The Beauty of Winter

 This winter 25/26 has been a very cold polar vortex one.  It reminds me of the winters of my childhood and youth, a true winter.  I do not hibernate this time of year, some of the best birding in my opinion is from November to March, where we see Arctic species that winter here, and so I am also treated to some wonderful spectacles of the season.

As this season gears down and we look forward to the earth warming up for the Spring season, I thought that I would look back at this winters beauty.

Blue Ice or Glacial Ice is something that I don't remember seeing before in my lifetime, or if I have I haven't really looked at it.  This gorgeous phenomenon results in ice that is intensely blue and is formed when extreme pressure squeezes the air bubbles out of compacted snow, causing it to absorb red light and transmit blue light.  It is common in icebergs and glaciers.  This year as I was walking the path along the St. Clair River just past the Blue water bridge towards the Pt. Edward lighthouse, my eyes were drawn down towards the edge of the river.  It was unbelievably gorgeous!  Pictures do not do it justice!  

Hoar Frost is also breathtaking (literally)and one morning as I was walking Ri I saw that the world had became frosted. .This is a delicate, feathery white ice deposit that forms when water vapour directly changes into ice crystals on freezing, exposed surfaces during calm, clear and very cold winter nights.  It is very fragile and is easily brushed away and melts as soon as the air warms up.  It occurs when moist air comes into contact with surfaces that are already below freezing, causing water vapour to skip the liquid phase and turn directly to ice.  The term 'hoar' refers to Old English term for 'white' as the crystals can look like a white beard on branches.  It is different from freezing fog, which we have seen this winter as well.  Rime ice or 'freezing fog' is formed from the freezing of liquid droplets and is denser than hoar frost which is gas to solid.  Both can be dangerous , as though beautiful, it is still ice.  

Steam Fog is also something that I have witnessed this season.  This is created when cold air moves over relatively warmer water, as on the St. Clair River and especially at the outflow in Corunna.  There are many different types of fog, Radiation Fog, Freezing Fog, Advection Fog, Ice Fog  and Steam Fog.

This winter has also provided some of the clearest, brightest views.  The sun sits lower in the sky in the winter, shining directly into your eyes rather than overhead.  Cold, dry winter air has less moisture and fewer particles, allowing sunlight to appear clearer, while snow and ice on the ground reflect, rather than absorb sunlight.  Sun dogs or sun pillars are more visible when the air is colder and dryer, like the weather that we have had in the latter part of the winter.