Polar Discovery :: Expedition 4: The Poles in Depth

Meet the scientists and crew, and learn more about the tools they use

Every day, we'll add photos and journals about our experiences at the North Pole

During the expedition, email your questions to the researchers

Learn more with hot topics, videos, animations, and interviews.

Postcards from the Ice, puzzles, quizzes and more!

Greenland in Depth

If it’s not green, why call it Greenland?

Despite its spring-like name, ice dominates Greenland. The island’s ice sheet—described by American explorer Isaac Hayes as “a vast frozen Sahara”—covers an area the size of Mexico. Roughly 80 percent of Greenland is covered in ice.