THE BEAUTY OF GLACIAL ICE

The most important transition we are experiencing now is, undeniably, climate change. And while it is not welcome, while it has enormous negative impacts, and while it is still critically important that we do everything in our power to keep it at bay, we are finding new beauty amidst the harm.

MIKAEL BUCK

Glaciers are constantly in transition. They shift, due to gravity and temperature change. Each year, Iceland’s Vatnajokull glacier shifts, it reveals new complex cave systems.

The passageways change shape constantly. They can look entirely different in just a matter of a few weeks.

Photographer Mikael Buck’s breathtaking new photo series captures never-before-seen changing views from inside Vatnajokull.

Using Sony's latest digital cameras,which deliver ultra-high resolution with ultra-high sensitivity, Buck was able to take all of his shots in the natural light that filtered down through the ice caves.

Buck traveled with top local guides Einar Runar Sigurdsson and Helen Maria who, while experts in the area, had to constantly be prepared for new shapes and openings.

The images almost feel as though they were taken in an underwater tunnel, as the light accentuated the flowing frozen waterfalls.

DANIEL BELTRÁ

While we are in dismay about the polar ice caps melting, photographer Daniel Beltra captured beauty in their transition.

The ice caps are a reserve of frozen freshwater. They are melting into the sea, raising its levels and changing weather patterns. As the ancient ice thaws, it creates stunning visual effects.

Beltrá is inspired by the beauty, complexity and fragility of our ecosystems. It is a continuous thread throughout his work. His photographs show the vast scale of transformation of our world as a result of human impacts.

His birdseye view helps to make the point that the Earth’s resources are finite, The unique perspective of Buck’s aerial photography helps emphasize that the Earth and its resources are finite.

Learn more about the melting ice caps, and what can be done to help deal with the threat of climate change. Check out the resources and initiatives underway at the National Resources Defense Council.

Read more about Ice Ice Baby all this week on BeautifulNow, including Our Travel Ice Bucket List and Beautifully Icy Chill Outs and Slow Ice Needs Quick Action. And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Wellness, Impact, Nature/Science, Food, Arts/Design, and Travel, Daily Fix posts.

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IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by Mikael Buck. Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland
2. Image: by Mikael Buck. Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland
3. Image: by Mikael Buck. Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland
4. Image: by Mikael Buck. Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland
5. Image: by Mikael Buck. Vatnajokull Glacier, Iceland
6. Image: by Daniel Beltrá. Iceland series.
7. Image: by Daniel Beltrá. Iceland series.
8. Image: by Daniel Beltrá. Iceland series.
9. Image: by Daniel Beltrá. Greenland series.
10. Image: by Daniel Beltrá. Spill series.
11. Image: by Daniel Beltrá. Antarctica series.