Lead (sea ice)

Lead in sea ice is like finding a crack in a yummy ice cream cone.

Sometimes the water in the ocean gets really cold and starts to freeze into ice. This ice can make big chunks or sheets on the surface of the water, called sea ice. But sometimes, these sheets of ice can get little cracks, called leads.

Think of it like when you accidentally drop your ice cream cone and it gets a crack in it - this makes some of the yummy ice cream melt and drip out.

In the case of sea ice leads, the cracks are important because they let the ocean show through. This can be helpful for animals like whales and seals, who need to come up to the surface to breathe. But it can also be dangerous for people, because you can fall in the water through these cracks.

So, just like when you're eating your ice cream cone and see a crack, you need to be careful when walking over sea ice leads!