[ Glossary ] Arctic Exploration Terminology Here are some definitions of terms that Wave uses in his reports (Blog). Lead Open crack between two or more pieces of ice. Leads can open up at any time and without warning. Open lead Crack in the ice filled with water. Wave must don his drysuit and swim across these areas of open water. Thin ice lead Crack with thin ice covering the water. If the ice is thick enough, Wave can ski down these leads and make easy mileage. Pressure ridge Where pieces of ice collide and rubble builds up. Pressure ridges can be as tall as buildings - 10 to 40 feet high. Wave must move his 300lb. sledges over these ridges if he can not go around them. Pack ice Boulders, mounds, looks like demolished concrete building site. The arctic is not made up of flat sheets of ice, but huge broken blocks and chunks of ice floating on the Arctic Ocean. Jumbled ice pack Lots of boulders and mounds of ice. Wave must manoeuver his sledges through this rough, difficult terrain. Pans Large, flat pieces of ice. Flat pans allow Wave to move faster and more easily, letting him make good mileage. On overcast days, it can be difficult to tell the ground from the sky. From Wave's web log: "Within an hour or so the light got flat. Soon after that it was thick, kind of like fog but not quite. Visibility dropped to about 200 feet and it was hard to distinguish the sky from the ice."

Daily Updates Wave's Blog GPS Map Sign Wave's Guestbook Media Coverage Glossary of Terms Pre-expedition Updates Training in Alaska Enroute to Expedition Start Press Releases May 19, 2004 March 10, 2004 February 9, 2004 January 21, 2004 December 4, 2003 September 30, 2003 August 28, 2003 June 21, 2003 Best Wishes To Wave Letter From a 6th Grade Class Visit Wave's Flash site