Andy @RevkinWith the #polarvortex moderating we got out to Lamoine Beach in balmy 4°F & 20-knot winds and found some remarkably strange knobbly ice balls arrayed in remarkable neat patterns. I know it's all physics but sure can get weird results! Start close up then zoom out.. 🧵⤵️..
Anyone familiar with this phenomenon? #Maine sub-zero cold makes floating giant hailstones... ⤵️
Sun makes a polar freeze bearable, but when I took off gloves to shoot these clips, it only took about 30 seconds for the burn to build. Recalls my 2003 reporting on AK's North Slope (-35F w/o wind chill) and on the sea ice at the North Pole (-15F): https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/pages/science/sciencereport/index.html /fin
Jon duSaint@revkin This is pretty neat, especially how they're all in a line. I don't know if it's the same cause, but in strong convective activity (e.g. a thunderstorm), vertical currents toss ice balls up and then they fall down over and over, growing in size each time until either the currents weaken enough or the balls grow too massive to lift. Then look out below!
SvetlanaIs it sea foam freezing.
Warren Currie 🦠🦐@revkin it isn't that uncommon. They are called "ice balls" (yeah, creative it is not). Depending on weather it will happen on many lakes.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/beta.ctvnews.ca/local/winnipeg/2021/11/23/1_5678578.amp.html
