Light has wave-like properties, one of which is vibration. Ordinary white light vibrates in many directions, but a polarizing filter blocks all light waves except those vibrating in a single direction.

For example, when light reflects off non-metallic surfaces such as glass, water or a road surface, the light is polarized, or vibrating in one direction only. Un-polarized light, such as light emitted by the sun or a lamp, goes in all directions.

The colors and patterns in images produced using polarized light also define types of ice and snow. A core from a rink on which the ice rink recently had been skated would show multi-colored granules, like snow dust, created from the sharp blades of the skates cutting into the ice.

Below that would be what appear to be vertical, cylindrical ice crystals. Those crystals extend down to the next layer, where lines and circles (used for hockey) are painted directly on the surface of the ice.

Underneath that layer lie multi-colored crystals extending down to the painted white surface associated with ice rinks. If the surface of that quarter inch of ice were not painted white, the ice would appear dark to the viewing audience. Last is the thin layer of ice created from water sprays that seal the concrete slab.

"Ice is different for the various Olympic sports," Wasilewski said. "The ice is softer for figure skaters than it is for hockey players. Figure skaters need to dig in with their toe picks for jumps. Ice hockey players want the hard ice that makes the ice fast and easier to skate on. With a microscopic look at the ice using the spectrum, I'm able to see how the ice differs."

Maintaining the ice arenas at the Olympics can be complicated. Because the ice is used for different venues at different times, it is important to produce the correct consistency for the sport, so the crew must either heat up or cool down the ice carefully, so it matches what is needed to bring out the best performance by the Olympians.

Wasilewski also knows a lot about snow. He said snow from snow guns is not crystal in shape, but is more like tiny snowballs. Sometimes, Olympic events are cancelled because of too much natural snow, which tends to be too powdery and slows down skiers and snowboarders, so the preference is for the artificial - and icier - snow, or natural snow that has been processed to ensure a hard, almost icy surface for the downhill events.

Natural and artificial snow start out differently, but in time natural forces and various grooming techniques work in concert to make them look similar. The delicate and varied snowflake forms might be cherished by the recreational skier who loves the powder slopes, but competition downhill skiing requires a hard, well packed surface.

Wasilewski said his interest in ice and ice photography started with his friend, Tony Gow, now retired from the U.S. Army's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H. Gow spent 45 years studying ice. "He was fascinated by how much he could learn just from the shapes and colors in ice, Wasilewski said. "His enthusiasm was infectious, and I became fascinated as well."

Wasilewski himself has studied snow and ice for more than 25 years, making six Antarctic expeditions and developing a winter camp in Lake Placid, N.Y., former home to the winter Olympics of 1932 and 1980. His camp, called The History of Winter, is funded in part by a NASA education program and teaches science teachers about snow and ice.

This month, as part of the upcoming International Polar Year celebration in 2007 and 2008, his camp launched the Global Snowflake Network, intended to identify snowflake shapes and record them on a Web site wherever snow falls on Earth.

During one of Wasilewski's treks to Lake Placid, he sampled ice at the shallow Cascade Lake. A thin section revealed petal shaped ice forms that were the result of a spiral growth pattern induced by the bubbling of methane gas produced by the decay of submerged vegetation that was present when the ice froze.

At that moment, he said, he realized ice color and form could change depending on its thickness and orientation. "I started playing around, making ice crystals in my refrigerator and photographing them, and Frizion was born."

The name "Frizion" is a combination of the words "frozen" and "vision," and he employs it to describe this new art form. Each piece begins as a vessel of water which is then frozen, manipulated and viewed through polarized light.

The resulting image, after much trial and error, becomes a Frizion. The special crystallographic and optical properties of ice - including transparency, double refraction, and an amazing variety of crystalline forms - make it a unique medium for artistic studies Related Links
NASA GSFC
IPY