Photographed from a rubber Zodiac while silently floating amidst a field of "bergs" in the cold Southern Ocean.
It was a magical evening!!!
Why is Glacier Ice blue?
Starting out as a mixture of ice & snow, some Glacial ice has been compacted so tightly - over thousands of years - that eventually only blue (a high energy color) will remain the only color to still be reflected back. Other colors (that would normally appear white) are filtered out. The older and more tightly compacted the glacial ice, the bluer it will look. Glaciers and glacial ice will also appear even more blue on cloudy or low light days.
The Danger of Icebergs?
What you see is only the literal tip of the iceberg. Eighty percent more lays underneath the surface of the water. Icebergs (pieces broken off from a glacier) do move. Although these giant pieces of ice may appear solid and stable when you look at them, any berg can suddenly rotate, turn, and even sink. Anything in close proximity (like a Zodiac) will go with it. This can all happen without any warning.
The Beauty of Icebergs?
See for yourself. Yes, the ice was that blue in real life.
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