Sea Smoke

 One of the most unusual sights I have experienced since moving to the coast of the Bay of Fundy is the extravagant show the ocean puts on in the dead of winter when it gets very cold... I mean about -20 degrees Celsius or below... and calm...

It doesn't happen all the time.... just occasionally.... but when it does, be prepared to be Awestruck.

It is the natural phenomena known as "Sea smoke".

It is usually only visible in the morning as the sun begins to warm up the air... sometimes it disappears quickly & sometimes it lasts for a few hours....

The ocean never freezes... well maybe a bit along the edges at the very coldest times of year, but that doesn't count...






This phenomena occurs when the extra cold air comes in contact with the ocean that is still at its balmy year round temperature of 0 degrees Celsius/32 degrees Fahrenheit... Individual giant "Plumes" of what look like smoke, rise in gentle wafts over the ocean. It is amazing...



.... as if from below the surface, King Neptune is blowing smoke circles high up into the atmosphere.... They can rise hundreds of feet in the air where they congregate and form a huge fluffy cloud, full of light and shadow.... A sight to behold...

A reward for us stubborn people that bear the cold and live along this rugged coast all year round.



This photograph was taken from the top of our bluff in St.Martins, New Brunswick, just outside our front door.


Answers.com describes Seasmoke as........... "A form of steam fog common in coastal seas around cold land masses such as Labrador and Norway. As very cold air from the land passes over the warmer sea, it is rapidly heated. Convection currents carry moisture upwards, which quickly recondenses to form fog."