looduskalender.ee

 

The clouds of mist have thinned out above the sea. The northern coast slowly begins to freeze from the shore outwards. A few weeks ago the shallow sea between Viimsi and Aegna was ice-covered. Then the wind changed and in a single night carried all away. Some days later however new, bearing ice had formed again.

 

And when the weather turned windy slow wave motion could be seen on the completely unbroken ice covering the waters between Kräsuli and Aegna. As accompaniment some creaking, and cracks, and clucking water in the cracks around the rocks near the shore. Sea ice is tougher than fresh water ice and withstands bending better. But one shouldn't go out on billowing ice – nobody knows when the elasticity limit is reached and the first crack starts somewhere. The rest proceeds rapidly – in a domino effect the swaying ice is fast torn into pieces and with a strong wind the pieces are quickly carried away.

 

In clear weather the ice conditions around Estonia can be securely studied on a satellite image unless clouds hide it.  Once a day the NASA satellites record an image from our corner of the world too.