Sargassum Seaweed Seen by Satellite

On top is an image provided by the European Space Agency's (ESA) environmental satellite, Envisat. It shows Sargassum seaweed in the Gulf of Mexico. This is the first time that a satellite has captured images of such life. Scientists hope to use the data to analyze and predict climate change. Jim Gower of the Canadian Institute of Ocean Sciences says that Sargassum is often associated only with a part of the North Atlantic called the Sargasso Sea. Explorers of old during the Age of Discovery have described this area as full of seaweed that can bog ships.

Huge Ice Deposits on Martian South Pole Found

The European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter has found huge deposits of ice on the south pole of Mars. Scientists have calculated that if melted, water would cover the whole planet up to 36 feet of water. The deposits are up to 2.3 miles thick, about as large as Texas and lie under a layer of solid carbon dioxide mixed with more water and dust. The goal of scientists now is to determine if life thrived before or still does in the ice.