Severny Island ice cap, Arctic glacier in Novaya Zemlya, Russia
The Severny Island ice cap covers much of the northern island in the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. It forms a continuous mass of ice and glaciers that stretches across wide expanses and dominates the landscape.
An early explorer mapped this ice cap in detail during the early 1800s and gathered the first systematic information about the region. His expeditions laid the foundation for later scientific study of this Arctic landscape.
Scientists work year-round on the island to track how the ice is changing and what it means for the Arctic. Their observations help people understand the effects of climate change in this remote part of the world.
Access to the ice cap is heavily restricted and only possible with authorized scientific teams. Visitors should know that reaching this site requires special arrangements due to its remote location and extreme cold.
This ice cap is one of Europe's largest glacial masses and hosts rare Arctic ecosystems adapted to extreme conditions. The few organisms that survive here show how life persists even under the harshest circumstances.
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