WEBVTT - What Does It Take to Freeze a Waterfall?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff, Lauren Bogobam. Here. Should Hell ever freeze over,

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<v Speaker 1>it'll probably happen right after Niagara Falls does. The Roaring

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<v Speaker 1>Landmarks sits on the border of Upstate New York and Ontario, Canada.

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<v Speaker 1>It consists of three separate waterfalls, with the tallest being

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred and sixty seven feet that's fifty one high.

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<v Speaker 1>These cascading waters have attracted the odd There devil over

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<v Speaker 1>the years. We've all heard the stories about thrill seekers

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<v Speaker 1>and barrels, but most visitors simply come to admire the

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<v Speaker 1>falls natural beauty. In the wintertime, the falls get extra

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<v Speaker 1>gorgeous because I see formations often appear on or around them. Yet,

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<v Speaker 1>despite claims to the contrary, Niagara Falls doesn't ever fully freeze.

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<v Speaker 1>And it turns out that freezing Niagara Falls solid would

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<v Speaker 1>be quite a feat. During the winter, a whopping twenty

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<v Speaker 1>two million gallons or five million liters of water tumble

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<v Speaker 1>over the falls per minute, and scientists say it would

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<v Speaker 1>be extremely difficult to freeze that much fast flowing water.

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<v Speaker 1>Even in sub zero temperatures, the falls can appear frozen

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<v Speaker 1>when the thick mist that they produced freezes as it

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<v Speaker 1>accumulates on the trees, boulders, and railings that surround the falls. Also,

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<v Speaker 1>there are days when a thin layer of frozen spray

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<v Speaker 1>and miss hardens over the falls themselves, right beneath this

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<v Speaker 1>icy blanket, though you'll still find plenty of liquid water

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<v Speaker 1>flowing on its usual downward path. A bottom line, Niagara

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<v Speaker 1>Falls isn't going to freeze all the way through anytime soon.

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<v Speaker 1>But that's just one landmark. Let's talk about some other waterfalls.

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<v Speaker 1>On a cold morning in January, physics professor Michael J.

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<v Speaker 1>Ruise and independent researcher Charles Cranford filmed a sixty five

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<v Speaker 1>foot that's twenty waterfall in North Carolina that had mostly

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<v Speaker 1>frozen Trickling over. Some of the ice was a stream

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<v Speaker 1>of super cooled water. Super Cooled water is water that's

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<v Speaker 1>managed to remain liquid below its normal freezing temperature, that

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<v Speaker 1>being thirty two degrees fahrenheit or zero degrees celsius. It

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<v Speaker 1>was significantly colder outside when Louise and Cranford recorded their video.

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<v Speaker 1>The local temperature was just five degrees fahrenheit or negative

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen celsius. Under those conditions, even the super cooled water

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<v Speaker 1>couldn't stay liquefied for long. The duo captured the Carolina

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<v Speaker 1>waterfall freezing into ice in real time, and not just

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<v Speaker 1>any ice. The water was hardening into a clumping collection

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<v Speaker 1>of tiny needle shaped crystals. Meteorologists call that frazzle ice,

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<v Speaker 1>often associated with turbulent and super cooled water. Frazzle ice

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<v Speaker 1>can also develop when mist droplets freeze. This ice is

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<v Speaker 1>a common site around and waterfalls, like the ones at

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<v Speaker 1>California's you Semity National Park during below freezing weather, When

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<v Speaker 1>frazzle ice clings to a rocky surface, it can become

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<v Speaker 1>a platform for even more ice to build upon. Waterfall

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<v Speaker 1>icicles can also build up or down, found in many

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<v Speaker 1>regions of the globe, from France to Utah, they can

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<v Speaker 1>take many forms. You can find ice stalactites dangling off

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<v Speaker 1>of cliffs or ice stalagmites ascending from the ground below,

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<v Speaker 1>and if a lowering stalactite touches a rising stalagmite, you

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<v Speaker 1>get a column like ice pillar. A note that these

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<v Speaker 1>icicles and columns can be dangerous as they can suddenly collapse.

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<v Speaker 1>But if you do see I see stalactites, stalacmites, or

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<v Speaker 1>pillars gathered around your favorite waterfall. It doesn't mean the

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<v Speaker 1>whole waterfall has frozen solid. That only happens when the

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<v Speaker 1>source of the waterfall freezes through. Whether that's a creek,

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<v Speaker 1>a stream, or a river, the larger and faster flowing

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<v Speaker 1>a given source is, the smaller its chances of becoming frozen.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Mark Mancini and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of other

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<v Speaker 1>fast flowing topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff is production of I heart Radio. For more podcasts

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