(CNN) Scientists now have a better idea of why giant holes have been opening up in the ice of the Antarctic, and they were assisted by some unique field partners. In 2016 and 2017, a hole of open water, called a polynya, appeared in the winter ice of the Weddell Sea in Antarctica. A team from the University of Washington explored the hole with a combination of robots, radio equipment and seals with antennas stuck to their heads. "We thought this large hole in the sea ice -- known as a polynya -- was something that was rare, maybe a process that had gone extinct. Once that water is cooled, it falls to the bottom again, and the ice can't re-form.

Source: CNN June 11, 2019 13:29 UTC