Friday, February 20, 2015

Changing Ice in Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay, said to be the '6th Great Lake', freezes in part over the winter, as do all the Great Lakes.  This year the ice cover is extensive, for the 2nd year in a row.  But it's still intriguing how the ice behaves, and how it comes and goes along the shoreline.

It was a dark grey day when I was there about 2 weeks ago, and snowing steadily as you can see.  The gap between the park where I usually stop and the breakwall with the small light on it was decorated with lots of small ice floes and bits.

Georgian Bay was still open, but a lot of loose ice had been pushed in to the shore by the wind, none of it looking very solid!

I've shown this view west from the park several times, but never before with ice floes I don't think.  Compare this to the view in January (4th picture).

And here is the view a few days later, with Georgian Bay frozen solid as far as you can see.  I didn't climb over the 5 foot snowbank and trudge through the 2 foot deep snow to get exactly the same view!

I don't even remember noticing this cannon before (it should be pretty obvious!), but there it is guarding the harbour.

And here is that gap between the park and the breakwall a few days later, completely white.

The fact is that the entire sheet of ice on the bay shifts back and forth, sometimes bringing ice right to the shore, and sometimes leaving a band of open water, while the ice is pushed hard against the opposite shore.  This satellite view (with credit to the Weather Channel), shows Georgian Bay and much of Lake Huron almost completely covered in ice, but with a narrow band of dark open water partway through the bay where the ice sheet has broken as it shifts.

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17 comments:

  1. Those shots are brooding and feeling quite cold!

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  2. That is absolutely astonishing - and chilling in every sense of the word. I can't imagine what it's like to experience conditions like that. Superb photographs.

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  3. Wow, I am so glad you didn't venture further. Satellite views tell us so much, thanks for sharing this with us.

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  4. Lovely photos . We live a 6 min drive from Lake Erie it is the roughest lake in Ontario and is the warmest to and the weather network said it is finally all frozen over . Thanks for sharing , have a good day !

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  5. Oh boy does that look cold!! Love the picture with the bench.
    Your comment about me making footprints in the snow made me laugh. : )
    We were looking at old movies of me when I was a little girl and Ken laughed and said I'm still the same. : )

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  6. Love the speckled snow shot. Tom The Backroads Traveller

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  7. Nice post FG. Those of us concerned with water levels on the Great Lakes (including Georgian Bay of course) are happy to see extensive ice coverage and snow again this year in hope the water levels will make another step towards full recovery.

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  8. That is the coldest post I've seen yet.....Brrrr! Keep warm, my friend.

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  9. Georgian bay is an amazing spot. I worked in Parry Sound for a year. I love the water. If the bay is freezing over, that is good, as the Muskoka Lake Effect Snow is quite the thing. We had 60cm on night!
    Cheers from frozen Perth, ON!

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  10. It is a beautiful place, even in winter, with all the snow and ice. Your pictures put me right there along with you, except that I am warm and cozy! :-)

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  11. i LOVE pictures of ice/frozen water. your images are so cool (pun intended) and beautiful. have you seen pictures of niagara falls, it is frozen and it looks AMAZING!!!!!

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  12. Funny about the cannon. That happens so often to me.. something that was there and somehow missed :) Have gone back to admire the fences reaching far into the distance, the gentle sunset, and now the "6th Great Lake" ice flows. As always, love your observations and appreciation for the world around you.

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  13. There we are- both on the map. The shades of blue in the first picture are my favorite colors

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    1. You're right! I guess that's Lake Michigan on the left.

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  14. These icy views are fascinating. The shoreline fringed with eyes is extraordinary.

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  15. Such interesting views and information. Lovely area.

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