Winters in southeast Alaska are not nearly as harsh as many people imagine them to be. Due to the moderating effect of the Pacific Ocean, it rarely goes far below freezing in the winter, and 70 degrees is a hot day in the summer. In contrast, Fairbanks sees -60 degree winter days and 85-degree summer days.

During one cold snap last winter, I walked the beach at sunset and found these ice plates all over the place, left by the receding tide. It is actually called pancake ice. It forms when the surface layer of the ocean gets cold enough to form slush, and that slush begins to stick together. The plates grow outwards, and develop upturned edges from bumping into each other.