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Frazil Ice and Ice Meadows

During this time of year, the magic happens within local rivers that makes the riverside areas of the Northeast called Ice Meadows what they are. A collection of loose ice crystals are forming that look like slush in the water, this is called frazil ice. Frazil ice forms in super cooled water.

When frazil ice groups together, it forms pancake ice. Like the name suggests, it looks like pancakes with upturned edges. These pancakes can be as large as 10 feet across. When the pancakes group together, they will cover the surface of the river with a skin of ice. This skin will grow and can reach a thickness of glacial proportions.

The ice grows and pushes up on the shores and will scour the shoreline of the river, depositing organic matter and removing trees. The thick ice can take into April to melt, which shortens the growing season, which maintains the cooler climate in these stretches of river. This can allow unique alpine species to grow in areas called Ice Meadows.

Riverside Ice Meadows occur along rivers where floating ice is pushed up on the shoreline during winter, forming ice packs that remain into spring.

Endangered and threatened plant and wildlife species are known to live in Ice Meadows. There are other species found only in this unique habitat, they are common to alpine habitats and are generally dwarf species.

There are so few occurrences of the Ice Meadows in the Northeast that they need to be protected. Major threats include: invasive species, development and trampling by visitors. Little research has been conducted on this unique habitat that truly not much is known.


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