Covering the Earth from Pole to Pole

By Climate Central

Thousands of miles separate the Arctic and Antarctic from most people’s daily lives. However, the impacts of climate change are bringing the polar regions of the globe closer to home. Temperatures are rising in the Arctic twice as fast as the rest of the planet. That has caused glaciers and ice caps to melt, contributing nearly 8 inches of sea level rise globally since the end of the 19th century. Changes in Antarctic ice sheet, which contain around 90 percent of the world’s ice, could prove to have an even more profound impact on sea levels in the coming centuries. Other changes in the Arctic include a rapid decline in summer sea ice coverage, which could be altering weather patterns to the south, and melting permafrost, which could contribute to runaway warming around the globe.

Climate Central is chronicling these changes. View our archive of past and present coverage of these fragile regions:

2015:

February 3: Here’s What the Inside of Greenland Looks Like, in 3D

February 2: Accelerated Ice Melt Causing Iceland to Rise

January 22: Surprise Lake Sheds Light on Underbelly of Greenland Ice

January 20: Watch 28 Years of Old Arctic Ice Disappear in One Minute

2014:

December 29: Fate of Earth’s Ice Comes Further Into Focus

December 17: Persistent Warming Driving Big Arctic Changes

December 15: Greenland’s Ice Sheet Shifts Could Speed Melt

December 6: The End and Beginning of the Arctic

December 4: Warm Water Invasion Is Fueling Striking Antarctic Ice Melt

November 12: Listen To a Glacier, Forecast a Flood

November 11: 7 Images That Tell the Story of the Arctic Outbreak

October 29: An Ill Wind Blows in Antarctica, Threatens Global Flooding

October 26: Cold Winters in Europe, Asia Linked to Sea Ice Decline

October 21: Zombie Glacier Surprises Scientists

October 13: Expanding Antarctic Sea Ice is Flooding ‘Warning Bell’

October 7: Antarctic Sea Ice Officially Hits New Record Maximum

October 1: Greenland Sediment Sheds Light on Sea Level Rise

October 1: Antarctic Sea Ice Hits New Max; Continent Still Warming

September 26: Gravity Shift Reveals West Antarctic Ice Loss

September 17: Arctic Sea Ice to Reach Sixth Lowest Extent on Record

September 12: Warming Air Was Trigger for Antarctic Ice Shelf Collapse

September 12: The Good and Bad Climate News from Permafrost Melt

August 25: Antarctic Riddle: How Much Will the South Pole Melt?

August 24: The Jargonaut: What’s a Rossby Wave?

August 23: What Iceland’s Volcanoes Can Teach Us about Climate

August 19: Here’s How Arctic Sea Ice Could Shrink Even More

August 14: Humans to Blame for Much of Recent Glacier Melt

July 31: No Record, But Arctic Sea Ice Will be Among 10 Lowest

July 27: Scientists Begin Hi-Tech Quest for Arctic Sea Ice Answers

July 19: As Arctic Ice Melts, Polar Bears Find a New Menu

July 6: Warming Puts Emperor Penguins at Risk of Extinction

June 25: 2014: A Weird Weather Year in Alaska So Far

June 15: Refreezing Water Causes Weird Warps in Greenland’s Ice

June 8: Dust in the Wind Could Speed Greenland’s Ice Melt

May 28: Big Waves Bust Up Sea Ice, May Be Playing Role in Melt

May 25: Antarctic Ice Collapse Could Devastate Global Food Supply

May 19: Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Could Occur Yearly By 2100

May 18: Greenland Glaciers More Susceptible to Melt Than Thought

May 17: Climate Change Poses Growing Threat of Arctic Conflict

May 13: How Low Will Summer Sea Ice Go? Ponds May Hold Key

May 12: Melt of Key Antarctic Glaciers ‘Unstoppable,’ Studies Find

May 11: Stability of East Antarctic Ice Basin May Be Overestimated

May 1: Arctic Methane Emissions ‘Certain to Trigger Warming’

April 28: Astronauts Capture Arctic Sea Ice Melt Season in Progress

April 2: Arctic Ice Hits Yearly Max, But Summer’s Melt Uncertain

March 16: New Greenland Ice Melt Fuels Sea Level Rise Concerns

February 24: Arctic Warming, Extreme Weather Link Far From Certain

February 21: Watch 27 Years of ‘Old’ Arctic Ice Melt Away in Seconds

February 19: Arctic Sea Ice Sits at Record Low for Mid-February

February 9: Greenland’s Fastest-Flowing Glacier Speeds Up

February 4: Melting Sea Ice Makes Arctic Drilling a Risky Business

January 26: Climate Change Brings New Risks to Greenland

January 24: Short on Ocean Data, Scientists Turn to Seals for Help

January 15: Sea Ice Cracks Causing Mercury Buildup in Arctic Air

January 7: Climate Central Duo Talk About the Polar Vortex

January 6: Polar Vortex in U.S. May be Example of Global Warming

January 2: Iceland’s Vanishing Ice Threatens Culture, Society

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2013:

December 26: Rich Marine Life in Antarctic Fjord Is Puzzling Scientists

December 13: Fingerprints of Arctic Warming Seen Throughout Region

December 10: While Most of U.S. Froze, Parts of Alaska Set Record Highs

December 8: Study Adds to Arctic Warming, Extreme Weather Debate

December 4: Arctic Blast Has Half the Lower 48 States In Its Icy Grip

November 24: Arctic Storms, Warming Mean More Methane Released

November 10: Scientists Warn of Polar Bear Attacks in Warming Arctic

October 31: Last Time Arctic Was This Warm Was 120,000 Years Ago

October 17: Post Shutdown, U.S. Tries to Salvage Antarctic Research

September 23: Winds of Change: Why Antarctic Sea Ice Is Growing

September 19: No, Arctic Sea Ice Has Not Recovered, Scientists Say

September 13: 2013 Arctic Sea Ice Loss

September 12: Channels of Meltwater Detected in Antarctic Glacier

September 8: Drones Find New Purpose Studying Arctic Ice Melt

September 7: Newfangled ‘Icepod’ Tracks Greenland’s Melting Ice Sheets

August 29: Greenland “Mega Canyon” Sends Water to the Sea

August 25: Cruise to Greenland Will Weigh Arctic Drilling Risks

August 24: Krill Face Greater Risks in Warming Antarctic Waters

August 21: Arctic Warming May Not Be Altering Jet Stream: Study

August 10: Arctic’s Rapid Sea Ice Loss Threatens Wildlife

July 26: The Lake at the North Pole, How Bad Is It?

July 21: In Rapidly Changing Arctic, U.S. Playing Game of Catch-Up

July 10: Massive Iceberg Breaks off Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica

June 30: Rowboat Expedition to Arctic to Highlight Climate Change

June 18: Record 2012 Greenland Melt Challenges Climate Models

June 17: Look Out Below: Antarctic Melting From Underneath

May 21: Widespread Greenland Melting A Sign of Things to Come

May 16: Smaller Glaciers Boost Sea Level as Much as the Giants

May 14: Amid Rapid Arctic Warming, U.S. Releases New Strategy

May 1: Meet GROVER: NASA’s New Ice-Loving, Roving Robot

April 28: Warmer Seas May Impact Antarctic Clams’ Reproduction

April 12: Study: Arctic Summers Warmest in 600 Years

April 9: Charting the Arctic’s Future With Logbooks from the Past

April 6: Antarctic Sea Ice Grows as Result of Warming

April 3: Clouds Helped Enhance Greenland’s Record Melting

March 26: Arctic Ice Hits Annual Max and it’s 6th Lowest on Record

March 25: It’s ‘Survival of the Fattest’ for Canada’s Polar Bears

March 23: China Pours Cash into Melting Arctic to Win Influence

March 22: Study Shows Canada’s Far North Glaciers Are Melting Fast

March 17: Greening Tundra Shows Impacts of Spreading Warmth

March 15: Shell Barred From Arctic Drilling Without Overhaul

March 13: Large Fractures Spotted in Vulnerable Arctic Sea Ice

March 5: Warmer Arctic with Less Ice Increases Storm Surge

March 4: Study Shows A Future In Trans-Arctic Shipping

March 2: Shell to Suspend Arctic Offshore Drilling Program

Feb. 28: Ice Bubbles May Solve Carbon-Temperature Paradox

Feb. 27: NOAA to Map Alaska’s Increasingly Ice-Free Arctic Waters

Feb. 22: Ice Melt Means Uneven Sea Level Rise Around the World

Feb. 5: Exhibition Turns Climate Data into Artistic Experience

Feb.1: Major Storm Accelerated Arctic Sea Ice Loss, Study Finds

Jan. 31: Ozone Hole’s Shifting Winds May Sap Major Carbon Sink

Jan. 23: Greenland’s Ice Sheet More Stable Than Once Believed

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2012:

Dec. 27: Great Arctic Cyclone in Summer ‘Unprecedented’: Study

Dec. 23: Soaring Temps in West Antarctica May Fuel Sea Level Rise

Dec. 18: Arctic Storms: A Climate Danger Nobody’s Talking About

Dec. 7: Arctic Wildfires Speed Melting of Greenland Ice: Study

Dec. 5: Accelerated Warming Driving Arctic Into New Volatile State

Dec. 4: Rogue ‘Ice Islands’ Pose New Threat in the Arctic

Nov. 29: Study Gives New Benchmark for How Much Ice is Melting

Nov. 19: As Sea Ice Declines, Winter Shifts in Northern Alaska

Nov. 15: Winds Seen As Key Driver Of Antarctica’s Growing Sea Ice

Oct. 10: CO2 May Fragment Glaciers, Driving Ice Into the Sea Faster

Oct. 8: Scientists Close in on the Cause of Arctic Methane Leaks

Oct. 5: Melting Permafrost Will Boost Temps, But Not Quickly

Oct. 3: In Wake of Sea Ice Loss, Focus on New Models, Melt Ponds

Sept. 30: Arctic Warming is Altering Weather Patterns, Study Shows

Sept. 30: Forget the Melting Arctic, Sea Ice in Antarctica is Growing!

Sept. 21: Visualizing 2012’s Record Arctic Sea Ice Melt

Sept. 19: It’s Official: Arctic Sea Ice Shatters Record Low

Sept. 19: A Closer Look at Arctic Sea Ice Melt and Extreme Weather

Sept. 17: Globe Records Fourth Warmest August as Arctic Ice Melts

Sept. 17: Powerful Video of 2012 Record Arctic Sea Ice Melt

Sept. 13: New Study Shows How Fast Ice Sheets Can Change

Sept. 12: ‘Astonishing’ Ice Melt May Lead to More Extreme Winters

Sept. 12: Arctic Has Lost Enough Ice to Cover Canada and Texas

Sept. 9: Image of the Day: The Tongue of the Malaspina Glacier

Sept. 8: Patagonian Glaciers Are Rapidly Melting, Report Finds

Sept. 7: As Sea Ice Fades, The Arctic Becomes A Nautical Highway

Aug. 30: Image of the Day: Perilous Plight of Adélies Penguins

Aug. 29: Heidi Cullen Joins Lateline to Discuss Record Sea Ice Melt

Aug 29: Antarctic Methane: A New Factor in the Climate Equation

Aug. 27: Arctic Sea Ice Sets Record Low, and it’s Not Over Yet

Aug. 22: Report: Most Antarctic Peninsula Warming Human-Caused

Aug. 21: Arctic Sea Ice Record Now Could Be Set in August

Aug. 15: Greenland Melt Sets Record Weeks Before Summer Ends

Aug 14: Arctic Sea Ice On Pace for a Record Low in September

Aug. 5: The Rare Earth Riches Buried Beneath Greenland’s Vast Ice

July 31: Rapid Arctic Sea Ice Loss On Par with 2007 Record Season

July 25: The Story Behind Record Ice Loss in Greenland

July 24: Greenland Ice Melt Reaches Unprecedented Level

July 18: Greenland Glacier Sheds Two Manhattans’ Worth of Ice

July 13: Record Amount of Arctic Sea Ice Melted in June

July 12: Sea Level Rise: It Could Be Worse than We Think

June 29: Greenland Ice Sheet Melt Nearing Critical ‘Tipping Point’

June 28: Arctic Off-Shore Oil Exploration could be Imminent

June 25: Investors Getting Cold Feet About Arctic Oil Prospecting

June 4: Race to Map Africa’s Forgotten Glaciers Before They Melt

May 23: A River Runs Through It: Scientists Explain Arctic Mercury

May 16: Arctic Death Spiral: More Bad News about Sea Ice

May 16: Tiny Frigid Bubbles Get to the Core of Climate Change

May 16: NASA’s Latest Hit: Ice Show from Space

May 14: Long-Range Ice Forecast: Things Could Get Very Grim

May 9: The Bad News Continues to Flow About Antarctica’s Ice

May 3: Ice is Flowing Slower on Greenland than Many Feared

May 2: Video: Extreme Weather and Rapid Arctic Warming

April 30: Antarctic Ice Shelves Melting from Below, Study Finds

April 21: Bugs in the Ice Sheets: Melting Glaciers Free Old Bacteria

April 15: Lloyd’s of London Warns of Arctic Oil Drilling Risks

April 4: Now You Sea It, Now You Don’t: Watch Arctic Sea Ice Melt

April 2: Chilling out in Alaska, A Scientist’s Dream Come True

March 30: CSI Cold Case: Unlocking the Mystery of Rising Seas

March 8: “Chasing Ice” Catches up to Earth’s Changing Climate

March 7: Antarctic Trek Dramatizes the Dangers of Climate Change

Feb. 27: Warming Arctic Fueling Cold, Snowy Winters, Study Says

Feb. 15: Unusual Weather Pattern Freezes Europe, Shifts Arctic Ice

Feb. 14: What’s Beneath Antarctica’s Ice? No, not Hitler’s Remains

Feb.13: How Much Ice Is Vanishing? You Don’t Want to Know

Feb. 6: To Catch a Glacier Thief, Follow the Ice Cubes

Jan 13: Warming Arctic May Be Causing Cooler Winters in Eastern U.S., Europe

Jan. 4: David Attenborough: Frozen Plant Series Not Alarmist About Climate Change

Climate Central Videos:

NEEM: Ice Cores Tell of Climate HistoryArctic Changes: The Big PictureGreenland: Life on the Greenland Ice SheetDrilling Back to the Future:
Climate Clues from Ancient Ice on GreenlandGreenland: The Pilots of the 109th Airlift WingGreenland: Ice Cores and Climate