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Thick and Thin

A floating piece of ice in the Arctic Ocean matches the colors of white-sand beaches in tropical water, but the temperature is oh, so different! Thin edges of snow-covered ice curl up at the surface, but the ice extends deep into the water, producing the turquoise hues. The photo is from a 2004 expedition to deploy Ice-Tethered Profilers that drift with Arctic ice, collecting data. This is one of several WHOI projects concerning the state and future of ice, and just one part of WHOI’s ongoing polar research programs.
(Photo by Kris Newhall, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)