The Asahi Shimbun reports on the upcoming research mission, 'the 67th Antarctic Research Expedition', where reporters from the outlet will join a team investigating climate change in Antarctica from December 2025 to March 2026. The mission aims to explore the effects of climate change on the Antarctic region via two pathways. Accompanying this context, the article will delve into various types of ice floating in the Antarctic Ocean, emphasizing their formation and characteristics.

Antarctica is characterized by its massive ice sheets, which cover an area approximately 37 times that of Japan, amounting to around 14 million square kilometers and averaging a thickness of about 2,000 meters. The ice sheets are the largest body of ice on Earth, formed from snow that accumulates over time and compresses under its own weight into glaciers. These glaciers are categorized specifically as continental ice masses, notably present in Antarctica and Greenland.

Due to Antarctica's extremely cold climate, the snow that falls inland does not melt even during the summer months; instead, it continues to accumulate. The Antarctic ice sheet resembles a dome that is elevated in the center, allowing the ice formed from snow to gradually flow toward the ocean driven by its own weight. Near the coast, this movement can reach several kilometers a year, allowing the formation of ice that eventually makes its way to the ocean, where it transforms into icebergs or sea ice, connecting the inland and marine environments.