The photo of the week came to me this morning on my walk to school. Yes, it is now warm enough in Ottawa to comfortably walk to school! All the melting ice and the slight smell of spring and undergrad panic in the air got me thinking about permafrost degradation and nights out during my undergrad. An odd combination of thoughts, I grant you. Well, what do these two very separate things have in common? Observe the photos below, particularly the trees in the hillside to find out.
(Photo: Matt Herod)
(Photo: Matt Herod)
The trees all look a little askew. This is because they are the epitome of a “drunken forest”. Many of you may not have encountered this amazing term, which I assure you is the real one, for trees that sit on degrading permafrost or ice wedges that become drunkenly tilted as the ice melts. The ground underneath the tilted trees also looks somewhat heaved which is characteristic of melting permafrost terrain. I took these photos just outside of Dawson city next to ongoing placer mining operations. So there you have it. The strange explanation for what links the melting of spring ice to memories of my own spring experiences in undergrad (never now…).
Cheers,
Matt
Gillian B
Go home, trees. You’re drunk.