"The 'water-sky' is a marker often used for orientation around the Igloolik area during the winter and spring months.²⁵

²⁵ The 'water-sky' is defined by Parry ... as a 'dark appearance' in the sky, indicating 'clear water' in that direction, and forming a striking contrast with the 'blink' over land or ice. Parry also noted Igloolik's water-sky:

'Open water still observed at a distance of two or three miles in the offing, with columns of frost-smoke over it and a bluish 'water-sky' about that part of the horizon ...

Stefánsson ... describes a similar effect: 'When clouds of a uniform color hang low there is reflected in them a map of the earth below them ... This sky map is of the greatest use to sledge travelers always ... Where the landmarks themselves are below the horizon their position is accurately indicated by their reflection in the clouds'.

Known in Inuktitut as tunguniq - for its bluish colour - the pheonomenon results from the skyward mirroring of the sharply contrasting, contigous surfaces at the floe-edge: the bright, snow-covered land-fast ice and the darker open water.

With increasing light levels, the contrasting effect is greatly enhanced, making the tunguniq much more noticeable as winter gives way to spring.

The tunguniq which, on a clear day, can be seen from a distance of thirty to forty km, is a reliable directional reference for those travelling on the flat coastal terrain ... "

(Arctic Sky)