science experiment at the north pole

Last year, before our coast guard neighbor went "out to sea" she stopped by our house with a stack of large styrofoam cups and instructions to color them with permanent markers and give them back to her before she left.  She was headed to Seattle and eventually on to the North Pole on one of the U.S.'s few remaining ice-breakers.  This week we got our cups back after their long trip, not only to the North Pole, but also to the bottom of the ocean! 

They are now less than half their original size and some of them did not just shrink, but got a bit funky too :)

I am not sure what it is that makes them shrink like this, but it is pretty cool!