More on thread ice

[Patricia Sheley]

When I first experienced this I was below a beaver dam lowering pond level to our disguised outflow tubes. Had never seen the form posted in winter surprise...will be on the lookout from now on, but hopefully with more than cellphone available. The form from center rotting hung tree falls(of the sort Thierry has posted) looks so exquisite...hope to experience that form one day! Now that the hydraulics of the process have been illustrated I'll be wanting to try to find some of those tubular conduits from ground to egress more often when the conditions give promise...Wow...grateful to Thierry!

[Patricia Sheley]

two more...

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

How come I never run across nifty stuff like that? 

[francois]

I've never seen those ice "vermicelli"… and like Eric, I'll be looking around for them.

[thierrylegros396]

I've never seen those ice "vermicelli"… and like Eric, I'll be looking around for them.

More here http://my.ilstu.edu/~jrcarter/ice/wood/

They are often difficult to find.
But have a look in small wet valleys.
Most can be found on the ground (on wood without bark), but recently I've found some at 1.5m high.
The first time I noticed that phenomenon was in 2005.
But crystals are really nice this year.

Thierry

[framah]

I remember seeing them a long time ago back in NJ but probably won't find any up here in Maine right now as it was over 50 degrees yesterday...but  it is due to drop down into the low single digits later this week so I might go out and have a look around.
Thanks for letting us see  them.

[francois]

More here http://my.ilstu.edu/~jrcarter/ice/wood/

They are often difficult to find.
But have a look in small wet valleys.
Most can be found on the ground (on wood without bark), but recently I've found some at 1.5m high.
The first time I noticed that phenomenon was in 2005.
But crystals are really nice this year.

Thierry

Thanks for the info, Thierry. Not sure where I'd have to look for them around here [Western Switzerland]. This winter I guess that temperatures are too hot but it might change.

[NancyP]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost_flower

One of the local camera club members did a 40 minute presentation on these.

[Patricia Sheley]

Not sure where I'd have to look for them around here [Western Switzerland]

A few common denominators Francois. Although I photographed these in December, and already cold enough to skim ice on the beaver ponds, the flows through the ponds of steady brook kept useable warmer waters in the margins, so that although the hard night freezes were doing their work the "wicking" materials were kept flowing with those warmer temps...as they egressed that protective wicking, the frigid air temps did their "liquid nitrogen-like freezing" as the water left the protective materials.  I had never seen the form Thierry posted but now have identified boggy areas along streams where I will be looking in the future. The rotted tree falls contain the cellular decomposing material within that obviously are able to do the same work on a larger scale. Anywhere with ground water tempered by flows and where decomposing (interior) organics can behave as wicks would likely hold promise...and of course before sun or rising temperatures in the morning releases them back to flow. Any ground where you would not want to cross in canvas shoes in spite of surrounding cold conditions....(think fresh wick in kerosene lamp...as long as the kerosene is available in flowing form the wick will draw...in the case of the freezing we have just added another interesting element instead of flame. I'm so glad Thierry brought the high form to our attention!

[francois]

A few common denominators Francois. Although I photographed these in December, and already cold enough to skim ice on the beaver ponds, the flows through the ponds of steady brook kept useable warmer waters in the margins, so that although the hard night freezes were doing their work the "wicking" materials were kept flowing with those warmer temps...as they egressed that protective wicking, the frigid air temps did their "liquid nitrogen-like freezing" as the water left the protective materials.  I had never seen the form Thierry posted but now have identified boggy areas along streams where I will be looking in the future. The rotted tree falls contain the cellular decomposing material within that obviously are able to do the same work on a larger scale. Anywhere with ground water tempered by flows and where decomposing (interior) organics can behave as wicks would likely hold promise...and of course before sun or rising temperatures in the morning releases them back to flow. Any ground where you would not want to cross in canvas shoes in spite of surrounding cold conditions....(think fresh wick in kerosene lamp...as long as the kerosene is available in flowing form the wick will draw...in the case of the freezing we have just added another interesting element instead of flame. I'm so glad Thierry brought the high form to our attention!

Patricia,
Thank you for taking the time to point me in the right direction. I know a place about 45 km from home, where I might find the right conditions for thread ice. Unfortunately, this winter has been way too warm to get freezing at lower elevations (so far, December has been 11°c [20F] above average temperature) and yesterday we got snow.