Steve Cole
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-0918
stephen.e.cole@nasa.gov

MEDIA ADVISORY: M08-057

NASA MEDIA BRIEFING PROVIDES CHECK-UP ON POLAR SEA ICE

WASHINGTON - NASA will hold a media teleconference on Tuesday, March
18, at 12 p.m. EDT, to present the latest satellite observations of
changing sea ice conditions in Earth's northern and southern polar
regions.

Last September, sea ice levels reached record summertime lows in the
Arctic, continuing a decades-long decline. This month, sea ice around
Antarctica reaches its seasonal low point during the Southern
Hemisphere summer and arctic sea ice hits its annual wintertime high.
Scientists are monitoring the amount and age of sea ice to see if the
declining trend persists. Of particular interest is how arctic sea
ice has been affected this winter by temperatures that are slightly
colder than in recent years.

The teleconference participants are:
- Josefino Comiso, Cryospheric Sciences Branch, NASA's Goddard Space
Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
- Seelye Martin, Cryospheric Sciences Program, Earth Science Division,
NASA Headquarters, Washington
- Walter Meier, National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of
Colorado, Boulder, Colo.

To participate in the teleconference, reporters must contact Steve
Cole at 202-358-0918 for dial-in instructions by 5 p.m. March 17. On
March 18, supporting information for the briefing will be available
at 11 a.m. on the Web at:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/seaice_conditions_main.html

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live on NASA's Web site
at:

http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio