The system of dark lines superposed on the continuous solar spectrum formed by the absorption of photons by atoms and molecules in the solar and terrestrial atmospheres.
Small needle-like ice crystals, typically 3 to 4 millimeters in diameter, suspended in water, that represent the first stages of sea ice growth; they merge under calm conditions to form thin sheets of
ice on the surface, frazil crystals consist of nearly pure fresh water.
(Or frazil crystals; also called needle ice.) Ice crystals that form in supercooled water that is too turbulent to permit coagulation into sheet ice. This is most common in swiftly flowing streams, bu
t is also found in a turbulent sea (where it is called lolly ice). It may accumulate as anchor ice on submerged objects obstructing the water flow.
In hydrologic terms, fine spicules, plates, or discoids of ice suspended in water. In rivers and lakes, frazil is formed in supercooled, turbulent water.
1.An accumulation of frazil in a body of water. 2.The initial stage of ice formation in turbulent water. Frazil ice consists of platelets or discs roughly 1 mm in diameter. These small platelets clump
together to form shuga, and eventually (if sufficient open water area exists) form pancake ice. Frazil ice may form in open water leads and around the ice margins in the Arctic, but it is most common in the Antarctic. It may also form in turbulent rivers in winter, particularly in rapids.