A collection of dinner-plate sized “ice pancakes” has been discovered on the River Dee at Lummels Pool by Birse.
The bizarre formations are normally only seen in the Antarctic or Baltic Sea but were discovered on the Dee for the first time this year by biologist Jamie Urquhart.
It is thought they formed when foam floating on the surface of the river became caught in an eddy and then froze as it span round.Post by The River Dee.Collisions between these pancakes and changing temperatures are believed to be responsible for causing the raised lines on the discs.
River Dee catchment outreach officer Joanna Dick said: “The air temperature was colder at night due to the clear-sky conditions but warmer in the day, meaning the discs may have grown at night. Then, during the day, when the discs softened in the sun further collisions between the ‘pancakes’ caused the rims to be pushed up.
“The next night further growth would have occurred, followed by a new rim the next day.”
