Transcript MEGACRYOMETEORS - Dr. Robert MacKay

MYSTERY OF THE SKIES
Megacryometeors are large chunks
of ice that fall randomly from a
clear sky.
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Megacryometeors share many features similar to
huge hailstones.
Hail forms inside the cumulonimbus clouds of a
thunderstorm, where super-cooled water droplets
freeze around condensation nuclei such as dust
particles or ice crystals. Strong updrafts repeatedly
drive the hailstones up through the clouds, and ice
collects around them like the layers of an onion.
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The main difference is that megacryometeors
are formed under unusual atmospheric
conditions, such as clear skies.
The size of these ice meteors ranges from
1kilogram to over 400 kilograms.
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At present, there is no satisfactory explanation
as to how these unusually large ice blocks can
be formed and maintained in the atmosphere
without melting before impact.
There are several theories surrounding their
formation which range from cosmic to
terrestrial.
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This hypothesis stood until testing was
done to determine if the water molecules
in the ice meteors were the same as our
planet, which they were.
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This theory proposes that great masses of
water could be transported up in the
atmosphere by tornadoes, then frozen and
converted to ice chunks.
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Another explanation is that relegation occurs.
This is a process of the melting and re-fusing of
many hailstones on the ground so that a single
ice mass forms.
This theory does not explain ice meteors falling
on a clear sky, however.
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Some theorize that these ice stones are the
result of aircraft icing or related aircraft
equipment, such as leakage from onboard
toilets.
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A study done by Jesus Martinez-Frias, a
leading scientist in the study of this
phenomenon, found that during the period in
which megacryometeors fell to earth in Spain,
on January 17, 2000, there was a sudden drop
in the tropopause.
Along with this occurrence, there was an
increase in humidity and wind shear.
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There have been sightings of this phenomenon all
over the world.
These ice meteors have landed in Argentina,
Australia, Canada, Columbia, India, Japan,
Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden,
The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the
United States.
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Documented historical references about
megacryometeors go back to the first half of
the 19th century.
In 1953 a used car lot in Long Beach,
California was hit by a megacryometeor. The
owner just finished polishing a car when it was
hit by a chunk of ice that was the "size of a
man". During this time fifty chunks of ice were
found and some were reported to be 150
pounds.
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July 27, 2007, a clear sunny day in Dubuque,
Iowa. Several megacryometeors fell from the sky,
one weighing 50 pounds!
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October 8, 2008 Perry and Mary Ann Foster
were laying in bed, about to go to sleep in their
home in York Township, PA. A six pound
megacryometeor split into three when it hit
Foster's house, one hitting Marry Ann in the
forehead. Fortunately she survived.
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May 22, 2009. Chris Drab was mowing his
lawn in Delta, BC. He was hearing strange
whooshing sounds and he looked up to see ice
falling from the clear sky. Five large
megacryometeors hit the ground near him.
Cerveny, Randy, Charles Knight, and Nancy Knight.
"Strange Tales of HAIL." Weatherwise 58.3 (2005): 2834. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 10 Mar.
2011
“Megacryometeor Hit Dubuque, Iowa Today.”
Megacryometeors. 27 Jul. 2007. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.
Martinez-Frias, Jesus. “Megacryometeors: Distribution on
Earth and Current Research.” Royal Swedish Academy
of Sciences 35.6 (2006): 314-316. Print.
Russell, Ben. “Ice Crashes Through Home.” Hals.
Hals2.Wordpress, 10 Oct. 2008. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.
“Megacryometeors Fall in Delta, B.C.” The Ice Cubicle. 1
Jun. (2009). Meg Walker. Web. 9 Mar. 2011.