Life on an Ice Floe

Researchers have been living on an ice floe, a floating mass of ice, in the middle of the Arctic Ocean for months.

While crevices that formed in the ice floe have closed, frequent polar bear visits regularly alarm participants. Otherwise, daily life is structured by scientific measurements on the one hand and by meals on the other.

The scientists use research balloons to measure the ozone layer above the Arctic Ocean, and they hope the data will improve climate models for the Arctic.

-- LiveScience Staff

Image Credit: Alfred-Wegener-Institute for Polar and Marine Research

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