The Lemaire Channel (center)
This is the first place that we've really had to pass through ice on this trip. Looking forward at the channel, it's clear that there is a band of thin ice chunks strewn across the water. As we approach this band, the chunks appear to be of two types: tiny "bits" (inches across) and larger "chunks" (feet across). There are only a handful of actual icebergs here, however.
Ice chunks at the entrance to the Lemaire Channel
Looking down off the side of the ship, I was able to watch as the ice chunks floated along by us. They made a weird growling sound, like styrofoam being twisted or ground up against itself: a combination of rubber balloons being rubbed by sweaty hands and icecubes rattling in a glass filled with water. Definitely not what I expected ice to sound like. (I think I expected it to be silent!)
Ice chunks alongside the ship