Lake Superior Ice Stacking (Feb. 13, 2016)
Lake Superior put on a dramatic show with her recent ice in
Duluth, Minnesota. While shooting in
Canal Park, I noticed the ice had pulled away from shore and felt the breeze at my back. I anticipated there would be some ice stacking as the massive sheets of ice met the rugged shorelines, so I headed to
Brighton Beach. The big lake did not disappoint! The seemingly endless ice sheets broke into large plates and stacked on shore, sounding much like breaking glass. The ice thickness ranged from about 1/4" to about 3" thick [.5cm - 7.5cm]. The sights and sounds were incredible! As the water became exposed, the sea smoke was whisked across the surface by the breeze. The sparkles visible in some segments were from the sun gilding the frost flowers that had formed on top of the new ice overnight -- icing on the cake!
I am mesmerized by ice stacking, and spent hours immersed in the sights and sounds of one of my favorite winter phenomena, despite the subzero temperatures and frigid breeze. I hope you enjoy this glimpse into an incredible experience along the shores of
Gitche Gumee!
"
It's the video we can't stop watching." ~
The Weather Channel
**See the new extended version of the viral video -- even more mesmerizing with newly-released footage, more clips, and longer clips: https://youtu.be/340xc41mrbA
Four hours of 12-15 mph [19-24 km/h] steady winds from the SW led up to the movement of the large sheets of ice on Lake Superior on
February 13, 2016. The conditions during the two hours of filming ranged from -8°F to +3°F air temp [-22°C to -16°C] , -20°F to -8°F windchill [-29°C to -22°C], with winds 5-10 mph [8-16 km/h] from the SW. Due to the mild winter, Lake Superior has experienced less ice cover than usual, and consequently the ice has not formed as thick as typical winters. (
Weather data courtesy of the
National Weather Service in
Duluth)
This video is being shown at normal speed. For those who have not witnessed an event like this in person, it may look as if this is time-lapse photography or video processed at a faster speed. Some ice stacking events move more slowly, especially when the wind is weaker or intermittent. The large sheets of ice shown in this video had pretty good momentum from sustained winds, but at one
point the ice came to a groaning halt and the silence seemed almost deafening; it was a little eerie. Then the breeze picked up and the ice was on the move again, stacking plates. I enjoyed a two hour immersion in this experience at Brighton Beach, creating photographs and video footage and simply observing. This two minute compilation of excerpts is a small sampling of what was recorded. (To see incredible footage of a similar ice stacking event that took place during a sunrise in
2011, check out our "Lake Superior: Ice in
Motion" video on YouTube at this link: https://youtu.be/4NmhMk34-RM) **See the new extended version of the viral video -- even more mesmerizing with newly-released footage, more clips, and longer clips: https://youtu.be/340xc41mrbA
©
Dawn M. LaPointe,
Radiant Spirit Gallery.
All rights reserved.
Thank you for continuing to follow and support our photography and videography. We look forward to sharing more inspirations from nature with you! See more at
http://radiantspiritgallery.photoshel
... and on
Facebook at http://facebook.com/RadiantSpiritGallery. (This footage is a small sampling from this and other shoots. We have much more unpublished footage available from this and many other shoots - HD quality.
Contact us for more information.)
This particular video compilation is being managed exclusively by Newsflare. To use this video for broadcast or in a commercial player go to: http://www.newsflare.com/video/62731/... or email: newsdesk@newsflare.com or call: +44 (0) 8432 895 191
Please contact us at Radiant Spirit Gallery if you experiences challenges with the process or need additional information.