A ship designed to break floating ice. Icebreaker technology has evolved rapidly since the 1960s as a result of potential resource development in the Arctic regions of Russia, Canada, and the United States. This led to the construction of icebreaking ships that can transit to all areas of the world, including the North Pole. The Arctic Ocean and Antarctica play a large role in shaping the global climate. With the Arctic Ocean and the ice-covered waters of Antarctica being the least studied of all the oceans, icebreakers provide the platforms from which polar science and research can be conducted on a year-round basis. On August 22, 1994, the first U. S. and Canadian icebreakers, USCGC Polar Sea and CCGS Louis S. St. Laurent, arrived at the North Pole after having conducted scientific research in areas never previously studied.