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| It is the
extraordinary beauty of the pristine Arctic that dazzles the senses and enchants the mind--cliff,
sky, sea ice in the Canadian Arctic Ref:MKARC691 |  |
| An Arctic thrill--
the distinctive outline of polar bears, a mother and cubs on far off open pack ice Ref:MKARC692 |  |
| A polar bear, a mother
and two large cubs, are dramatically reflected as they walk across pack ice in the high Arctic
Ref:MKARC694 |  |
| Two male polar bears
in a diffident encounter on open pack ice in the Canadian Arctic. Both retreated Ref:MKARC695 |  |
| A solitary walrus
rests on a small patch of ice in the Canadian Arctic; vanishing ice is leading to ecological disaster for
wildlife populations Ref:MKARC696 |  |
| Dorsal fins signal the
presence of a family, or pod, of orcas (Orcinus orca), or killer whales, speeding through the ocean.
Playful, they actually approach ships, even dive beneath them Ref:MKARC697 |  |
| Dorsal fins signal the
presence of a family or pod, of orcas (Orcinus orca), or killer whales, speeding through the ocean.
Ref:MKARC698 |
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| In Arctic seas a flock
of glaucous gulls is minitiarised by the huge cliffs beyond Ref:MKARC699 |  |
| Baird's sandpipers,
small denizens of an Arctic wilderness that is seasonally home to 183 species of birds (inc.the snowy owl,
gyrfalcon, geese, gulls, guillemots and kittiwakes, skuas, auks and loons that I failed, alas, in many
instances to see) Ref:MKARC700 |  |
| Pussycat-shaped iceberg
afloat in Arctic waters would sadly have melted to an ice kitten soon afterwards Ref:MKARC701 |  |
| Probably born in
Greenland, this bull-headed iceberg is fast sinking into blue iceless seas Ref:MKARC702 |  |
| An iceberg off the
Arctic's Low Point, lacking only a few strategic black stripes, has weathered into the form of a
keyboard Ref:MKARC703 |  |
| Arctic ice, a glacier
pinnacled into a solid, meringue-like wall, is reflected dramatically by evening sunlight Ref:MKARC704 |
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| Flat on top, a giant
iceberg in the Arctic's Lancaster Sound even has its own waterfall that will speed its melting
Ref:MKARC705 |  |
| In the Arctic's
Sunneshine Fjord one boulder among many on an island's tundra hosts myriad plants including lichen
Ref:MKARC706 |  |
| A mighty cliff is
gateway to the Arctic's magnificent Gibbs Fjord, off Baffin Bay, its rock walls dating to a pre-Cambrian
era Ref:MKARC707 |  |
| Stark cliff contrasts
with snowcapped mountain in a spectacular glimpse into the Arctic's scenic variety Ref:MKARC708 |  |
| Within Gibbs Fjord on the
Arctic's Baffin Bay are cliffs millions of years old and as timeless as earth's creation Ref:MKARC709 |
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| Winter's icy heritage is
revealed in a slender waterfall adorning, with less lovely black water streaks, ancient Arctic cliffs
Ref:MKARC710 |  |
| Cliffs edging the Arctic's
Gibbs Fjord are strikingly beautiful. But what ancient event caused the thrusting finger? Ref:MKARC711 |
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| Mountains and snows seem
to reach to infinity in this view from Baffin Bay's Gibbs Fjord. The Arctic is not just ice
Ref:MKARC712 |  |
| Evening summer sunlight
reflects cliffs edging the Arctic's snowcapped Gibbs Fjord into the calm waters below Ref:MKARC713 |
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| A quintessential Arctic
scene--massive cliff, islands reaching into the distance, ice to temper despair at global warning
Ref:MKARC714 |  |
| The midnight sun is not
here (or not now) but rather a peaceful sunset over Arctic waters in late summer Ref:MKARC715 |
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