March 11, 1997

Ice Observations for Marquette Area Provided by Marlene

at presque isle NE to horizon, striking midnight blue water intermittent w/ white ice sheets. Near the island ice appears very thin and transparent in between blocks of ice which consist of broken up slabs of white ice, thicknesses between 3-8". this stuff is located to just beyond the end of the breakwall the current of water from the N is moving quickly, pushing and breaking up the ice blocks and sheets between the breakwall of upper harbor and picnic rocks, the water flows freely out to the distance appox 50' beyond the end of the breakwall, where the white ice sheets appear neverendding to the horizon West of the isle, the pressure ridge is at least 80' in length and the ice mounds, some of which form nifty caves are 8-10' in height, with gentle slopes. if i had to guesstimate, i'd say a 30 degree angle. the bay here is socked in with ice, white ,very bumpy, very solid. the ice continues as this along the west coast extending N a couple hundred feet past the isle. between picnic rocks and mccarty's cove, facing E the pressure ridge there varies from 30 -50 ' out, not tall at all. again sheets of transparent ice intermittent w/ sheets and cake mounds of white broken piled up ice chunks. the flowing water current is beyond the rocks, equidistant to the breakwall. lower harbor, inside the breakwall, is a sheet of thick white ice, there are now ice shanties on it. thickness unknown at this time. , and just last thursday, most of this area was clear ice, looking a lot like a million tons of broken glass shimmmering in the sun. ice is nice on a sunny afternoon.