Much of the rest of the time, winter-fleeing northerners pack beaches on both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, crowds in the party town clubs spill out into the streets, and the tourism industry is in full swing.

FORBES: Embracing Costa Rica's Rainy Season

One afternoon last winter, two ships lined up side by side in a field of pack ice at the mouth of the Ross Sea, off the coast of Antarctica.

NEWYORKER: Neptune��s Navy