As an intelligent Moment-of-Science listener, this might make you ponder. While glacier ice might be more chic than regular ice, is there any scientific reason to prefer an ice cube shipped from the Arctic circle, instead of one from the freezer? After all, frozen water is frozen water. Right?

Actually, wrong. Even from a scientific standpoint, ice from a glacier is arguably better than run-of-the-mill ice. Here's why: First, ice from a glacier is likely to have purer water than normal ice. Glacial ice forms when tiny grains of snow are pressed together under tremendous weight. This pressure forces tiny ice crystals together, joining them into bigger and bigger crystals. The water molecules lock together into a regular pattern, like a mosaic of tiles. Impurities are pushed out to the parameters of these interlocking crystals, leaving the ice inside as pure as distilled water. In contrast, the crystals of an ordinary ice cube lie together in loose, disorganized strings, never locking into a single, overall pattern.

These large, crystalline structures also make glacial ice more beautiful than regular ice. Light refracts through these large, regular crystals much as it does through a dazzling gem stone.

Finally, while there may be tiny bubbles of air trapped in glacier ice, this air will be under high pressure, due to the weight of the glacier. As the ice melts, these bubbles pop and crackle, adding an audio dimension to your glacial cocktail.  

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