BREAKING ANCHOR (ICE)
Pitkin County is part of a large coalition of local and statewide entities, working to reduce the formation of anchor ice on the lower Fryingpan River.
#BreakAnchorIce |
Pitkin County is part of a large coalition of local and statewide entities, working to reduce the formation of anchor ice on the lower Fryingpan River.
#BreakAnchorIce |
What is anchor ice?Anchor ice is submerged ice attached or anchored to the bottom of a stream or other body of water. It forms in a variety of ways. Locally, the common denominators are low stream flow and extremely low air temperatures. When air temps drop water temps to 31.3 degrees F, anchor ice begins to form on the rocks at the bottom. This occurs much more rapidly when streamflows are low, because there is less water, meaning it is easier for the air to cool the water. This is particularly true at riffles where the streambed is very close to the surface.
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Why is it a problem?Anchor ice damages, and reduces the availability of streambed habitat critical to the life cycle of macroinvertebrates. What is bad for macroinvertebrates is bad for fish, and so on down the food chain. In terms of ecological consequences, it can take years for the streambed to recover from major anchor ice events.
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530 E. Main Street Suite 301 Aspen, CO 81611 |