The helicopter heads out over McMurdo Sound, crossing a monotonous expanse of sea ice broken only by a smattering of icebergs and occasional clusters of Weddell seals. At last, off to one side, you see it: the Ross Ice Shelf, a mesmerizing expanse of white that stretches to the horizon and beyond. Wreathed in ice fog, the ice shelf takes on the haziness of a mirage. Yet it is all too substantial. Its surface ripples with undulating pressure ridges and solid, wind-hewn waves called sastrugi that move with the ice as it flows inexorably toward the sea.
Like everything else in...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
