Photo: Frost blossoms bloom in Arctic Bay

Flowers for Mother’s Day? Clare Kines of Arctic Bay recently took this photo of frost flowers — ice crystals commonly found growing on sea ice in cold, calm conditions. Frost flowers are also extremely salty and ripe with other sea water chemicals. Due to their high surface area, the flowers are also efficient dispersers of these chemicals into the atmosphere. Typically a minimum temperature difference of 15 C, between the ice surface and the air, is required for frost flowers to form, though this can be reduced if the air is very humid. (PHOTO BY CLARE KINES)