Antarctica sea ice sampled to study rare summer growth

SHOWA BASE, Antarctica - Members of the Japanese expedition to Antarctica sample sea ice off Padda Island in Lutzow-Holm Bay to study the rare phenomenon of more ice forming in summer than in winter. Sea ice that does not melt for longer than a year usually grows as sea water freezes underneath it. In the bay, however, growth also occurs when snow that falls during summer freezes and accumulates on the ice.