Srinagar, Jan 25 (KNS): Due to dip in temperature and presence of air pollutants, the quality of snowflakes witnessed this year has been a bit changed, resulting in less content of water in the snow, experts said on Wednesday.
They said the change in properties in snowflakes depends on various factors and informed that due to presence of pollutants in the air caused by the Gulf War in late ‘80s, Kashmir had witnessed “black snow.” “Snow is an accumulation of packed ice crystals, and the condition of a snowpack determines a variety of qualities, such as color, temperature, and water equivalent. As weather conditions change, the snowpack can change as well, and this affects the characteristics of the snow,” a Professor of Geography in Kashmir University told KNS.
He said the long dry spell is one of the reasons for “changing quality of snowflakes” in Kashmir this season.
“Due to long dry spell, the large quantity of dust particles was present in the air.Click Here To Follow Our WhatsApp ChannelThese dust particles absorb the water when they come into contact with the snowflakes in air. It is one of the reasons that content of water was less in the recently witnessed snowfall,” he said.
Elaborating, he said, the presence of air pollutants and dust particles in atmosphere change the properties of snowflakes.
“In late 1980s, Kashmir and Drass and some other regions witnessed black snow-fall. It was because the dust particles and other air pollutants, due to Gulf War, had arrived in Kashmir. During the snowfall, they came into contact with snowflakes and changed its colour,” he said.
He said that such changes could also impact human health at times.
“Dip in temperature also is one of the factors that leads to change in the quality of snow. Temperature and humidity influence snowflake formation. The most intricate snowflake patterns are typically formed during warm and wet conditions,” he said. (KNS)