Satellites captured an ice-free Lake Baikal during winter.
The press service of the Baikal Search and Rescue Team of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations reported that Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world, has not yet developed a solid layer of ice due to the warm weather. It is possible that, because of the mild temperatures, the lake may not freeze over at all this winter.
2025-01-17 10:01:24https://naked-science.ru/community/1024440
However, meteorologists disagree with the Ministry of Emergency Situations. According to Natalia Dombrovskaya, the deputy head of the Irkutsk Hydrometeorological Center, similar situations have occurred in the past. For instance, during the warm winter of 2002, ice on the southern part of Baikal formed only on January 27, and in the last 25 years, later ice formation was recorded in 2007, 2008, 2014, 2015, and 2020.
The latest date for ice formation was February 3. This happened in 1958 and 1984. However, throughout the history of observations, there has never been a case where Baikal did not freeze at all.