AMAZING FROZEN WONDERS

ICE BUBBLES

In January 2015, these bizarre ice bubbles were spotted in a

lake in the Banff National Park in Canada. In fact, these

bubbles were full of methane created by microbes consuming

dead organic matter on the bottom of the lake. The

bubbles normally rise to the surface but in winter,

they got trapped inside the ice.

FROST FLOWERS

These frost flowers grow during cold, calm conditions with

extremely high salinity and concentrations of other sea

water chemicals. This happens when the atmosphere is colder

than the underlying ice. These formations are usually

found in the Arctic.

ICE VOLCANO

Officially known as ice fumaroles, the ice volcanoes are

openings in the planet´s crust which emit steam and gases

instead of lava. Antarctica is home to hundreds of these

unusual ice chimneys that are formed due to the natural

contrasting of hot and cold environment.

ICE BOULDERS

Photographed along Lake Michigan in 2013, the ice boulders

seem like a rare find, but they have actually been found

around the world in locations scattered from Antarctica to the

Arctic. Made of slush and so called frazil ice, they are formed

by the action of waves turning them over and over,

eventually rolling them into spherical shapes.

HOAR FROST

Also known as radiation frost or pruina, hoar frost refers

to white ice crystals, deposited on the ground or loosely

attached and exposed objects. It forms on cold, clear nights

when conditions are such that heat radiates out to the open

sky faster than it can be replaced from nearby sources

such as wind or warm objects.

TURQUOISE ICE

One of the biggest, deepest and cleanest lakes in the world,

Lake Baikal hosts a stunning natural phenomenon every March.

Shifts in temperatures, wind, frost and sunlight cause the frozen

lake to crack, forming gigantic shards of turquoise ice that

attract photographers from all over the world.

SEA ICE

Sea ice arises as seawater freezes. Because ice is less dense

Than water, it floats on the ocean’s surface. Sea ice covers

about 7% of the Earth’s surface and about 12% of the world’s

oceans. Due to the action of winds, currents and temperature

fluctuations, sea ice is very dynamic, leading to a wide

variety of ice types and features.

ICE CALVING

Also known as glacier calving or iceberg calving, ice calving

is a phenomenon in which large chunks of ice break off a glacier.

A form of ice ablation or ice disruption, ice calving is normally

caused by the glacier expanding. Calving of glaciers is often

accompanied by a loud cracking or booming sound.