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Thermal contrast, steaming water and cormorants. This is the image that can be seen in the Ter River, as it passes through Manlleu, in Osona, in the morning, as seen in these images in The Readers' Photos of La Vanguardia.
The Ter river rises in Ulldeter at 2,480 meters of altitude, at the foot of a glacial cirque in the Pyrenean region of Ripollès, very close to the town of Setcases.
The steaming water is known as arctic smoke. It is produced by the difference in temperature of the water and the air mass, as in this case in Manlleu.
It occurs when rivers, lakes, reservoirs or even the sea are at a much milder temperature than the air at certain times of the day, especially at dawn.
Smoke is produced in this contact zone between the different temperatures of water and air, giving rise to this spectacular, ghostly phenomenon.
Among this smoke we can see the cormorants in the Ter river. This bird, when it comes out of the water, spreads its wings to dry itself, since unlike most aquatic birds its wings are not completely waterproof.
And the cormorant captures fish by propelling itself with its legs and diving for more than a minute in the water, being able to reach a depth of 10 meters.
