Niuma - Bumps on new ice

Indigenous Knowledge

Niuma ᓂᐅᒪ
'ᓯᑰ  ᖄᖓᓂ  ᐊᐳᑎᐅᖁᔨᔪᒃ. Looks like little lumps of "snow" (frost) on the ice: it occurs during the freezing process, due to condensation of water vapour on the ice; if it is easy to remove then the sea ice is not very frozen and is still dangerous.' (North/South Qikiqtaaluk, Inuit Siku Atlas)

Niumakjuaq ᐃᐅᒪᒃᔪᐊᖅ
'ᓯᑰ  ᖄᖓᓂ  ᐊᐳᑎᐅᖁᔨᔪᒃ. "big niuma"; found more often on uiguaviniq; indicates that the ice is thick enough to travel on' (North/South Qikiqtaaluk, Inuit Siku Atlas)

Miunanaq ᒥᐅᓇᓇᖅ
'Little bumps on top of sikuliak, formed by the weather.' (Sanikiluaq Siku Terminology Workshop, 2018).

Related terms

Niummak
'(Sense 1) hard corrugated snow seen on sea-ice surface after wind has blown away deep snow [...]' (Aivilingmiutut, Spalding 1998: 72)

Profile photo credit: Inuit Siku Atlas