Near-empty streets and sidewalks. Blocks of ice.

Those were among the sights in Chicago on Wednesday and Thursday, as parts of the city and many of its residents took time off to stay warm – indoors. But these record-breaking temperatures are not unusual in other parts of the world, where people and businesses continue their day-to-day lives when things freeze over.

Scott Collis stands on ice sheet in Utqiagvik, Alaska, where temperatures can reach between minus 40 to minus 50 degrees. (Courtesy Scott Collis)

Yarrow Axford (Photo by Alex P. Taylor)

Northwestern Ph.D. students stand with Yarrow Axford in front of a glacier in Northwest Greenland near the Thule Air Base in August 2014. (Photo by Alex P. Taylor)

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