World’s Most Unusual Beach Is a Glacier That Never Melts
Today the Buluus glacier is as packed with visitors as the only official beach in Yakutsk, the world’s largest city built on permafrost.
A hidden gem of Yakutia, it lies in a deep valley some 100 km (62 miles) from Yakutsk, surrounded by pristine pine forests and lush green meadows.
The glacier covers over 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) and thanks to dozens of meters of permafrost underneath it, the ice doesn’t melt – even during exceptionally hot summers.
‘This is for real, your eyes are not failing you, it’s ice,’ wrote local woman Zhanna Myasnikova as she shared pictures of herself enjoying the refreshing day at the glacier.
‘The Buluus glacier is a fantastic place to be in the middle of summer when the air heats to over 30C (86F).
‘By the end of summer the ice melts a bit, but comes winter and it gains strength again.
‘This is a thousand-year-long fight between ice and fire.’
Summers are short but can be hot, as locals are experiencing now.
Indeed, today at +32C (89.6F), Yakutsk is hotter than Yemen!
The traditionally coldest part of Siberia is also hotter than leading Spanish holiday hot spots such as Majorca and Marbella.
‘Where else would you find a place with so many contrasts? The feeling of breathing cold air, touching chilling cold ice and drinking amazingly tasty cold water from the glacier on such a hot day is unforgettable,’ said another local resident Aitalina.
Many around the world know Yakutia as the world’s Kingdom of Cold, and locals jokingly add that on an average winter day, it is a lot warmer to sit inside a freezer than to be outdoors.
Yet few know about scorchingly hot summers in this part of Russia when air temperatures can reach +35C (95F) during heatwaves.
On a day like today, the city beach in Yakutsk on the Lena River is also packed full.
‘I wish I could teleport to Buluus glacier on one of those hot days, to enjoy its relaxing cooling’, moaned one of the locals resting on the beach.
The heatwave is set to last for several more days, with air temperature dropping to a milder +16C (60.8F) by July 24.
Read more at Siberian Times
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jerry krause
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Hi Readers,
Key information: “A hidden gem [Buluus glacier] of Yakutia, it lies in a deep valley some 100 km (62 miles) from Yakutsk, surrounded by pristine pine forests and lush green meadows. … The glacier covers over 1,000 hectares (2,471 acres) [less than 4 square miles].” From the photo we see “surrounded by pristine pine forests”.
Hence, the solar radiation is being scattered by the snow (ice) surface and being nearly totally absorbed by the pine needles (very dark green’ and therefore heating the atmosphere beside the glacier. We are not told the orientation of the deep valley; but if the time is near midday, the shadow of the woman suggests where she is standing, that its orientation is in a north-south direction. And we are not told what the air temperature (1.5m) above its surface is. And if we look at the people in the background it appears they are fully clothed and maybe even wearing jackets, so the air temperature is probably not near the extremes being observed 62 miles away.
Have a good day, Jerry
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