Dynamic Processes of Sea Ice,

Even during the dark of winter when the sea ice cover can reach a thickness of several meters, there are dynamic processes going on.  Some of these processes occure only in thinner ice, but there is never a completely safe time to be out on the ice.

Ice Motion

Whenever out hunting on the ice it is important to monitor the ice motion.  The Inuit keep an eye on landmarks and use other techniques to be warned if the flow they are on has begun moving.  The action of ice coming toward shore is also important because in some areas this is the way that the sea ice arrives each year (as opposed to forming in place by freezing).

• no motion – aulalwichok

• moving ice – igiliktak

 
• moving away from land – sunmuktuktuk

 
• coming toward shore – nunamuktuktuk

 
• converging floes – apuktak

 
• shear parallel to a crack – agiaktok

 
• oscillating crack (open, close) – eyechektaktok

The action of cracking or breaking up ice is clearly a danger to someone who is out on the ice.  It is also an important feature of the ice because if the ice never cracks near the shore, then the hunters must travel a long way to reach open water for hunting.
 

• floe ice breaks away from landfast ice – tuwayagotigut siku

• breaking up – siku sukumitkaksigaa

 
• landfast ice breaking up – kuvuloalinigaa tauna tuwakput

 
• opening crack – eyechektok

When lead or crack edges come together, the ice may deform in various ways depending on the thickness, snow loading and various other characteristics.  Rafting can actually make travel over the ice safer because it quickly doubles the ice thickness and may suddenly transform unsafe thin ice into safe ice.

• rafting – kaloagasitok

• piling – ivuzuk  (Ice piles can be good for surveillance, but fresh piles in summer can be dangerous. Older windblown and solidified piles are safer.)

 
• ice about to pile – ivoaksizuk

 
• noise of piling ice – ivaluktaktok

 
• floe ice attaches to landfast ice – tuwagatigut siku