| Due to the 7th coldest December on
record in Buffalo, Lake Erie began to ice over a bit earlier than normal
this season. In fact, we could see appreciable ice cover as early
as Christmas Day, December 25th.
It's amazing just how much one picture can show you. The following images were taken from GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) which orbits at nearly 23,000 miles above the Earth's surface. That's a "magic" distance which allows the satellite to orbit at roughly the same speed that the earth rotates, allowing it to remain over the same point (stationary) of the Earth (Geo)...hence goestationary! In the following visible images, you will be able to see some fantastic geographic features such as the ice cover, the Finger Lakes, river valleys etc., which in some cases have been neatly outlined by snow cover. Our friends at the National Ice Center have a great WEB site that contains a very detailed account of the ice pack on the Great Lakes. Check it out! |
