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Dirty Ice of the McMurdo Ice Shelf takes on a paisley pattern as it is deformed by the flow between islands. The surface debris has been shaped into curved ridges by ice movement. The long summer days heat the grey debris and cause it to either melt or insulate the ice, depending on thickness. The insulated parts are less susceptible to melting and have formed ridges 10-20M above the melt pools, which were frozen when this photo was taken early in the austral spring.

Filename
STNMTZ_20051029_RAW6958.tif
Copyright
© 2006 George Steinmetz
Image Size
6144x4089 / 71.9MB
www.georgesteinmetz.com
Contained in galleries
Antarctica
Dirty Ice of the McMurdo Ice Shelf takes on a paisley pattern as it is deformed by the flow between islands. The surface debris has been shaped into curved ridges by ice movement. The long summer days heat the grey debris and cause it to either melt or insulate the ice, depending on thickness. The insulated parts are less susceptible to melting and have formed ridges 10-20M above the melt pools, which were frozen when this photo was taken early in the austral spring.

All images ©George Steinmetz. Please contact us for usage.