high res (1.2 M) low res (82 K)
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ISS014-E-17999 (21 March 2007) --- The Niagara River and eastern end of Lake Erie are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station. This view shows Lake Erie clogged with ice that is pushed against the shore line by the prevailing weather systems from the west. The ice collects in Lake Erie and is prevented from flowing down the Niagara River (the international boundary between Ontario, Canada and New York State) by the Lake Erie-Niagara River Ice Boom. The 2,680-meter (8,800-foot) boom, administered by the 1909 Boundary Water Treaty's International Niagara Board of Control, is deployed each December. Operational since 1964, the boom serves several functions: it protects the water intakes for the Niagara River power plants, and minimizes ice runs and ice blockages that can create damage and flooding along the river. At the height of winter, the thickness of the ice at the Buffalo harbor can reach 3.5 meters (12 feet). The removal of the ice boom, usually in early April, is now marked by local celebrations. EDITOR'S NOTE: (29 April 2007) The Expedition 15 crewmembers exposed a frame of this same area in image number ISS015-E-05624.
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