In calm seas, the crystals form thin sheets of ice, nilas, so smooth that they have an oily or greasy appearance. How the crystals coalesce into larger masses of ice depends on whether the seas are calm or rough. When seawater begins to freeze, it forms tiny crystals just millimeters wide called frazil. Melting sea ice wonвЂ™t raise ocean levels any more than melting ice cubes will cause a glass of ice water to overflow. Because it is already floating in the ocean, sea ice is already displacing its own weight.

Over several years, this positive feedback cycle (the ice-albedo feedback) can influence global climate.Д¬ontrary to some public misconceptions, sea ice does not influence sea level. The sun-warmed water then melts more ice.

As more ice melts and exposes more dark water, the water absorbs more sunlight. (In scientific terms, ice has a high albedo.) Once sea ice begins to melt, a self-reinforcing cycle often begins. The white surface reflects far more sunlight back to space than ocean water does. The influence of sea ice on the Earth is not just regional itвЂ™s global. The ice itself is habitat for animals such as seals, Arctic foxes, polar bears, and penguins. When ice freezes, the underlying water gets saltier and sinks, mixing the water column and bringing nutrients to the surface. As the ice melts, it exposes ocean water to sunlight, spurring photosynthesis in phytoplankton. When the ice melts in the summer, it releases nutrients into the water, stimulating the growth of phytoplankton, the center of the marine food web. Sea ice also plays a fundamental role in polar ecosystems. As a result, the weather over ice-covered areas tends to be colder and drier than it would be without ice. Sea ice also creates an insulating cap across the ocean surface, which reduces evaporation and heat loss to the atmosphere. The sea ice layer also restricts wind and wave action near coastlines, lessening coastal erosion and protecting ice shelves.

This cold, salty water is dense and can sink to the ocean floor, where it flows back toward the equator. Water drawn from Toilets always yields Potable Water and never Unsafe Water, regardless of where on a Toilet one selects this suggests water is only drawn from the Toilet's reservoir tank which is used to flush waste and not the bowl where waste arrives.As ice crystals form at the ocean surface, they expel salt, which increases the salinity of the underlying waters. Take care when dropping bottles of Unsafe Water that they are not close to bottles of Potable Water, to prevent accidental drinkage. Note: Unsafe and Potable water bottles are identical in appearance, and similar in one's inventory. Quantities in excess of 1.0L will be divided into multiple 1.0L bottles, potentially with a smaller bottle as the remainder.Quantities between 0.5L and 1.0L will appear as a large bottle.Quantities up to 0.50L will appear as a small plastic bottle.Water requires no container to carry, and despite displaying as a jug in the inventory, will appear as a water bottle when dropped. Note that a fire/Cooking Spot is not actually required to use purification tablets.Д«ottles of unsafe and potable water of varied sizes Appearance Alternatively, select 'Purify Water' while in the fire menu. This sterilization process takes 1 minute (in-game). They can be found in the 'Medical' tab of the Inventory, and then selecting 'Use' while carrying them and the Unsafe Water. Purification Tablets can be consumed to convert up to 1L of Unsafe Water into an equivalent amount of Potable Water.Boiling 1L of Unsafe Water requires 20 minutes at an active fire's Cooking Spot.Unsafe water can be turned into Potable Water through boiling or purifying: Dehydration deals 2% condition loss per hour if not sated.ДЇor the effects of drinking water on thirst reduction, see Thirst.It is almost exclusively obtained by by melting snow, and only found naturally at the Quonset Garage (contained within a metal basin indoors).Water left outside will not freeze, or become unsafe once sterilized.Water always remains at 100% condition and does not decay.Water is relatively heavy at 1kg/L and can quickly overburden the player in large quantities.Gathering snow is done automatically, though the player must supply a Recycled Can or Cooking Pot to contain the snow as it melts into water. Unsafe water can be created by melting snow at an active fire's Cooking Spot, and takes 20 minutes to melt one liter (0.26 gal). Consuming Unsafe Water restores Thirst, like Potable Water, but has a chance to infect the player with Dysentery a serious and fatal disease if untreated.

The long dark water