 It's a scene that leaves many in awe. Ice shards, glittering a hue of blue, rip from the frozen water at Michigan's Straits of Mackinac. Show This natural phenomenon attracts locals, tourists and photographers, who hope to capture the perfect moment when the sun hits the frozen water just right, allowing the bright blue ice to shine vividly. Steve Baker, 69, a retired veterinarian from Indian River, Michigan, said he was coming back from photographing snowy owls with his friend when they decided to stop by the Straits of Mackinac. "Our attention was drawn to the slabs of ice along the shore and we soon were exploring the Mackinaw City shoreline," Baker said. Baker said when he was taking the photos, the wind chill was below zero, so they had to retreat back to the car a few times to thaw out their fingers and camera batteries. Baker said the ice was about 10 to 15 feet tall and the scene was spectacular. "Conditions were just right and many of the ice slabs glowed a brilliant blue with the bridge in the background," he said. "I have seen blue ice many times over the years with March of 2018 being the most spectacular, and this current blue ice is rather small in comparison, but still spectacular to view." Staci Goodale, 45, an ice cream parlor owner from Kingsley, a village in northwestern Michigan, took her 18-year-old daughter, Mikayla Tyson, to see the blue ice as she has always wanted to see it in person. "Even from the shore, you could see the blue, and once you were out there it was even better," Goodale said. Many people made seeing the blue ice into an activity or date. Julie Suggitt, a business owner and designer, said she and her boyfriend went to the blue ice patch to see the spectacle themselves. While walking on the lake, she said the water was clear, and you can see to the bottom. This natural spectacle happens when the lake is clear with no bubbles, Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory Field Scientist George Leshkevich told the Free Press in 2018. When short wavelength light penetrates into the clear, frozen lake, light scatters in the water below and reflects back through the ice. The scene is spectacular in photographs and mesmerizing in person. But Baker urges those who are willing to trek to see the blue ice to be careful. "It's a little bit risky, so that's why they kind of discourage people from walking out there," he said. "It's a relatively small area, but when the sun hits that just right, it's a brilliant blue." Contributing: Omar Abdel-Baqui by: Ellen Bacca Posted: Feb 18, 2021 / 07:22 PM EST Updated: Mar 8, 2021 / 03:37 PM EST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Tourists have been flocking to the Straits of Mackinac,
where tons of blue ice chunks have been stacking up along the shoreline. This is a phenomenon that doesn’t happen every year but isn’t completely new to the Straits. The ice isn’t actually blue, but according to various scientists, there are three main reasons the ice appears blue to the human eye. According to Ted Scambos, a research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center interviewed by
Mashable, weather conditions are key to blue-appearing ice formations. If ice is allowed to freeze slowly and evenly, the ice tends to have larger ice crystals. This means stretches of cold weather with very little wind can often lead to blue ice. Larger ice crystals scatter light differently than smaller ice crystals. Larger ice crystals allow light to penetrate deeper into the structure.
Tiny ice crystals, like snow, usually reflect light quickly back into the atmosphere. This fast reflection makes snow appear white. When light is allowed to penetrate deeper into an ice structure, it allows for more of the “red” spectrum of the light to be absorbed out. The deeper the white light is allowed to travel through the ice, the more blue it appears. According to Carleton College fellow Benjamin Drummond, absorption of light at the red end of the spectrum is six times greater than at the blue end of the spectrum. That means the more red light that is absorbed, the more we see blue. NO BUBBLESThe farther light is allowed to travel into an ice structure, the more blue it looks (see above section as to why). Bubbles can drastically limit how far light can penetrate the ice. Bubbles often create an opaque look to the ice. They also tend to have a reflection effect similar to snow, reflecting light back to the eye before it has had time to push deep into the ice. Ice that is sufficiently consolidated is most likely to appear blue. PURE WATERThis is a huge kudos to Michigan’s Great Lakes. Blue ice can only form where the water is very clean and pure. Contaminants in water will affect how light travels through the ice. Sediment, pollution, algae or murk will all reduce the brilliant blue affect. Glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic often take on a blue appearance, also due to the fact the water is generally very clean. Locals at the Straits of Mackinac say blue ice doesn’t form every year, but when it does, it is a huge economic boost. How often does blue ice happen in Michigan?Blue Ice is very rare, and requires the right conditions to form. As a result, Blue Ice does not appear every year. Blue Ice typically forms on northern Lake Huron near the Straits of Mackinac, the body of water that separates Lakes Michigan and Huron.
How often does blue ice happen?There were at least 27 documented incidents of blue ice impacts in the United States between 1979 and 2003. These incidents typically happen under airport landing paths as the mass warms sufficiently to detach from the plane during its descent.
What makes blue ice in Mackinaw City?The ice appears blue due to the lack of air bubbles, and how the eye perceives the ice, according to staff at the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. The lack of air bubbles allow the light to be undisturbed as it passes through the giant shards.
Do the Straits of Mackinac freeze?The straits are shallow and narrow enough to freeze over in the winter. Navigation is ensured for year-round shipping to the Lower Great Lakes by the use of icebreakers.
|
How often does blue ice happen in Mackinaw City?
Related Posts
Copyright © 2024 SignalDuo Inc.
