Aerial photographs from the descent show drainage channels apparently flowing off land into what seems to be a dark ocean, possibly composed of some tarry substance.

BBC: NEWS | Science/Nature | Titan mission 'resounding success'

Palms, the bright beach, the dark ocean.

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This phenomenon, called Arctic amplification, occurs as highly reflective Arctic ice and snow melt away, allowing dark land and exposed ocean to absorb more sunlight.

CNN: Warmest Arctic temperatures for 2,000 years, says new study

The report by the National Transportation Safety Board said the airliner and the C-17 were put on a collision course in the dark over the Atlantic Ocean about 88 miles off New York after controllers mistakenly instructed the planes to converge in the same area.

MSN: Air traffic controllers blamed for 2011 close call

The storm boiled above the Indian ocean, a dark, bristling wall of cloud, blocking our passage west.

NPR: Excerpt: 'Skybreaker'