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#bioPGH Blog: Snow
A resource of Biophilia: Pittsburgh, #bioPGH is a weekly blog and social media series that aims to encourage both children and adults to reconnect with nature and enjoy what each of our distinctive seasons has to offer. From the best times to plant seasonal flora and enjoy their peak blooms, to astronomical events and creatures to keep an eye and ear out for, Phipps will keep you in the know with what’s going on in our environment!
Winter weather has finally arrived in Pittsburgh and with it, snow! At least a little bit of snow, as the past few exceptionally sunny days have turned the winter wonderland we briefly experienced earlier this week into a landscape slightly dappled in it. Although there may not be a lot of it around, the small white patches of crystalized water vapor are still quick to draw your attention. But, have you ever wondered what causes even the smallest patches of snow to appear white when snowflakes are made of clear, frozen water vapor? To understand why snow appears white, we first need to take a look at the rainbow, or visible light spectrum. A colored object such as a red rose or apple appears red because it absorbs every color except red, which is reflected back at us from the flower or fruit. Snowflakes are clear, or translucent, and snow is filled with air pockets, which allows every color in the visible light spectrum to reflect off of the snow and into our eyes. When every color is combined and reflected off of an object equally that is known as white light and is what causes objects such as snow to appear white!
Connecting to the Outdoors Tip: While this white, fluffy stuff can sometimes add a couple of extra minutes to the daily commute, it also creates a whole new, beautiful environment to enjoy. In addition to heading outdoors to partake in some traditional seasonal activities such as ice skating, sled riding and snowball fights, consider getting artsy! If you’re ambitious, have a good camera and love macro-photography, consider trying your hand at photographing individual snowflakes. If you’d like to marvel at the beauty of snowflakes and avoid the cold winds of winter, consider helping little ones create their own paper snowflake mobile so you can enjoy the beauty of snowflakes inside as well as out!
Continue the Conversation: Share your nature discoveries with our community by posting to Twitter and Instagram with hashtag #bioPGH, and R.S.V.P. to attend our next Biophilia: Pittsburgh meeting.
Additional Resources:
Why Is Snow White? - How Stuff Works
What Is Color? - Physics Girl
How to Take a Picture of a Single, Ultra-Magnified Snow Flake - The Atlantic
Pretty Paper Snowflake Mobile from Template - Wonderful DIY
Photos © Laura Schoch, Paul g. Wiegman
