RC said:-

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The description of the images states:

"The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra satellite
produced an image of the area on February 1, 2002. In visible wavelengths (above, top) the ice
appears transluscent, in contrast to the bright white snow and darker ground. The ice is visible as a
thick black stripe along the lower right edge of the medium gray snow in the near infrared image
(above, lower). Because water absorbs near-infrared light so strongly, bare ground is actually
brighter than the snow in this image."

I believe what this passage is saying is that the bare ground contains liquid water and in the bottom
near-infrared image the bright area on the right is this bare ground containing liquid water.
You'll note there is a difference in how the snow, ice, and bare ground with water appear in the
two images.
Then this may provide a means to determine both clear ice covered ground and ground containing
liquid water on Mars.

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my response:

I had to read this very carefully and think about what they were saying before its meaning became clear.

When they say "water" they mean "H2O in whatever phase is appropriate at the local temperature and pressure"

In this specific example, they mean "ice and snow"

If you make this adjustment, the article makes sense. Without it, it is illogical, to quote a pointy-eared source...