Global Warning…

[This was first published on 5th October 2009]

Svalbard is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between mainland Norway and the North Pole. The glacier in the picture below is called the Austfonna ice cap. The striking photo was taken by Michael Nolan during his annual voyage to observe the glacier and its surrounding wildlife. This ice cap has been retreating by as much as 48 metres for the past few decades. It is far from being the most significant evidence of climate change but it does leave quite a striking image.

What do you see?
What do you see?

The image of a woman’s face crying into the ocean is quite remarkable. It is entirely natural of course and no doubt in several month’s time it will have changed. The phenomenon of seeing familiar patterns (usually faces) in naturally occurring objects is called pareidolia and is probably a side effect of our evolution as pattern-seeking mammals. We see familiar shapes in the random arrangements of clouds, trees and rocks. Other examples of this effect include the ‘face on mars’…

Who's looking at whom?
Who’s looking at whom?

Or the effect that this ivy has of appearing to be a person wrapped around the trunk of a tree…

ivy_gif

They tend to be faces though as we are ‘hard wired’ by evolution to recognise faces as a survival trait.  What do you make of these two?

paredolia 1

paredolia 2

28th October 2009

I just found this nice one…

paeidolia_1504820f

23rd December 2015

And some more…

tree_nose

shadow_hanging
The hanged man…
shark_mouth
Can you see a giant shark in the clouds?
wee_lake
A cliff face on the edge of Coniston Water

angry-mop

Can you find me any further examples to add to the collection?