Antarctica's ice sheet is a powerful entity, alive and dynamic. It is up to three million years old; its mass is constantly and imperceptibly moving, finally calving to the sea. Deep in the heart of the continent is a barren desert of snow, while the coast teems with life: the dominion of whales, birds, penguins, and seals, which had previously evolved outside of human contact.
Until recently, scientists thought Antarctica had remained mostly untouched by climate change. But now they have warned that the ice is indeed melting-- and quickly. My research there gave me a deeper perspective of the subtle variations taking place at the hands of climate change, says Copeland. The images I bring back tell the story of a changing envi- ronment that spells the oncoming redrawing of the world's map, and all that it implicates.