RIME (rime)
A
coating of ice
Common
clues: Hoarfrost;
Frost's frost; Winter coat; Cover with hoarfrost; Icy cover;
White coat; Frosty film; Granular coating; Cold coat; December
dew
Crossword
puzzle frequency:
3 times a year
Frequency
in English language:
35514 / 86800
Rime
ice is a white ice that forms when the water droplets in fog
freeze to the outer surfaces of objects. It is often seen on
trees atop mountains and ridges in winter, when low-hanging
clouds cause freezing fog. This fog freezes to the windward
(wind-facing) side of tree branches, buildings, or any other
solid objects.
Rime
ice on a tree in Black Forest, Germany
Rime
ice is similar in appearance to hoar frost; but whereas rime ice
is formed by vapour first condensing to liquid droplets (of fog,
mist or cloud) and then attaching to a surface, hoar frost is
formed by direct deposition from water vapour to solid ice.
Scientists
at meteorologically-extreme places such as Mount Washington in
New Hampshire often have to break huge chunks of rime ice off
weather equipment, in order to keep anemometers and other
measuring instruments operating. This type of ice can spoil lift
and have catastrophic effects on airborne aircraft.
Sometimes
the rime ice takes on a feathery look, and looks very much like
"snow feathers".
Ice
storms may consist of either glaze ice or rime ice.
Meteorologists classify transparent and homogeneous ice forming
on vertical and horizontal surfaces as glaze. Glaze ice resembles
ice-cube ice in appearance. Its amorphous, dense structure helps
it cling tenaciously to any surface on which it forms. In
contrast, if the ice is milky and crystalline, like sugar, it is
termed rime. Rime ice is less dense than glaze ice and clings
less tenaciously, therefore damage due to rime is generally minor
compared to glaze ice.
Rime
ice and glaze ice are also the two types of ice that can form on
the surfaces of an aircraft, if it flies through a cloud made of
supercooled water liquid droplets.
Rime
ice is also formed inside of freezers, and on humid days, objects
taken out of freezers will form hoar frost on their surfaces.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Rime (frost)".
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