Things are starting to get Icy!

With temperatures starting to dip below 32 degrees outside, our local bodies of water have begun to freeze. The mighty Merrimack river here on campus is still completely liquid, however, on a recent trip hiking in Westford, this author noticed ice more than 1/4 inch thick forming on quite a few ponds and streams.



The way ice forms on a lake or pond is very intriguing; it's a great demonstration of what makes water different from other liquids, and an important part of why there's life on earth today. Unlike other liquids, when water cools beyond a certain point, it actually starts to expand. When the water cools enough to form ice, the ice itself is less dense than liquid water. Water is the only liquid to behave this way.

Because of these differences in density, when a lake nears freezing, the water very close to freezing in the lake floats to the surface, and eventually, ice forms and floats to the top of the lake. Thus, beneath these layers of ice and frigid water, there is always a layer of slightly warmer liquid water trapped; it is in this pocket that life has survived through harsh winters for millions of years on this planet.

If Water were like other stubstances, ice would form from the bottom of the lake up, eventually forming huge blocks of ice. There would be no layer of water for lake life to shelter in during the winter. Life on earth owes a great deal to water's unique properties.



Lowell Regional Forecast

Tonight: Clear skies with lows in the high 30's

Wednesday: Clear, with cloud cover and potential rain moving in late in the day. Very warm, with highs approaching 60.

Wednesday night: Very cloudy with likely rain. Lows in the mid to high 40's.

Thursday: More clouds with rain all day, snow potentially mixing in at night. Highs in the high 40's.

Friday: Some clouds, with potential mixed rain and snow. highs in the low 40's.

Extended Outlook:

Saturday: partly cloudy in the AM, with clouds and potential rain in the afternoon. Possible snow at night. Low morning temperatures, highs in the low 40's.

Sunday: Overcast, with possible snow during the day, and rain in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 40's

For WUML 91.5 this is student meteorologist Sam Kilsdonk.