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Katabatic Winds on Glaciers

Katabatic Winds on Glaciers
Katabatic winds – driven downslope by gravity – blowing down the Larsen and Reeves glaciers churn the waters and sea ice of Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica.
On Feb 22, 2023, a katabatic wind raced down Larsen & Reeves glaciers lofting loose snow as it went. Blowing over Terra Nova Bay, it churned the water and likely overturned sea ice chunks coated with algae. Result: green plume.

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Images credit: Norman Kuring (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, retired)