NEW ICE

frazil
small needle-like ice crystals, typically 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter, suspended in water, that
represent the first stages of sea ice growth; they merge under calm conditions to form thin sheets of
ice on the surface, frazil crystals consist of nearly pure fresh water.

Frazil crystals.

grease ice
a very thin, soupy layer of frazil crystals clumped together, which makes the ocean surface resemble
an oil slick.

Grease ice (thin, light-grey area) with thick ice floes.

slush
a mixture of snow and grease ice.

shuga
a form of new ice, composed of spongy, white lumps a few cm across, that tend to form in rough
seas; they resemble slushy snow balls.

Nilas
a thin sheet of smooth, level ice less than 10 centimeters (4 inches) thick; appear darkest when thin.

Nilas are the dark sheets of ice near the bottom of the photo.
DARK NILAS: <5cm and very dark
LIGHT NILAS: >5cm upto 10 cm, less dark

ice rind
a brittle, shiny crust of floating ice, formed on a quiet surface by direct freezing or from grease ice,
usually in water of lowsalinity; thickness less than 5 centimeters (2 inches); easily broken by wind or
swell, commonly breaking into rectangular pieces.

first-year ice
floating ice of no more than one year's growth developing from young ice; thickness from 0.3 to 2
meters (1 to 6.6 feet); characteristically level where undisturbed by pressure, but where ridges occur,
they are rough and sharply angular.