By Mike Busch
Although most of Bellport Bay is ice-free, huge ice piles are forming along the western shore front as tide and wind push the ice ashore. Ice Stacking, also referred to as an Ice Heave or Ice Shove, is a phenomenon most common around the Great Lakes but does happen on the Great South Bay when conditions are ideal. This is near the transition area where the ice meets open water, check out the video and images taken over this spot earlier in the week.
I found a couple videos that provides a great example of what is occurring now here:
Yesterday I took a very short flight over the ice stacks (winds were almost too strong to fly) and shot some video and aerial images along with some from the ground. The stacks are over 10 feet high in places and you can hear the ice moving.
I went back again after sunset and shot some twilight images of the moon over the ice stacks. Incredibly the entire pile had moved at least 15 feet closer to shore in the span of about two hours. You can also see mud and bay bottom debris mixed in as the ice scours the shoreline.
Drone and twillight images on pages 3 and 4.
More images on pages 2,3, and 4
