Blue Ice Exposed

Glacial Ice is blue because as snow is compressed, the air bubbles are squeezed out of the ice, causing the ice crystals to enlarge and become denser. Just as an ocean appears blue, so does glacial ice.

 

Here atop a mountain in Kenai Fjords National Park, the blue ice is exposed in the warmth of summer as the newer snow melts away. Unfortunately, global warming is shrinking the glaciers in Alaska, creating picturesque scenes and more access, but also reducing the stabilizing effect that these ice fields have on global climate...meaning wider temperature swings each year.

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