Great questions Joe!

"Joe" wrote

3. What is Ice Blink

I remember reading about this, but forgot what it was.
Thanks for the reminder. I looked it up.

http://nsidc.org/arcticmet/basics/ph...water_sky.html

Water sky refers to the dark appearance of the underside
of a cloud layer when it is over a surface of open water.
(i.e. clouds underside would be light if over ice)

Ice blink refers to a white glare seen on the underside of
low clouds indicating the presence of ice which may be
beyond the range of vision.

When other means of reconnaissance are not available,
water sky and ice blink can assist travelers in navigating
the ice of the polar seas, since they give a rough idea of
ice conditions at a distance.