“The virtue of a mountain is its stillness””
3 Eco Snow Facts:
Animals and plants depend on snow cover for protection and warmth during winter months
Snow acts as a thermal blanket for plants and animals by trapping air in its crystal structure. The insulating effect of snow helps ground soil retain warmth and moisture during winter and protects plants and organisms from freezing winds and evaporation. In the northern hemisphere, animals such as bears and groundhogs also rely on the thermal properties of snow during hibernation.
Snow reflects sunlight to help regulate global temperatures
Earth Snowcover for March 2016 - courtesy of Nasa Earth Observations
Like ice, snow relfects a large amount of solar energy and heat that is normally absorbed by the surface of the Earth. The amount of solar radiation relfected back into space compared to the amount that is absorbed is known as 'albedo'. Without winter snowcover, the surface of the earth would absorb 4-6 times the amount of solar radiation.
Snowmelt provides our rivers and lakes with water
Spring snowmelts are a vital source of drinking and agricultural water supplies in much of the northern hemisphere.
snow and climate change
The link between global snow albedo and climate is complex, but a declining trend in seasonal snow cover due to global warming has meant that the Earth's albedo is becoming weaker, with less solar radiation and heat reflected back into space. Since winter snows are also melting earlier each spring, a time when there is typically more sunlight, the loss of albedo is reducing the vital cooling effect that snow has on balancing global temperatures. The overall effect is the acceleration of global warming each year.
The decline in seasonal snow falls is also affecting the environment in other ways. Whilst less overall snow during winter means less water for reservoirs, agriculture, rivers and streams, higher seasonal temperatures can lead to rain and rapid snowmelts that cause flooding in early spring. Similarly, reduced snowcover can expose plants and animals to harsh conditions at unexpected times, or else suffocate them during extreme blizzard events that deposit too much snow in small areas.