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4 comments

Comment from: Ellen Madsen [Visitor]
Ellen Madsen

Thanks so much. I’ve been seen hair-ice for years on alder at Mclane Creek Nature Trail & calling it hoar frost. Have to educate the other regulars about it.

It’s been a great year for hair-ice out there!
E

01/28/13 @ 00:55
Comment from: [Member]

Glad to hear that you see hair ice a lot. Tell me if you also see ribbon ice. I’ll try to post a photo of ribbon ice that a friend took.

I gave a Science Cafe talk recently about ice formations, and one fellow mentioned seeing ribbon ice from a mushroom. So, keep an eye out for mushrooms on those hair-ice days.

Jon

01/28/13 @ 11:49
Comment from: Madison Hancock [Visitor]  
Madison Hancock

But why does it happen

01/02/19 @ 16:50
Comment from: [Member]

Hi Madison.

Hair ice forms like needle ice in the ground: water from inside flows to the surface and freezes. I tried to explain this above and below the diagram–let me know what aspect of the explanation is unclear.

The reason that the hairs are thinner is thought to be due to the thinner channels of water in the plants.

And the reason the hairs don’t clump into a solid mass, like clumped spaghetti is not clear. Some researchers recently argued that a fungus in the wood keeps the hairs from clumping.

Jon

01/02/19 @ 19:11


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