Lake freezing vs swamp freezing

[dfattack]

I keep seeing comments on how swamps aren't frozen yet and safe to groom yet lakes are at least 6-8" in most cases now. That's safe for vehicles. Why would swamps take so much longer to freeze up? Anyone know?

 

[goofy600]

One thing I can say is groomers are a lot heavier than most things you take across lakes or swamps. Second thing I can say right now the lakes by me have that 6-8” ice but then 8” water and then snow on the top so would think that combo over swamp land is insulating the swamps from really setting up until the smaller vehicles can break it up so it can freeze. Lastly right now no deep freeze it is barely below freezing. Not sure if that gives you the answer you were looking for.

 

[2TrakR]

Pickup weighs 3 tons. Groomer Drag can weigh more than that, power unit multiple times that, so what's reasonable for truck won't hold groomer. Swamps with cattails or other vegetation can take longer to freeze.

 

[russholio]

Just a scientific guess here, but maybe swamps give off a little heat because of all the decaying matter in them, and thus take longer to freeze?

 

[garageguy]

All the politicians that live in the swamp, keep it from freezing with all that hot air they expel.

 

[euphoric1]

well... no freezing going to be happening in the next week, talking mid 50's here today and again next Tuesday, thinking everyone is going to take a hard hit in the next week, warm temps holiday weekend traffic not going to be a good outcome, hopefully change on the horizon, not seeing it yet though...UUUUUGH!!!!

 

[pclark]

All the politicians that live in the swamp, keep it from freezing with all that hot air they expel.

Nice!, probably the same reason for global warming...........

 

[gary_in_neenah]

I've done some reading on the subject but by no means an expert. The swamps freeze slower because of the warmer temperatures below. That and the tall grasses of summer, die back and form a layer of insulation. If you're familiar with the method of Geo Thermal heating and cooling of a home, this would be similar. The soil/swamp is warmer than the air above and it takes some time to freeze through the insulation.

 

[wiscrev]

Don't know if the swamp part of the trails are o.k. around Eagle River yet, but the Sno-Eagles purchased an Argo for the very reason to run thru the swamp areas to break up the ice----makes them freeze over faster. It's been a boost in getting the those trails managed better. Compareed to some years in the past, those trails have been opened a month sooner than the usual.

 

[mspease]

We have several swamps to groom through and usually don't until early January. It's a pain in the rear to have to go around them. Swamps need to be packed down to freeze. I always tell people to spread out through the swamps and pack the whole trail down. I've been stuck in a swamp in the groomer in January before by just getting off the trail a bit. The ice was over a foot thick where it had been packed down, and no ice at all where nobody had driven.

 

[dfattack]

I've done some reading on the subject but by no means an expert. The swamps freeze slower because of the warmer temperatures below. That and the tall grasses of summer, die back and form a layer of insulation. If you're familiar with the method of Geo Thermal heating and cooling of a home, this would be similar. The soil/swamp is warmer than the air above and it takes some time to freeze through the insulation.

This makes sense.

 

[wiscrev]

Sno-Eagles bought an Arco to pack swamps----makes them usable earlier. Don't know their situation this year, but in the last couple of years, the swamp parts of the trail have been good up to a month earlier than in the past.