arctic Circle
- SvalbardNorwegian Arctic archipelago
Greenland · Nunavut · blizzard · North Pole · Arctic Ocean · ice sheet · pack ice · sea ice
Thick glacial landmass covering
- calvingIce mass separation
- icebergFloating glacial fragment
- firnYear-old compacting snow
- glaciologyStudy of ice masses
ice core · accumulation · ablation · glacial retreat · ice shelf · crevasse · ice flow · compaction
Rising planetary temperatures
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
- carbon footprintTotal greenhouse gases produced
melting · thaw · glacial retreat · feedback loops · thermal expansion · IPCC · Paris Agreement · CO2 emissions
Tension-easing social activity
- dogsledAnimal-drawn snow vehicle
- explorerOne who investigates unfamiliar regions
- basecampExpedition's operational center
- parkaInsulated hooded winter coat
Amundsen · survival gear · crevasse · snowshoe · frostbite · hypothermia · ice station · research station
tundra
Frigid treeless biome
- permafrostPerpetually frozen earth layer
- Aurora BorealisPolar atmospheric luminescence
- midnight sunPerpetual summer daylight above Arctic Circle
Svalbard · Greenland · Nunavut · blizzard · North Pole · Arctic Ocean · ice sheet · pack ice · sea ice · Arctic Circle
ice sheet
Thick glacial landmass covering
glaciology · ice core · accumulation · ablation · glacial retreat · ice shelf · crevasse · ice flow · compaction · snowfall
global warming
Rising planetary temperatures
- sea level riseIncreasing ocean surface height
- climate changePlanetary atmospheric transformation
- greenhouse gasesEmissions that trap heat
carbon footprint · melting · thaw · glacial retreat · feedback loops · thermal expansion · IPCC · Paris Agreement · CO2 emissions · ice loss
icebreaker
Tension-easing social activity
- dogsledAnimal-drawn snow vehicle
- explorerOne who investigates unfamiliar regions
- basecampExpedition's operational center
Amundsen · parka · survival gear · crevasse · snowshoe · frostbite · hypothermia · ice station · research station · ski plane
seal
Authentication stamp or mark
arctic fox · snowy owl · krill · plankton · algae · icefish · caribou · arctic tern · food web · blubber
- solar systemsun, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn
- ArcticArctic Circle, Arctic Ocean, Arctic wildlife, Arctic exploration, Arctic research
- Extreme Terrainabyss, arctic, Antarctic, Antarctica, Death Valley
- glaciationice age, glacial period, glaciation, ice sheet, glacier retreat
polar ice captropical rainforest
Humid equatorial biome with dense vegetation
Sahara Desert · Death Valley · volcanic region · desert · Arabian Desert
polar ice capequator
Midpoint circle of rotation
tropics · equatorial region · Amazon basin · Southeast Asia · Central Africa
polar ice capdesert
To leave behind completely
hot desert · sand dunes · volcanic crater · molten lava · savanna
polar, iced, polarization, capped, caps, polarity, polarizing, capping, polarize