Since the scientist is studying the polar ice caps, his main focus is on the CRYOSPHERE.
A cryosphere (derived from the Greek word kryos) is the scientific term for the parts of the Earth's surface that are frozen which includes the snow, permafrost, ice on rivers, lakes, ice caps and more. There are two major cryosphere elements and these are the polar ice and the alpine glacier.
The polar ice is the regions of the Arctic and Antarctica. Although the two regions are different, both of these regions are dominated by cold conditions plus a presence of ice, snow and water. The key difference between the two is that the polar arctic is a frozen ocean surrounded by a continental landmass and open oceans. On the other hand, Antarctica is a frozen continent by surrounded oceans.
