The effect of creating a 15m tape disc rotates on the surface of the Russian river

The perfect big circular tape rotates evenly on the Russian river formed by the whirlpool generated by temperature changes.

An ice circle seems to be perfectly symmetrical forming on the river near the Omsk Oblast region in central Russia, north of Kazakhstan. The ice circle became a concern for researchers because at first glance, it didn't seem to be moving, but it was actually spinning at a steady speed, according to National Geographic.

Circle tape on the face of the Russian river.(Video: National Geographic).

In the video returned by an unidentified witness in 2016, the tape circle has an estimated diameter of more than 15m. Although the ice circle in Russia rarely has such a large size, this phenomenon is not uncommon. Records were recorded in North Dakota, Washington, and Michigan in the United States.

The first hypotheses about why ice-platters formed focus on abrasion. The tape was observed in 1987 and 1994 on the flow of river water. An article published in 1997 on the Royal Society of Meteorology website hypothesizes the river flow to create a whirlpool effect. According to the researchers, when the tape rotates, the edge of the ice is eroded into a round shape. However, the mechanism of creating whirlpools has not been clarified.

Test the effect of creating ice circles.(Video: YouTube).

In the study of tape discs published in March last year in the journal Physical Review E, scientists at Liege University, Belgium, discovered that the river is not flowing, but rather the temperature changes that promote circular motion. . When warming, water becomes less dense. A vortex forms when water is cooled in a place adjacent to the ice surface. The research team came to this conclusion after simulating how the temperature changes the water density in the laboratory.

They began freezing tap water in shallow plates and pouring into cool water, creating floating ice on the water. To better control the experiment, the researchers conducted a second test by attaching a nickel bead to the center of the cassette and sticking the magnet to the bottom of the tank. This helps to fix the tape disk more effectively.

The ice circle seems to be perfectly symmetrical on the river surface.

When the water tank warms up, the tape begins to spin faster. Warm temperatures create a vertical whirlpool, which promotes the circular motion of the tape. The research team concluded that river water flow is an essential element to stimulate spinning whirlpools. Therefore, the tape disc effect certainly does not appear in surrounding land lakes or melting icebergs.