Melt ponds, ice and glaciers

Giant ice formations, glaciers are formed from snow that has accumulated and compacted over decades in regions where temperatures remain low enough in summer to prevent the snow from melting. It is pressure that transforms it into ice. Their mass can reach several hundred metres in thickness. As layers of snow accumulate and turn to ice, the mass formed begins to flow due to its weight and gravity. Glaciers flow at a speed that may be imperceptible, but which varies between a few metres and a few dozen metres per year.
There are several types of glaciers with distinct characteristics, depending on their shape, location and behaviour. The two main types are ice caps, which cover up to 50,000 km², and ice sheets, which cover an area greater than this. Ice caps are found in polar regions and on high mountain peaks. Larger than ice caps, ice sheets are vast ice formations found at the poles.
The fate of glaciers is linked to the impact of human activity on the climate. Since 1990, they have been melting at an alarming rate.
Melt ponds form when a piece of ice breaks off from a retreating glacier and sinks into the ground. The colours of the lake indicate the amount of sediment or depth: the deeper or clearer the water, the bluer the lake.
Iceland is also home to ice caves. Glaciers, which are retreating across the planet, also display shades of blue, but also brown and grey.

Inspirational colours

Ice and glaciers
Untitled, 18 September 2019,
Untitled, 20 October 2019, Untitled, 29 October 2019,
Untitled, 9 July 2020,
Untitled, 25 August 2020, Untitled, 14 November 2020 are inspired by those of glaciers.
Untitled, 16 September 2021, more specifically a glacier under the stars Untitled, 10 May 2021: Zacharie Glacier in Greenland, which has been retreating rapidly since 2012.
Untitled, 8 November 2023: an ice cave.
Untitled, 8 November 2025: an ice lake.

Ice melt

Untitled, 17 November 2023: a meltwater pool
Untitled, 10 October 2020: river vein
Untitled, 15 May 2022: river vein
Untitled, 20 August 2023: river vein