Which risk increased during Viking longship voyages when saturated hemp ropes experienced freezing temperatures?

💡 Explanation

Icing increased sail handling difficulty because rope's cross-sectional area expanded with ice formation, stiffening the lines and making them harder to manipulate through blocks (static friction); therefore, sail handling challenges, rather than plank corrosion (minor concern) or navigation errors (ice relevant).

• Which outcome arises when ice accumulates excessively on a medieval timber bridge?
• Which risk increases when irrigation canal soil experiences repeated saturation/desiccation cycles in the Indus Valley?
• Which outcome occurs when diurnal temperature swings vary widely in historic Mughal garden water systems?
• Which long-term ecosystem change occurs when terraces of pre-Columbian Andean agriculture experience soil erosion in raised fields?
• Which constraint increased the difficulty of accurate ballista aiming in ancient siege warfare?
• Which inaccuracy increased for ships using early chronometers if improperly shielded from temperature fluctuations?