Nature is very mystical. The more we live, the more we understand how complex and intriguing it is. Don’t agree? Read on…
Visitors to the Hailuoto Island in the Gulf of Bothnia between Finland and Sweden were in for a surprise recently.
As a result of a rare weather phenomenon, the visitors saw a huge number of egg-shaped balls of ice of varied sizes on a beach!
Amateur photographer Risto Mattila, who was visiting the Marjaniemi beach with his wife, captured these ‘ice eggs’, which looks beautiful and awe-inspiring. According to him, the balls covered a 30-metre expanse of the shoreline and were of varying sizes ranging from small eggs to footballs! Isn’t that amazing?
“That was an amazing view. I have never seen anything like this during 25 years living in the vicinity,” Mr Mattila said.
While certainly not common, scientists say that this phenomenon has occurred in the past. They believe that this occurs when tiny pieces of ice are rolled over by wind and water. The right air temperature and the right water temperature can cause this phenomenon.
Jouni Vainio, an ice specialist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, says, “You need the right air temperature (below zero, but only a bit), the right water temperature (near freezing point), a shallow and gently sloping sandy beach and calm waves, maybe a light swell.”
“You also need something that acts as the core. The core begins to collect ice around it and the swell moves it along the beach, forward and back. A small ball surface gets wet, freezes and becomes bigger and bigger.”
Phew! Do you now agree with us that nature is beautiful, intriguing, and mystical? 🙂
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