Tiny drops of dirty water, often mistaken for air bubbles, tell the tale of rippling icicle growth.
Icicles made of pure water are smooth. But salt or other impurities make icicles develop ripples as they hang from branches, bridges and power lines (SN: 11/24/13). Impurities are also responsible for the hazy appearance of icicles that has typically been attributed to air bubbles. Those bubbles are actually minute dollops of contaminated water, researchers report in the November Physical Review E.
While examining 3-millimeter-thick cross sections of icicles grown in the lab, University of Toronto physicists Stephen Morris and John Ladan uncovered pockets of impure, liquid water surrounded by relatively pure
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