{"id":2945,"date":"2024-12-19T21:51:39","date_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:51:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horizon.peachpuff-wolverine-566518.hostingersite.com\/?p=2945"},"modified":"2024-12-19T21:53:01","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T21:53:01","slug":"frosty-business-digging-deep-to-uncover-snows-hidden-secrets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceblog.com\/horizon\/2945\/frosty-business-digging-deep-to-uncover-snows-hidden-secrets\/","title":{"rendered":"Frosty business \u2013 digging deep to uncover snow\u2019s hidden secrets"},"content":{"rendered":"

EU-funded researchers are braving extreme Arctic conditions to shed light on snow\u2019s crucial role in Earth\u2019s climate system.<\/p>\n

By<\/em> Michaela Nesvarova<\/p>\n

An average temperature of -30\u00b0C and up to 24 hours of darkness a day. Those were the working conditions for a team of EU-funded scientists who spent nine months researching snow in the Arctic.<\/p>\n

\u201cVery white, vast and cold,\u201d is how snow expert Dr Marie Dumont describes the field campaign in Cambridge Bay, also known as Iqaluktuuttiaq, a hamlet in Canada\u2019s far north inhabited mostly by the indigenous Inuit population.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe coldest temperature we experienced was -50\u00b0C. It\u2019s certainly a special kind of life,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The field research is part of a six-year project named IVORI, which was funded by the EU and runs until 2027, to improve our understanding of snow, glaciers, ice sheets and permafrost.<\/p>\n

Mysteries of snow<\/strong><\/p>\n

Why snow, one might ask? Because there is much more to it than meets the eye. It is, in fact, a pillar of our climate system.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are three main properties of snow that impact the Earth\u2019s climate system,\u201d explains Dumont, IVORI coordinator and director of the Snow Research Centre at M\u00e9t\u00e9o-France, the official French meteorological administration.<\/p>\n

Firstly, it is white. Snow reflects solar radiation back to the atmosphere and therefore limits the warming of the Earth.<\/p>\n

Secondly, snow consists of ice and air, which gives it great insulating properties. A covering of snow insulates the ground and protects everything in the soil from increasing temperatures.<\/p>\n

And lastly, melting snow influences the water cycle in nature.<\/p>\n

However, despite its considerable impact, snow still holds many unanswered questions.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone feels that they understand snow, but we actually know very little about it,\u201d says Pascal Hagenmuller, a researcher specialising in snow mechanics and avalanche studies at the Snow Research Centre, part of France\u2019s National Centre for Meteorological Research.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven simple observations such as why snow sometimes makes sounds when you compress it \u2013 and sometimes not \u2013 are unclear. Snow is still a mystery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arctic snow<\/strong><\/p>\n

To the untrained eye, all snow looks the same, but the IVORI researchers know that Arctic snow is very different from the type we encounter in Europe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know a bit about how to model snow in the Alpine regions, but we don\u2019t know much about the snow in the Arctic Circle, even though this snowpack is much more important for the global climate,\u201d said Dumont.<\/p>\n

This is why the IVORI team is working to understand the different types of snow and develop a universal numerical model that can represent snow evolution worldwide, with all its physical variables.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe aim to change the way we describe and model snow,\u201d says Hagenmuller, who is an expert on the description of snow\u2019s microstructure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe snow microstructure is the 3D arrangement of ice and air,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt determines the properties of the snow, such as whether it is mechanically stable or not, whether it will insulate the ground well or not, and how much water it will produce once it melts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Monitoring the evolution of the snow\u2019s microstructure was the main objective behind the IVORI team\u2019s two field campaigns.<\/p>\n

While the first one was conducted in the French Alps, the second took the research team to the Canadian High Arctic Research Station. There, they worked stints of two months, collecting and analysing snow samples on a daily basis with a tomograph, a special X-ray scanner similar to medical scanners.<\/p>\n

Global warming, local impact<\/strong><\/p>\n

Through this experience, the scientists learned first-hand how indigenous communities are being impacted by the warming climate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the Arctic, people live in and with snow in a completely different way than we do in Europe. It is a very big part of their lives, and it is changing very quickly,\u201d says Dumont.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Europe, we see and feel the effects of climate change, but the North Pole feels it much more.\u201d<\/p>\n

She explained that Arctic communities face very rapid changes, requiring them to adapt their way of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor instance, the locals would normally use sea ice to travel from one village to the next in the winter because it is much faster, but the sea ice is melting and it is not safe anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

As a result, she said, local communities are faced with growing risks ahead. \u201cPeople were afraid that their house would not be there anymore in a few days,\u201d recalls Dumont. This is because the permafrost \u2013 the permanently frozen ground \u2013 is melting. The soil is becoming unstable, which can cause houses to collapse.<\/p>\n

\u201cRemembering this constantly reminds me of what I do and why,\u201d says Dumont.<\/p>\n

Climate forecast<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although the IVORI research is focused on snow, it can also be applied to broader climate models and forecasting.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that snow is a major component of the climate system. If we fail to predict the impact of snow, we fail to predict the climate,\u201d stresses Hagenmuller.<\/p>\n

Dumont explains that the model IVORI scientists are developing can lead to improved hydrological forecasts, create better predictions for permafrost and possible landslides, and even predict avalanches.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can help with climate mitigation and help us adapt to what is going on with more accurate projections.\u201d<\/p>\n

This way, Dumont hopes, the magic of snow will not be lost.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlready as a child, I was fascinated by snow. To me, it makes everything look great and perfect. It\u2019s the wild rough nature and I hope we can preserve its beauty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Research in this article was funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The views of the interviewees don\u2019t necessarily reflect those of the European Commission. <\/em><\/p>\n

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