Seasonal snow covers up to 33% of the Earth's total land surface, and about 98% of that seasonal snow cover is located in the Northern Hemisphere.

Most of the snow falls outside of the High Arctic and Antarctic - extreme cold temperatures don't allow the air to hold much moisture. Precipitation wise, the polar regions are deserts.

However, the snow that does fall sticks around, and there's plenty of ice.

Ice is such a significant part of the Arctic environment and Arctic life, that the indigenous people (Inuit) tend to think of water as melted ice or snow, while people elsewhere tend to think of ice as frozen water.

Because of the importance to ice and snow to their way of life, they have become the "world experts" on survival in such an environment. People elsewhere are not as skilled or knowledgeable.

Snow kills thousands of people each year, primarily from accidents, overexertion, and exposure. Increases in winter outdoor sports have also brought an increase in deaths from avalanches.

But although snow often poses hazards to humans, snow also provides much of the world's fresh water. Snowfall often accounts for a high percentage of annual precipitation, and it is later released as water during spring snow melt and river runoff.