I was admiring a picture that Derek Kite had taken from high on a ridge above the West Arm. It showed the sunrise over the distant Purcell Range. I wondered if I could capture a similar moment and went out early this morning to try.
The picture I obtained is characterized by colour and tranquility. However, also seen are a bit of the Main Lake, the Harrop Ferry, and (near the shore in the middle left) the disturbed water that has resulted from katabatic winds.
What are katabatic winds, Alistair?
Birthe
Birthe, katabatic winds are downslope winds. On a clear night, the mountain slopes cool. This cools the air in the lowest centimetres to metres just above it. This cooler air is denser than the air over the valley and so it drains down the mountain slope and flows out over the lake. It is often the case that early on a clear morning, the water along the shore will be slightly ruffled by katabatic winds, especially adjacent to fields or lawns that have allowed these gentle breezes to flow to the lake unimpeded. Katabatic is from the Greek katabatikos, meaning to go down. During the day, the sun-warmed slopes cause an upslope breeze, called an anabatic wind. Anabatic is from the Greek anabainein meaning to walk up.
And everyone else is biting their tongue on the “to go down”
Margo, I had to look that up. Sigh…, another bit of the language falls victim to the rubric that once an expression develops a sexual meaning, all other meanings are driven out.