'Based on our data, it's possible the viscosity of the molasses increased by a factor of four or more due to that drop in temperature. 'Temperatures dipped just below freezing the night following the accident,' Sharp told Live Science. The scientists found that temperature could greatly influence molasses's viscosity, or the degree to which it resists flowing. Once the tank collapsed, the molasses started flowing quickly over the waterfront.

Boston winter temperatures would have cooled the molasses down, but it would still likely have been a few degrees warmer than the surrounding air, Sharp said. The molasses, however, had arrived from the Caribbean to top off the tank only two days before the flood, and was likely a balmy 50 to 68 degrees F (10 to 20 degrees C) when it was first delivered. The researchers found that at the time of the collapse, the air temperature would have been around 41 degrees Fahrenheit (5 degrees Celsius). 'The goal is to take our knowledge and understanding of highly viscous spreading flows and apply that to the Boston Molasses Flood,' Sharp said in the statement. The scientists also investigated the properties of blackstrap molasses, focusing on how temperature affected its rate of flow. 'To gather relevant details about the flood and its aftermath, I've read hundreds of pages of historical accounts and contemporary newspaper articles, studied century-old maps of buildings in the area, and even called the National Weather Service to request historic meteorological data,' lead study author Nicole Sharp, a Denver-based aerospace engineer and fluid dynamicist, said in a statement. Scientists began investigating the science of this disaster this year, after undergraduate students produced a video about the flood in May.

Molasses flood