Last week’s cold weather saw temperatures cold enough to freeze salt water, however little ice seemed to form in Crescent Bay. I am guessing there was sufficient wind to keep the surface stirred up and liquid (unlike previous occasions when temperatures were warmer, but conditions were calm, and the bay froze). However, when I arrived at the cove near the library, I was interested to see how much pancake ice had been stranded on the beach.
I don’t recall ever seeing pancake ice here before. If I have seen it before, it was much a much less robust version. These pancakes were as much as 3 feet wide and seemed to be an inch or two thick. My theory is the ice probably formed in the cove where conditions were a little calmer and salinity may have been a little lower. However, there was enough wave action to keep a solid sheet from forming (as often happens in bays around here during cold weather).
It would have been fun to spend a bit more time exploring the ice and looking for interesting photographic opportunities, but unfortunately I had to get to class and didn’t have time to linger.
