01. A helicopter drops off supplies at a remote warming station near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in this March 18, 2011 picture. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

Spring has arrived and we’re all excited about the first blossoms, green grass and fluffy baby animals. It has even arrived in the Arctic. It might be a place dominated by ice, snow, freezing temperatures and biting wind, but it can be amazingly beautiful when the sun is shining.

02. The moon rises over Arctic ice near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

03. Wind patterns are left in the ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 19, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

04. A manual fire button for the number one torpedo tube can be seen in the Virginia class submarine USS New Hampshire as the ship participates in exercises underneath ice in the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 19, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

05. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employee Nick Michel-Hart (2nd L) is handed an ice auger as US Navy graduate school researchers Lt. Brandon Schmidt (R) and Lt. George Suh prepare a hole to hang sonar instrumentation for research at the 2011 Arctic APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. Using a new low-frequency messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the station were able to help the USS New Hampshire find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

06. U.S. Navy sailors watch their sonar screens as they work in the control room of the Virginia class submarine USS New Hampshire during exercises underneath the ice in the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 20, 2011. Using a new low-frequency messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory were able to help the USS New Hampshire find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

07. Wind patterns are left in the ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 19, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

08. Navy officers use a new Raytheon messaging system called Deep Siren on the USS New Hampshire during military training exercises in the Arctic Ocean in this photo taken on March 19, 2011. The signal sounded like crickets chirping, but the encoded message transmitted from the camp atop the frozen Arctic Ocean was music to the ears of the USS New Hampshire submarine crew. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp last Saturday were able to help the submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Andrea Shalal-Esa

09. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLS) employees use a chainsaw to cut through the ice covering the hatches of the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut after it surfaced through through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 APLS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

10. An Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employee uses a hot water dispenser to prepare a hole in the Arctic ice that will allow sonar instrumentation to be used for research at the 2011 APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. Using a new low-frequency messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the station were able to help the USS New Hampshire find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

11. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employee Keith Magness (L) and Nick Michel-Hart cut a hole in the Arctic ice to hang sonar instrumentation for research at the 2011 Arctic APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. At present, submarines use an underwater phone to communicate with associates on top of the ice or with other submarines, but those devices are little more than tin cans on a string and work only at shorter distances. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

12. Cables for sonar equipment lead into a hole that has been cut through the Arctic ice at the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, March 18, 2011. Using a new low-frequency messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

13. The Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut begins to rise through through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

14. Water cascades off the sail of the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut at it rises through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. At present, submarines use an underwater phone to communicate with associates on top of the ice or with other submarines, but those devices are little more than tin cans on a string and work only at shorter distances. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

15. A congressional delegation and the Secretary of the Navy walk around the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut after the boat surfaced through through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. At present, submarines use an underwater phone to communicate with associates on top of the ice or with other submarines, but those devices are little more than tin cans on a string and work only at shorter distances. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

16. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLS) employee Keith Magness uses a chainsaw to cut through ice on the hatches of the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut after the boat surfaced through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 APLS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

17. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLS) employee Keith Magness uses a chainsaw to cut through ice on the hatches of the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut after the boat surfaced through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 APLS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

18. U.S. Navy safety swimmers stand on the deck of the Virginia class submarine USS New Hampshire after it surfaced through thin ice during exercises underneath ice, in the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 19, 2011. Using a new low-frequency messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

19. A participant in the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station uses a pick to dig fresh Arctic ice for drinking water north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

20. Steam rises from seawater through a crack in the Arctic ice near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

21. A participant in the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, pushes a generator towards a refueling station March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

22. A plane takes off from an ice runway near the Applied Physics Lab Ice Station to return to Prudhoe Bay in the Arctic north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

23. A man carries an ice auger to a remote warming station near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

24. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employee Keith Magness (L) watches as U.S. Navy postgraduate researcher Lt. Brandon Schmidt works to prepare a hole in the Arctic ice that will allow sonar instrumentation to be used for research at the 2011 APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

25. The sun sets over Arctic ice near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

26. Buildings making up the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station are seen on Arctic ice north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

27. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLS)employee Hector Castillo waits for the hatches of the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut to be cut free after the submarine surfaced through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 APLS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. The new digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system built by Raytheon Co could revolutionize how military commanders stay in touch with submarines all over the world, allowing them to alert a submarine about an enemy ship on the surface or a new mission, without it needing to surface to periscope level, or 60 feet, where it could be detected by potential enemies. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

28. An Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station employee carries a shotgun as he guards against polar bears near the Seawolf-class submarine USS Connecticut after the boat surfaced through through Arctic sea ice during an exercise north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

29. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employee Nick Michel-Hart (L) and U.S. Navy graduate school researcher Lt. Brandon Schmidt dig a hole to hang sonar instrumentation for research at the 2011 APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

30. US Navy sailor Harold Brown watches as he waits for the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut to surface through Arctic sea ice during an exercise near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

31. Two participants in the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station walk across the Arctic ice north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

32. A helicopter moves a remote warming station near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

33. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employees wait for a meal inside of the mess tent at the 2011 APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp last Saturday were able to help the submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

34. Workers walk towards a helicopter after delivering supplies to a remote warming station near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

35. Workers use a radio to verify their position after delivering supplies to a remote warming station near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

36. Participants in the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe ay, Alaska carry supplies that are to be delivered to a remote warming station, in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

37. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employees Keith Magness (C) and Nick Michel-Hart (L) work to clear ice from a hole as US Navy postgraduate researchers Lt. Brandon Schmidt (2nd L) and Lt. George Suh prepare to insert sonar instrumentation that will be used for research at the 2011 APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

38. A congressional delegation walks to inspect arctic ice as they wait for the Seawolf class submarine USS Connecticut to surface near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

39. The sun sets over Arctic ice near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

40. Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLIS) employee Fred Schultz warms himself between jobs inside of the mess tent at the 2011 APLIS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

41. Congressman Andrew Crenshaw (R - FL) surveys ice structures in the Arctic near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

42. The moon rises behind a fake North Pole marker near the Applied Physics Lab Ice Station in the Arctic north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

43. A urinating station is lit by the sunrise at the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

44. A man urinates into a box as the sun sets over Arctic ice near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

45. The sun sets over Arctic ice near the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska in this March 18, 2011 picture. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

46. Wind patterns are left in the ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

47. Wind patterns are left in the ice pack that covers the Arctic Ocean north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

48. Ice crystals are seen at the 2011 Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

49. Reuters photographer Lucas Jackson takes a self portrait as ice forms on his facial hair while working near the Applied Physics Lab Ice Station in the Arctic north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska March 18, 2011. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

50. A helicopter flies over Arctic ice towards the Applied Physics Laboratory Ice Station (APLS) during an exercise near the 2011 APLS camp north of Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in this March 18, 2011 picture. Using a digital Deep Siren tactical messaging system and a simpler underwater telephone, officials from the Navy's Arctic Submarine Laboratory at the camp were able to help the USS New Hampshire submarine find a relatively ice-free spot to surface and evacuate a sailor stricken with appendicitis. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson