Polar bears tracks in frost flowers. Little known outside the world of polar research, frost flowers haven't been studied much till recently. They're highly salty, which makes them potentially important in the chemistry of depletion events. This image was taken during the OASIS (Ocean_Atmosphere_Sea Ice_Snowpack) field project. Part of International Polar Year, OASIS tackled a number of standing questions in polar chemistry, with the emphasis on the life cycle of pollutants that drift into the Arctic.