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Definition:
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Any water area in pack ice or fast ice other than a lead, not large enough to be called open water. If a polynya is found in the same region every year, e.g. off the mouths of big rivers, it is called a recurring polynya. A temporary small clearing in pack ice which consists of small floes and brash in continuous local movement is called an unstable polynya; an opening which is flanked by large floes and therefore appears to be relatively stable is called a stable polynya. When frozen over, a polynya becomes an ice skylight from the point of view of the submariner.
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