The photo above showing meltwater on ice, imaged using a circular polarizer lens, was taken on a pond near Rimavska Sobota, Slovakia. The refractive index of ice crystals depends upon the polarization and propagation direction of a beam of light. This property is known as birefringence (sometimes called double refraction). The colored light seen when looking through the sides of an airplane window is an example of birefringence. When a beam of light propagates through ice crystals, two distinct rays result, depending upon the direction of propagation. A polarizer filter or lens acts to recombine the rays. However, due to the fact that these rays were out of phase when recombined, the new polarized rays are composed of various wavelengths of visible light, which as shown here result in especially vibrant colors. Note that colors in pond ice may also be due to interference in narrow fissures and from refraction by trapped air bubbles. Photo taken on November 15, 2012.

Photographer: Daniela Rapava 
Summary Authors: Daniela Rapava; Jim Foster

Source: Colors in Pond Ice Using a Polarizer Lens (Earth Science Picture of the Day)

A vortex dipole forms in the air as an ocean wave breaks in this time series from the simulation. Breaking waves don’t always curl over—sometimes they simply reach a maximum steepness and then collapse. Colors indicate “vorticity”; red and blue correspond to air rotating in opposite directions.

Source: Ocean Wave Breaking Stirs Up Atmosphere (American Physical Society).

Are you suffering a long Monday? Click the image to put the concept of time in context and relieve this pain by yourself.

More: exploringtime.org

Well, note that the “never” human is different from the “never” geological. Completely different indeed.

(source)

Molten magma erupted onto the seafloor freezes to glass that contains clues to its origin in Earth’s deep interior and ancient past (field of view ~1 cm). Volcanic glasses like this one may reveal a link between Earth’s oxidation state and the deep carbon cycle.

Credit: Glenn Macpherson and Tim Gooding

Source: Scientists uncover relationship between lavas erupting on sea floor and deep-carbon cycle (Phys.org)