How did the Antarctic continent become covered with an ice sheet that is up to 4 km thick?  In this episode I explain how this ice sheet developed and its influence on modern climate there. I also describe the origin of the giant floating ice shelves in Antarctica and how katabatic winds help make this continent the coldest, windiest and most remote place on earth. The isolation of Antarctica with the development of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current that circles the continent also is described.