qaamanniq - saltwater on sea ice

Indigenous Knowledge

qaamittarniq ᖄᒥᑦᑕᕐᓂᖅ
'ᓯᑰᑉ ᖄᖓᓂ ᐃᒪᕐᒥᒃ ᖄᒥᓐᓂᑯ ᐅᓕᙵᒥ. A condition where water comes up on top of the ice in winter, at high tide. [Result of the process qaamisimajuq ᖄᒥᓯᒪᔪᖅ]' (North/South Qikiqtaaluk, Inuit Siku Atlas)

qaaptittuq ᖄᑉᑎᑦᑐᖅ
'(refl.) the water wells up or seeps up through the cracks in old sea ice; cf. siirtittuq' (Aivilingmiutut, Spalding 1998: 105)

puikkatuq ᐳᐃᒃᑲᑐᖅ
'sea water begins to permeate ice softened by the weather. 5' (Nunavimmiutitut, Schneider 1985: 267)

Related ice conditions/processes:

puimajuq ᐳᐃᒪᔪᖅ
'ᓯᑰ ᖃᖓ ᒪᓴᐅᓪᓗᓂ. ᒪᓴᓐᓇᕐᖢᓂ.
Sikuu qanga masaulluni. Masannar&uni.
Salt water rising up through the ice making the surface wet. The rising salt water also melts the surface ice. Similar to when salt is put on the road and it melts the ice. Very hard to travel on, slow going with a dog team or snowmobile.' (Mittimatalik, North Qikiqtaaluk, Sikumiut Committee, Wilson and Arreak 2022: 72)

qaaminniq ᖄᒥᓐᓂᖅ
'When saltwater goes on top of the ice from tides, it freezes on top if it’s shallow, forms like 2 layers of ice, you can get stuck if it is deep because it then behaves like quicksand, a dangerous condition' (Sanikiluaq Siku Terminology Workshop, 2018)