Aug 5 2021 - Ice Worms Now!

 

There is a lot of interesting science stuff.  There seems to be new things every day.   Our heading today is about ice worms.  They are new for me:  they have been emerging from the glaciers in the Pacific Northwest.  They are inky black and only an inch long.  They eat algae and bacteria in the snow.  They like 0 degrees Celsius temperatures, but not lower than that or too high.  A sort of Goldilocks temperature. Why did they make the headlines that they emerged from the glaciers?  It is what happens this time of year, so not something unusual.  Two research scientists are studying them on a grant from NASA.That is unusual. They are a curiosity, so hit the news with a boost from the scientists to give some facts and explanations. This is yearly summer occurrence. An estimated 5 billion ice worms can live in a single glacier, and they wriggle to the surface of the glacier late in the day.   Does the (early) bird get the worm?  Yes - these glaciers have gray-crowned rosy finches, American pipits, common ravens, horned larks, semipalmated plovers and snow buntings.   Here is a great worm pun: Look, I know she ate a worm but we are not here to debate de bait Deb ate. We have two images today - the first a little fun with a peeling Niagara sign, and the second a montage of Toronto's skyline with a cement wall. This cement wall was in Oshawa quite a few years ago, and I found it stark and compelling.

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On Grenadier Pond

Looking south at Grenadier Pond, High Park, Toronto, Ontario Canada, this high rise is quite an urban mountain.  This makes me think of the 'City in a Park' slogan on the city park signs.  Look down at the water and there are mallard ducks, swans and a migrating heron.  Look up at the sky and there are condo high rises.

Do you have a favourite view that fits Toronto's slogan 'City in a Park'?  Let me know about it.