A vital glacier in western Antarctica appears to be smoking in a rare view captured by a NASA satellite earlier this month.
The so-called “sea smoke,” isn’t actually smoke, it’s fog—and appears as cottony white wisps above the dark surface of the ocean water where Pine Island Glacier meets the sea in the satellite image above.
Water and wind were key in conjuring up the sea smoke. A bout of strong winds pushed aside ice and colder water allowing warmer water to come to the surface, according to NASA. The warmer water injected warmer, moist air into the exceptionally dry, cold air whipping across it. The temperature clash caused the moisture in that air to condense into fog.
From the ground, this would look like someone turned on a spooky fog machine in a haunted house over the water. The area close to the surface of the water gets enveloped in an eerie mist or haze that resembles smoke, hence the nickname.
Sea smoke itself isn’t rare—it can happen any time exceptionally cold, dry air passes over a warmer body of water. It’s often seen on the Great Lakes when the first Arctic blast of winter passes over lakes that are still relatively warm.
But seeing it on satellite over Pine Island Glacier was rare because the area is usually shrouded in clouds, according to NASA.
The CNN Wire contributed to this report.