The mystery of the smoking Ter

* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
12 April 2024 Friday 22:59
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The mystery of the smoking Ter

* The author is part of the community of readers of La Vanguardia

In these images in La Vanguardia Readers' Photos we can contemplate the phenomenon of the smoking Ter, as it passes through Manlleu, in the Osona region.

For those who find this image a mystery, seeing the river course with this ghostly appearance, everything has an explanation. And it is due to the fact that the water is warmer than room temperature.

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.