This soft serve machine is not broken 🍦⁣ ⁣

 

  This soft serve machine is not broken :⁣

⁣Threads of sea ice trace ocean currents, creating swirls visible along the coast of Labrador, in eastern Canada. The dazzling display of frozen seawater was captured from aboard the International Space Station (@ISS) on Feb. 3, 2024.⁣

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Ocean currents can stir ice chunks into circular vortices, or eddies. Eddies form frequently along boundaries between cold and warm ocean currents in the spring and fall, due to differences in water density. Even then, however, an ice eddy won’t form except under certain conditions: it must be warm enough for the ice to fragment, but cool enough for it to remain frozen. ⁣

Working from the ISS gives astronauts the opportunity to observe processes that are impossible to see from the ground.⁣

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Image description: A portion of Earth pictured from the International Space Station. The cast of Labrador, in eastern Canada frames the left side of the image, while icy seas expand towards the right. An icy swirl is pictured down the center of the water. A layer of blue glowing atmosphere contrasts with the darkness of space.⁣

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Credit: NASA⁣

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#NASA #Earth #Ice #Swirls #SoftServe #Sea #Newfoundland #coldwater

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16 February 2024