Located on the North Saskatchewan River, Abraham Lake is an artificial lake and Alberta"s largest reservoir. Even though it"s man-made, it takes on the blue color of other glacial lakes in the Rocky Mountains. In winter, the lake draws nature photographers interested not just in the wildlife and spectacular landscape, but also the lake"s odd appearance when it freezes over. Bacteria on the lake bottom feed on dead organic matter and release the methane bubbles you see here. When the surface water freezes, the bubbles get trapped, creating a photographer"s dream. They may be beautiful, but these frozen bubbles can be dangerous because they"re highly flammable. If you happen to be lighting a match nearby, you"ll want to watch out or the released methane could explode. The bubbles aren"t so friendly to the environment, either; methane in the atmosphere is a major part of global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute to climate change.
Frozen beauty
Today in History
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Presidents Day in America’s front yard
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Feeling lazy? Today s your day.
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Aurora borealis
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Canadian Thanksgiving
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A summertime light show
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Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, DC
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It s ∞ Day!
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Oh, the places you’ll go
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Cinco de Mayo
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A castle fit for a count
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Commemorating peace in Antarctica
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Arambol Beach, Goa, India
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Let’s have a ball
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Celebrating the International Day of Forests
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International Nurses Day
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There once was a lighthouse from...
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Red Planet Day
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Diwali lights in Guwahati, India
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Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
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Heceta Head Light, Florence, Oregon
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India Republic Day
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Salzburg, Austria
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Freeloaders of the avian world
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It s Bermuda s big day
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International Haiku Poetry Day
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The puffin-rabbit connection
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Preveli Gorge
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Happy birthday, Capitol Reef National Park
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White trilliums blooming in Ontario, Canada