Sea ice forms on the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. Canon 1Ds Mark III, 24-105mm (28mm), 1/500 sec @ f/5.6, ISO 400
On the Arctic photo tour that I guide each year, our departure from Kaktovik, Alaska was delayed a few hours due to mechanical problems with the airplane. This resulted in a different plane showing up about three hours later. It was a Caravan, and the first time I’ve flown in one. It is a fantastic plane which seated 9 of us comfortably, but the best part was the large and clear windows. It is rare to end up in any plane with glass clear enough to shoot through. However, I was able to grab shoot a handfull of frames during the 40 minute flight to Prudhoe Bay. Given the clear day and nice weather, the pilots were amiable to fly about 1000ft for most of the journey. This photo reveals interesting current flow as the ice forms in small pancake-like circles. It won’t be long and the sea ice will be solid enough for the polar bears to trek upon.
