It's a common sight: frozen Michigan lakes in the middle of winter.
But an uncommon sight was captured on Jan. 15 when Andre Poineau ventured out on to a perfectly smooth Lake Charlevoix.
Sea ice forms in a variety of ways. When the water is rough, patches of ice form and then fuse together as long as the sub-freezing temperatures last. When the water is calm, a uniform skin of ice forms on the surface of the water.
Because liquid water is more dense than ice, that thin layer floats on the surface -- just like an ice cube.
As the cold temperatures penetrate that solid surface layer, ice crystals grow together at a uniform rate and thickness.
When H2O turns solid, the molecular structure changes from a jumbled mass to an organized lattice network of hexagonal pockets.
Usually, tiny air bubbles get trapped within those pockets but when the water is completely still below the initial skin of ice, the bubbles are forced deeper into the water and eventually away from the ice that's forming.
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