I mean, 33 degrees Fahrenheit is freezing right? So if a river is 20 degrees, it should be frozen. BUT, you can't freeze moving things, right? This hurts me! ;-)
2007-01-16 08:05:57 · 4 answers · asked by yumyum 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
BTW, 20 degrees is just a random number that I came up with. I'm talking any number below freezing.
2007-01-16 08:06:40 · update #1
Hmmmmmm...
2007-01-16 08:13:57 · update #2
Science is hard!! ;-)
2007-01-16 08:25:17 · update #3
*twirls hair around index finger*
2007-01-16 08:25:53 · update #4
Yes, moving water can be below freezing (32F, not 33F). Eventually though, ice "chunks" will begin to form. If the river moves quickly enough (for example, the Niagra River near the Falls), it will be difficult to freeze over completely.
The bigger issue is the salinity of the water. Impure water has a lower freezing point than pure water. That's why trucks spread salt on the roads in the winter -- salt water freezes at temperatures below 32F. So as a river approaches a body of salt water, it will take water temperatures quite a bit colder in order to freeze.
2007-01-16 13:03:52 · answer #1 · answered by nittany_jim 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Water freezes at 32F. A river would be frozen over/frozen solid at 20F. If frozen solid, it wouldn't be moving anymore. If frozen over, the ice closest the surface would be 20F, while the ice closest the water beneath would be 32F.
2007-01-16 16:12:49 · answer #2 · answered by steve_geo1 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sure. Running water can be colder than freezing. Given enough time, though, even running water will freeze.
2007-01-16 16:15:29 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is called a "glacier". Ice flows downhill too.
2007-01-16 16:16:18 · answer #4 · answered by Randy G 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋