As the crew of the Endurance did early this century, a visitor to the seas around Antarctica today can expect to encounter only two basic types of ice: sea ice, which is frozen seawater, and glacier ice, which is frozen freshwater that originated on land. But arguably as many species of ice exist within these two broad genera as butterfly species in a rainforest. Follow along as we introduce you to some of the more intriguing varieties. This piece requires the Macromedia Flash Player.
Photos:
(1) Anchor Ice: Norbert Wu;
(2) Ice flowers: Kelly Lorimer/Hedgehog House;
(3,6) Pack Ice, Brash ice: Jonathan Chester/Extreme Images;
(4) Ice stalactities: Norbert Wu;
(5) Tabular Bergs: Peter Tyson.