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Polar Vortex

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted February 6, 2014103 views8 comments

This is one of the things that happen when we have a January thaw that melts feet of snow, swelling streams, and then they freeze up when the polar vortex brings sub-zero weather from the north. It also kind of reminds me of a satellite view of some bad weather.

I don't really know the origin of the little tubes that look like they were bored or melted into the ice. I think they may have been caused by bubbles getting trapped as the ice froze deeper and deeper. Of course, there's always the ice worm theory, too.

Canon 5D3; Sigma 150 macro
1/4 sec. @ f/16; ISO 320
Six images stacked in PS6 for depth of field

Also had to significantly reduce saturation for the Web because the blues and cyans were so intense. (I think camera sensors are more sensitive to these colors in dim light than our eyes are.)

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Scott Fricke on February 6, 2014 at 10:11 PM

That's pretty wild Wayne, the surface snow/ice and the air bubble tubes look like they are floating above everything else. I really like this, so much to look at and for the eye to figure out as I noted before and with the distorted ice surfaces.

Registered on January 19, 2007, 133 Posts, 1448 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 6, 2014 at 10:34 PM

Lots of very interesting details in this one, Wayne. Crazy wormholes and warping.

Excellent eye to see all of this and capture it so well.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on February 6, 2014 at 10:58 PM

Wow, I can see the polar vortex on the top of the image and just to the right of center. Good thing you didn't get caught. So much to look at here and so much imagining. This is fairy land or something close. Hard to make firm comments except this is a great photo. Were the whelks in the same area?

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on February 6, 2014 at 11:28 PM

I was thinking more string theory, but worm holes work. Great abstract, Wayne Lots to look at and take in.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on February 7, 2014 at 12:48 AM

The surface snow and those lines of bubbles have me thinking of jelly fish or the cloud type called virga. My speculation on those lines of bubbles is that they keep coming up from somewhere below as the ice is freezing from the top down, regardless of how they're created, they sure do make for a fascinating subject and your comp. does create a great sense of cloud formations seen from space.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Reid on February 7, 2014 at 12:09 PM

This is just great Wayne. Such unusual shapes and textures within the ice. Great eye to see this. Well done.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on February 7, 2014 at 2:58 PM

Very unique find, Wayne. I find it fascinating to view all the many shapes, textures, and forms that can be found in ice, and no ice designs ever look the same. I don't know that I've seen these kind of ice tubes before. . .very cool! This does somewhat look like a view from space, but those clouds sure have some heavy downpours of precipitation coming from them! It kind of symbolizes what we are feeling like right now with one big storm after another.

Lots to look and enjoy in this image.

Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Lockhart on February 7, 2014 at 5:19 PM

This weekly challenge theme could also be called "Blue", for many of the submissions anyway. There's a lot to like in this shot, with all the various ice structures and designs. The smoother, dark brown part in the upper right adds some interest too, and suggests that the stream environment was a bit different from its neighbors. Fascinating!

Registered on February 19, 2013, 91 Posts, 500 Comments