Lake Superior "smokes" in the frigid air I had to pull over on
my way into work this morning to snap a picture of the steam
rising up out of the big lake in front of the lift bridge. As
Jay Austin, Professor at UMD's Large Lakes Observatory explains,
"the steam is simply Lake Superior water evaporating, then
condensing from gas to liquid droplets as it hits super-cold
air. In general, Austin says, "evaporation is strongest when the
air temperature is much lower than the water temperature." While
temperatures have barely eked above zero for the past several
days, it's still been a relatively warm winter in Duluth. Austin
says "the fact we're not seeing much ice cover is a testament to
the enormity of the lake - the lake needs to be sufficiently
cooled down at the surface for ice to form." So, Austin
explains, the lake has been busy playing "catch up" the last few
days. Austin, of course, understands this from the perspective
of a highly-regarded physicist and expert on large lakes. Still,
he admits he's even a