In the coldest seas and lakes in the world, surprising circular formations of ice sometimes form in winter: these are ice pancakes, or crepe ice cream as Quebecers call them.
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These slabs of ice cream, shaped like delicious pancakescan be observed by the thousands on the water bodies of the US Great Lakesin the Arctic Ocean, Antarctic, on the Baltic Sea or in the north of the British Isles. They are most often found in oceans and lakes, but it is possible to encounter them on certain northern rivers. Pancakes are rarely photographed, simply because they often form in frigid areas with little traffic, such as the Arctic. They can also be observed almost every winter on the coasts of lake michigan in the united states, especially in Chicago. Superb ice cream pancakes were also photographed there again, in mid-January 2022, under a temperature of -6°C.
A matter of waves
Their formation depends essentially on the currents: they testify to a rough sea, or a lake in the grip of strong winds. Pancakes can form in several ways: most of the time, the agitation of lakes, rivers or the sea creates mousse on the surface of waves, it then freezes at night, then partially melts during the day. The ice particles, which are not totally compact, but in an intermediate stage between “soup” and real ice, then collide with the ocean current and the wind on the lake. The pancakes then melt again, then refreeze several times in a row.
Wave action eventually forms these discs over the course of several days. Once formed, ice cream pancakes can continue to grow for several weeks and reach impressive dimensions. In large bodies of freezing water, such as the Arctic and Antarctica, pancakes form from “nilas” bumping into each other and clumping together. The nilas are thin layers of elastic ice which also contribute to the formation of pack ice. Some scientists believe that ice cream pancakes also sometimes form in ocean depths before coming to the surface.
Ice pancakes on the Helmsdale River in Scotland in 2016. © Dan McLeod/SWNS
Sometimes giant pancakes
Their diameter is variable, from 30 cm to 3 meters! They can appear as a thin layer, but this can sometimes be up to 10 cm thick. The edges of these pancakes are always thicker than their center, because this is the area where they collide with each other in the currents. Most of these pancakes are partly melted in the middle and are therefore easily breakable when taken out of the water and handled.
According to Oceanwide Expeditions expertsice cream pancakes would be more and more common in the Arctic because of the climate change. The melting ice exposes the sea more to strong wind currents, and these winds more often shape pancakes.
Very thick ice cream pancakes in Ontario, Canada in 2019. © Pinetree Line
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