Cloaked in Winter White
December 23, 2005
Provided and copyright by: Judy A Mosby
Summary author: Judy A Mosby
The snappy photo above showing a heavily frosted landscape near Lovelock, Nevada was taken in January of 2005. Rime ice in this area has long been referred to as pogonip, a Shoshone term. Rime is the crystal deposition formed by the rapid freezing of supercooled fog or water droplets onto exposed objects. Along the Humboldt River Valley, ice fog often forms during the winter months, whenever a temperature inversion traps cold, moisture-laden air close to the ground. On this morning, the accumulation was thick enough to resemble a veneer of snow on trees, fences and just about everything immobile. The healthy looking canine pictured here was evidently under cover during the predawn hours. Otherwise the frost would have been pogonipping at its nose.
Related Links:
[Revised 12/17]