Lightning Round: Ice pancakes and how melting glaciers raise concerns for many

Name: FOX Weather Lightning Round: 3 Must-See Weather Stories On 2/8
Uploaded: 2022-02-08T07:24:13-05:00
Duration: 1 min 36 s
Description: FOX Weather Lightning Round: 3 Must-See Weather Stories On 2/8/2022.

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FOX Weather Lightning Round: 3 Must-See Weather Stories On 2/9

FOX Weather Lightning Round: 3 Must-See Weather Stories On 2/9/2022.

"Lightning Round" is a FOX Weather Sunrise daily segment that showcases the more exciting and scientific side of weather.

Here are two of the stories we featured this week that are sure to satisfy the weather enthusiast in all of us.

Ice pancakes float on Lake Ontario

Do you like your pancakes hot or ice-cold? On Feb. 7, a winter weather phenomenon known as "ice pancakes" formed on Lake Ontario amid below-freezing temperatures.

Ice pancakes are created by the freezing temperatures, which cause the water to form an ice sheet or slush in a sea, ocean or lake. It gets its pancake-like shape due to the flow of the water forcing the ice or slush to collide with other pieces. The edges get less sharp when the ice hits and it eventually becomes a disc. The diameter can increase when frozen foam, water or other ice fragments cling to it.

Fun fact: Ice pancakes look like a solid sheet of ice, but if you try to pick it up, it will fall apart since it’s just slush.

A trickle-down effect: Melting glaciers raise concerns

According to a study published in Nature Geoscience, satellite technology has proven that all the world’s glaciers contain 20% less ice than previously estimated.

It is a cause for concern because some industries rely on seasonal ice melts to feed rivers and irrigate crops. With temperatures rising and glaciers containing less ice, water in these glaciers will run out faster than expected.

The study determined that close to 5.4 trillion metric tons of ice melted between 2000 and 2019.