Tom Hegen - Icepattern
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Photograph: Tom Hegen08The circles may also be triggered by snowfall, says Charlie Knight, emeritus scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research. The snow weighs the ice sheet down, causing the warmer water below to flow out radially from small holes in the surface. “This water layer freezes too at some point, and it can leave circular patterns up to tens of meters in diameter,” Knight says.
Photograph: Tom Hegen09
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