EPOD 20th - Rideau River Pancake Ice
October 02, 2020
We’re celebrating 20 years of Earth Science Picture of the Day during the month of September...and more, there are just too many to fit into 30 days! Today’s photo features a popular EPOD from the past. Thanks to all of our followers (on the blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for supporting us. Thanks also to all of you who’ve submitted your photos. We’re most appreciative. This EPOD was originally published January 31, 2013.
Photographer: Rick Stankiewicz
Summary Author: Rick Stankiewicz
Hog’s Back Falls (officially known as the Prince of Wales Falls) is an artificially created set of rapids on the Rideau River at the point where the river splits from the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario. Here the water drops about 39 ft (12 m) over a run of about 1,970 ft (600 m). Although this particular spot along the canal is enjoyable year-round, what caught my attention on this visit was the back eddy of pancake ice (bottom center) in juxtaposition to the rapids. Pancake ice typically forms from accumulations of frazil ice in fast-flowing water. The raised rims of the icy plates result from the swirling motion in the backwater of the falls and from the growing ice cakes randomly bumping into each other. These floating ice formations can range from several inches (4 cm) to several feet (1 m) across. As pictured above, they're likely several inches (1-3 cm) in thickness. Although more commonly found on larger bodies of water such as Arctic seas and bays, you may even discover such winter oddities in the middle of a mid-latitude city. Photo taken on January 7, 2012.
Photo Details: Camera: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XTi; Focal Length: 18mm; Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.0050 s (1/200); ISO equiv: 200; Software: Adobe Photoshop 7.0.
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