Ice needles are an atmospheric phenomenon that has been observed more than once in Russia and other countries. Sometimes it is even called the northern lights, but these are different concepts. What is an ice needle? And how is it formed?
Atmospheric phenomena and precipitation
The atmosphere is the outer shell of our planet and consists of a mixture of various gases. Physical and chemical processes constantly occur in it, which determine the weather conditions on Earth. The visible manifestation of these processes is called atmospheric phenomena.
Their spectrum is very wide and includes both phenomena familiar to us (rain, snow, hail, frost, dew, squall, thunderstorm, etc.), and rather rare ones (halos, solar pillars). Usually, optical and electrical phenomena, hydrometeors and lithometeors are distinguished.
Ice needle refers to hydrometeors or precipitation. They are water in a solid or liquid state that is released from the air or falls from clouds. Hydrometeors are snow, ice, rain, fog and other phenomena associated with water. They affect the weather and climate in different parts of the world.
Icyneedle
Many people have dreamed of seeing the aurora at least once. To do this, they are even ready to go closer to the poles. But the glow of the sky occurs not only in high latitudes. The reason for this may be an ice needle, which, unknowingly, is also called the northern lights. Of course, these phenomena are completely different both in impressions and in origin.
The phenomenon of ice needles is noticeable day and night. In the light of the sun, they sparkle in the sky just like ice floes. At night, they appear in the form of hundreds of colored luminous pillars, reflecting the light of the moon and lanterns. They are perfectly visible in the night sky, as they form in clear weather.
Another name for this phenomenon is ice dust. In foreign sources, it is also called diamond dust. It occurs during the winter frost, when the temperature drops to 10-15 degrees below zero. In recent years, ice dust has been observed more than once in Ufa, Tyumen, Moscow, on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus. Most often, the phenomenon occurs in the Arctic regions.
Reasons for education
Ice needles are solid precipitation and are usually recorded by meteorologists. These are tiny hexagonal ice crystals that float in the air. Their size does not exceed one millimeter. The layer of ice curtain reaches from 15 to 350 meters. And the reason for its occurrence is temperature inversion.
Usually, the temperature of atmospheric air decreases with height, that is, at the very surface of the Earth it is much warmer than hundreds of meters higher. Under certain conditions, layers with different temperaturescan mix, which manifests itself in the form of various atmospheric phenomena, such as fog.
Ice needles form when cold and warm layers mix close to the earth's surface. It is important that the air is sufficiently humid. Water vapor from the warm layer is cooled by low temperatures and forms ice crystals in the form of stars or needles.
Usually, this phenomenon does not interfere with visibility too much. If the concentration of ice needles in the atmosphere is too high, then a fog effect appears. It's called ice haze. In this case, visibility is less than 10 kilometers.
