<Li> Ice can be used to reduce swelling (by decreasing blood flow) and pain by pressing it against an area of the body . </Li> <Ul> <Li> Engineers used the formidable strength of pack ice when they constructed Antarctica's first floating ice pier in 1973 . Such ice piers are used during cargo operations to load and offload ships . Fleet operations personnel make the floating pier during the winter . They build upon naturally occurring frozen seawater in McMurdo Sound until the dock reaches a depth of about 22 feet (6.7 m). Ice piers have a lifespan of three to five years . </Li> <Li> Structures and ice sculptures are built out of large chunks of ice or by spraying water The structures are mostly ornamental (as in the case with ice castles), and not practical for long - term habitation . Ice hotels exist on a seasonal basis in a few cold areas . Igloos are another example of a temporary structure, made primarily from snow . </Li> <Li> In cold climates, roads are regularly prepared on floating ice of lakes and archipelago areas . Temporarily, even a railroad has been built on ice . </Li> <Li> During World War II, Project Habbakuk was an Allied programme which investigated the use of pykrete (wood fibers mixed with ice) as a possible material for warships, especially aircraft carriers, due to the ease with which a vessel immune to torpedoes, and a large deck, could be constructed by ice . A small - scale prototype was built, but the need for such a vessel in the war was removed prior to building it in full - scale . </Li> <Li> Ice can be used to start a fire by carving it into a lens which will focus sunlight onto kindling . A fire will eventually start . </Li> <Li> Ice has even been used as the material for a variety of musical instruments, for example by percussionist Terje Isungset . </Li> <Li> Ice was once used to cool refrigerators in the 19th century, called "iceboxes ." </Li> <Li> Ice can be used as part of an air conditioning system, using battery - or solar - powered fans to blow hot air over the ice . This is especially useful during heat waves when power is out and standard (electrically powered) air conditioners do not work . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Engineers used the formidable strength of pack ice when they constructed Antarctica's first floating ice pier in 1973 . Such ice piers are used during cargo operations to load and offload ships . Fleet operations personnel make the floating pier during the winter . They build upon naturally occurring frozen seawater in McMurdo Sound until the dock reaches a depth of about 22 feet (6.7 m). Ice piers have a lifespan of three to five years . </Li> <Li> Structures and ice sculptures are built out of large chunks of ice or by spraying water The structures are mostly ornamental (as in the case with ice castles), and not practical for long - term habitation . Ice hotels exist on a seasonal basis in a few cold areas . Igloos are another example of a temporary structure, made primarily from snow . </Li>

Where does ice tend to freeze first and melt last