Where does snow come from? This may seem like a simple question to ponder as half the planet emerges from a season of watching whimsical flakes fall from the sky—and shoveling them from driveways. But a new study on how water becomes ice in slightly supercooled Arctic clouds may make you rethink the simplicity of the fluffy stuff. The study, published by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, includes new direct evidence that shattering drizzle droplets drive explosive “ice multiplication” events. The findings have implications for weather forecasts, climate modeling, water supplies—and even energy and transportation infrastructure.
Click here for original story, Explosive origins of ‘secondary’ ice—and snow
Source: Phys.org