A polynya is a patch of persistent open (unfrozen) water in the middle of a solid patch of sea ice. Polynyas can be a place for algae, plankton, and larger animals to thrive, and they represent an important part of Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems. Polynyas can reach sizes up to tens of thousands of square kilometers.
Polynyas form when winds blow patches of ice away from each other or when warm water wells up from deeper ocean layers to melt the ice at the surface. Some polynyas are persistent phenomena, while others open and close seasonally. Weather and climate can have significant effects on polynyas, causing some of them to collapse unexpectedly.
NASA data products related to polynyas include imagery of polynya occurrences, ocean wind and wave data, and sea ice concentration.
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