In 1999, NSF-funded researchers sailed aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear submarine (the USS Hawkbill, shown here poking through the ice), to map the oceanic ridges and basins beneath the Arctic ice cap and to study ocean currents that may have an effect on global climate. The project, called Scientific Ice Expedition (SCICEX) '99, was the fifth in a series of annual missions, all taking advantage of sophisticated scientific instruments aboard highly maneuverable warships.

Photo by: USS Hawkbill, 1998 Commander Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet