Thousands of ‘ice eggs’ spotted on Finland beach by photographer

An exceptional collection of ‘ice eggs’ has been noticed in Finland, an occurrence which takes place only under very rare conditions, according to scientists.

An exceptional collection of ‘ice eggs’has been noticed in Finland, an occurrence which takes place only under very rare conditions, according to scientists.

The eggs had been photographed by Risto Mattila, an amateur photographer, and his wife, who were walking along Marjaniemi beach,Hailuoto island when they noticed the ‘ice eggs’.(Risto Mattila)

The eggs had been photographed by Risto Mattila, an amateur photographer, and his wife, who were walking along Marjaniemi beach,Hailuoto island when they noticed the ‘ice eggs’.

“The biggest of the eggs was about the size of a football. It was an amazing view. I have never seen this phenomenon before,” Mattila told The Guardian. Jouni Vainio, an ice specialist at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, told The Guardian that such an occurrence was uncommon,but it is possible that it could take place once in a year, under the right weather conditions.  

 “You need the right air temperature (below zero, but only a bit), the right water temperature (near freezing point), a shallow and gently sloping sandy beach and calm waves, maybe a light swell. You also need something that acts as the core. The core begins to collect ice around it and the swell moves it along the beach, forward and back. A small ball surface gets wet, freezes and becomes bigger and bigger,” Vainio told The Guardian.

 

Dr James Carter, emeritus professor of geography-geology at Illinois State University, told The Guardian that autumn is the best time to see this phenomenon, since that is the time when the ice begins to form on the water surface, which creates a sort of slush when it is moved by the waves.   

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