CAPE LEGOUPIL, Antarctica (AP) — From the ground of this extreme northern part of Antarctica, a spectacular white and blinding ice seemingly extends forever. What can’t be seen is the battle raging below to reshape Earth.

Water is eating away at the Antarctic ice, melting it where it hits the oceans. As the ice sheets slowly thaw, water pours into the sea, 130 billion tons of ice (118 billion metric tons) per year for the past decade, according to NASA satellite calculations. That’s enough ice melt to fill more than 1.3 million Olympic swimming pools. And the melting is accelerating.

In the worst case scenario, Antarctica’s melt could push sea levels up 10 feet (3.3 metres) worldwide in a century or two, recurving heavily populated coastlines.

At its current rate, the rise from Antarctica would only lift the world’s oceans a barely noticeable one-third of a millimetre a year.

But if all the West Antarctic ice sheet that’s connected to water melts unstoppably, as several experts predict, there won’t be time to prepare. Scientists estimate it will take from 200 to 1,000 years to melt enough ice to raise seas by 10 feet, maybe only 100 years in a worst-case scenario.

For a dozen days in January, in the middle of the chilly Antarctic summer, The Associated Press followed scientists from different fields searching for alien-like creatures, hints of pollution trapped in ancient ice, leftovers from the Big Bang, biological quirks that potentially could lead to better medical treatments, and perhaps most of all, signs of unstoppable melting.

A zodiac boat carried a team of international scientists to Chile’s station Bernardo O’Higgins, and a group of penguins stood on a rock near the mission. Scientists collected samples on Deception Island, and elsewhere in Antarctica during the visit.

Here’s a look at some of the images from the trip.

DECEPTION ISLAND, Antarctica — In this January 24, 2015 photo, Peter Convey, a senior research professor with the British Antarctic Survey, searches for samples on Deception Island, in the South Shetland Islands archipelago, Antarctica. “I was last here 10 years ago,” Convey said. “And if you compare what I saw back then to now, the basic difference due to warming is that the permanent patches of snow and ice are smaller. They’re still there behind me, but they’re smaller than they were. Year on year on year, that is what we’re seeing across the entire West Antarctic Peninsula region. Small patches of snow are getting smaller, bigger patches of ice, which would eventually develop into glaciers are retreating as well.”

STATION BERNARDO O’HIGGINS, Antarctica — A zodiac carrying a team of international scientists heads to Chile’s station Bernardo O’Higgins on January 22, 2015. Water is eating away at the Antarctic ice, melting it where it hits the oceans. As the ice sheets slowly thaw, water pours into the sea, 130 billion tons of ice (118 billion metric tons) per year for the past decade, according to NASA satellite calculations.

PUNTA HANNA, Antarctica — Pieces of thawing ice are scattered along the beachshore at Punta Hanna, Livingston Island, South Shetland Island archipelago, Antarctica on January 26, 2015.

VILLA LAS ESTRELLAS, Antarctica — Scuba diver Luis Torres tests the water near the Chilean scientific station Escudero in Villa Las Estrellas on King George Island, part of the South Shetland Islands archipelago in Antarctica on January 21, 2015. For a dozen days in January, in the middle of the chilly Antarctic summer, The Associated Press followed scientists from different fields searching for alien-like creatures, hints of pollution trapped in pristine ancient ice, leftovers from the Big Bang, biological quirks that potentially could lead to better medical treatments, and perhaps most of all, signs of unstoppable melting. (PHOTOS: AP)