Topic: National Snow and Ice Data Center

Militaries vie for Arctic edge as ice cap melts

By Arctic standards, the region is already buzzing with military activity, and experts believe that will increase significantly in the years ahead.

Increasing carbon dioxide levels ended the last ice age

Using data from ice cores and underwater sediment, new research shows that carbon dioxide emissions contributed to the temperature change at the end of Earth's last ice age.

Extent of Arctic summer sea ice at record low level

New data indicates the continuation of a long-term decline in summer ice underway since at least 1979. Researchers say roughly half the decline can be attributed to global warming.

Winter's freezing, so what's with Arctic sea ice?

An unusually warm January has limited the return of Arctic sea ice, whose extent set a record low for the month. The ice's ability to reflect sunlight back into space has a significant influence on climate worldwide.

Global warming: Impact of receding snow and ice surprises scientists

The seasonal cooling effect of light-reflecting snow and ice in the Northern Hemisphere may be weakening at twice the rate predicted by climate models, a new study shows, accelerating the impact of global warming.

Polar bear 'doomed'? Only if greenhouse-gas emissions aren't cut.

Greenhouse-gas emissions worldwide must be cut to avoid a disappearance of summer sea ice in the Arctic, which is crucial to the polar bear.

Russia's Putin says he wants peaceful division of Arctic

At a conference that included the US, Canada, Denmark, and Norway, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said the area should be a 'zone of peace.' But Russia is bolstering its claim to a large tract of the Arctic seabed.

Global heat wave hits US, reignites climate change debate

Worldwide, the first five months of 2010 were the warmest on record. With the US now getting its share of a heat wave, how will it affect the public perception of climate change?

Glacier melting a key clue to tracking climate change

Glaciers now occupy the center stage in the debate over causes and impacts of climate change.

Climate change: Scientists say this decade likely hottest on record

At Copenhagen climate change talks, a research group says this decade is likely to prove the hottest on record.

Old photos show that Teton glaciers are shrinking

Researchers found that two of the Tetons' biggest glaciers have lost more than 20 percent of their surface area since the late 1960s.

Is it a result of climate change or something else? Part 1.

Another tough summer for Arctic sea ice

Arctic sea ice fights losing winter battle (again)

Climate may heat crises, too, military analysts say

Competition for resources, ‘climate migrants,’ failed states are among top concerns.

Shrinking Arctic Ocean sea ice signals climate change

Global warming may have accelerated the irreversible loss of ice shelves that are thousands of years old, say scientists.

North pole ice cap now an island

For the first time in recorded human history, the Arctic is completely surrounded by open water, new satellite images reveal.

Polar bears spotted swimming in open seas

Government scientists patrolling the skies off Alaska's northwest coast say they observed nine polar bears swimming in open water, prompting some environmentalists to raise concerns about the species' survival in a warming world.

Arctic sea ice melting faster than expected

If the pattern continues, warming effects could reach up to 900 miles inland, melting permafrost

Antarctica's Wilkins Ice Shelf eroding at an unforeseen pace

Scientists say the breakup is a harbinger of what's to come if the region continues warming.