Frazil Ice – who knew?

I had an email I thought contained a typo. It turns out it is not. It was a warning about frazil ice. I looked it up! I'd never heard of it.

Frazil ice can cause significant fluctuations in water levels as it builds and releases. Since it can form anywhere that there is open water, it is difficult to predict where or when it can occur and the impact it may have on the river. soft or amorphous ice formed by the accumulation of ice crystals in water that is too turbulent to freeze solid.

You see, we've lost a few people, and vehicles, to  unstable ice conditions. 🚓ONTARIO ROADS.
I used to like watching the ice when we lived in Bala.

The iced could be shoved up against the Flower Rock, as my mom called it. It would shift, as the lake water didn't totally freeze.

We would watch the ice conditions, we knew how stable or unstable it was. One day (Feb., 2009: cracking ice), there were a few people who were running their truck up and down the lake. They had unloaded a canoe, and had built a fire.  After the truck began roaring around, you could hear the water rolling under the ice, headed to our side of the shore. It was amazing.

The ice wasn't too happy. In front of our property the ice cracked, rumbled, groaned and shifted with the waves that rolled under the ice. The lake is a constant 4 degrees above zero all winter (What do we know about the temperature of lake water?), and the ice might be a couple of feet thick floating on top, but the lake let us know that it wasn't happy with this traffic!

I miss my lake! We were there from 1960 to 2010.

Now I am content with watching the ice on the frog pond, or on local lakes.

Even the cats like crossing the ice.

Dec. 20, 2016

Ice fishing in Muskoka

No! Don't! Not yet.

More time needed before Simcoe is safe for ice anglers Jan. 2, 2010

Ya think? We need below zero for more than this.

But some fisherfolk have headed out onto the bays in Lake Couchiching on four to five inches of ice. Ice thickness on Lake Simcoe is still inconsistent and not safe for ice fishing. Larger lakes, like Muskoka, are noted for this. We lost two beautiful community members last year in

While some areas measure six inches, the thickness goes down to three inches or less with no indication of the variation on the surface.
 There are still big areas of Lake Simcoe that are open water.

Despite all the snow in Parry Sound, Muskoka Haliburton areas, trails there are closed because of the recent rain and warm conditions. We have a ton of snow, but the ground is not frozen yet. You can see from my photo of the lakeshore. The bogs and swamps are insulated, and they are not safe for a heavy machine. The snow melts at the edge of the lakeshore, and the ice is thin. With colder temperatures and more snow anticipated this week, more trails should be opening.  
Trails in the Orillia District Snowmobile Club area are closed, ... "We get people coming up from other areas and they'll see what looks like a perfectly frozen lake,"

While some differ in their estimates, for light equipment like a snowmobile, at least six to eight inches of ice is needed. For heavier equipment, like a snowmobile, Hales wants to see at least 10 to 12 inches.

There are way too many incidents and drownings around here. There were eleven last year, 9 the year before.

I cannot imagine how crews cope. A with our military, you have to first admit you have a problem, and then get help with it. PTSD is ignored or denied in this group.

Groups, like our OPP and Toronto Police, are realising that  there is stress around dealing with the ill, dead, dying, and drowned and frozen corpses. Despite ignorant folks stating the opposite. This is an excellent document attesting to the good that comes from getting help.

Critical Incident Stress Intervention[PDF] (Toronto Police)

Critical incident stress management (CISM)

The critical incident: concepts and interventions comprises a range of crisis intervention services that usually include precrisis training, individual crisis counseling, group debriefing, and postincident referral for primary and secondary victims. CISM is utilized to address the aftermath of violent acts, and has evolved from earlier crisis intervention and group psychological debriefing procedures. These approaches have been used throughout the world, and CISM is emerging as a standard of care.

Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Services - Employee ...

31 Aug 2007 ... Description of the services offered by the Employee Assistance Services (Health Canada) through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)