Arctic sea ice is regarded the “canary in the coalmine” of global warming. Scientists have been investigating the links between global temperature rise and changes in large-scale atmospheric pressure patterns, on the one hand, and the decrease in extent and thickness of sea ice in the Arctic observed in the last decades, on the other hand. While sea ice in the Antarctic does not reveal similar trends on a hemispherical scale, regional changes are significant. The western Antarctic Peninsula region has shown a decline in sea ice extent, particularly in the Bellingshausen Sea. In contrast, ice extent in the Ross and Weddell Seas is increasing. Considering the vast extension and remoteness of the Polar Regions, how can we acquire information about the state of the sea ice cover? Here, data acquisitions from different satellite and aircraft sensors play an important role, covering spatial scales from hemisphere to single locations. In this presentation, we will have a look at the results from recent investigations that have been based on the use of remote sensing data acquired over the Arctic and Antarctic.