This phenomenon is especially common during the summer months in the Sierra Nevada of California where snow has lingered from winter storms, mainly at altitudes of 10,000 to 12,000 feet. Compressing the snow with your boot leaves a distinct footprint the color of watermelon pulp. The snow even has a fresh watermelon scent and is sometimes called "watermelon snow." Walking in pink snow often results in a temporary discoloration of your clothing, such as bright red soles and pinkish pant cuffs. It was not until the end of the nineteenth century that the unusual phenomenon was finally attributed to high concentrations or "blooms" of microscopic algae. In the high mountain ranges of the western United States at least 60 different species of snow algae have been identified, but only a few kinds have been reported from the Sierra Nevada. One of the most common species of snow algae in California, and the one responsible for pink snow, is Chlamydomonas nivalis. This unicellular organism is a member of the diverse green algae Division Chlorophyta (Order Volvocales), and contains a bright red carotenoid pigment in addition to chlorophyll. Unlike most species of fresh-water algae, it is cryophilic (cold-loving) and thrives in freezing water. Its scientific surname, nivalis, is from Latin and refers to snow. Compressing pink snow with your boot increases the density of the red cells and heightens the color.
The first accounts of watermelon snow are in the writings of Aristotle. Watermelon snow has puzzled mountain climbers, explorers, and naturalists for thousands of years, some speculating that it was caused by mineral deposits or oxidation products that were leached from rocks.
If you ever get a chance to hike in the Sierra Nevada, keep in mind that yellow snow doesn’t have a lemon aroma or taste. Don’t eat it :)
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Blog Archive
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2010
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May
- LittleDog Robot
- Implode podcast 02 . Art by Skinner
- Interesting Cameras Of Old
- 3 Chance Encounters
- R.I.P. Dennis Hopper
- Shanghai Graffiti
- Oktoberfest Drummer WTF!
- If Star Wars Was Real
- 30 People Who Really Shouldn't Own Guns
- Funny Men's Calendars
- Found Functions
- Cats Love Bras
- Nigerian Kids Let Me Clear My Throat
- Deep Powder Bertie MK2 and WWR Euro Square
- VNA Issue 11
- R.I.P. Dr Sennheiser
- Melbourne Graffiti Part 9
- Downhill MTB Bike Race in Brazilian Slum
- Julia Gnuse, the Most Tattooed Woman in the World
- Romantic Marriage Proposals
- 50 Cent Loses 54 Pounds
- The Tallest Man in America
- How to Have Fun in a Wax Museum
- Karmaloop - 20% off
- This is the Most Popular Water Balloon Shot
- 25 Best Boat Names
- Bryce McGlone Mecha Lego
- Winscape Concept
- Art Events Thursday 27th May Onwards
- The Most Beautiful Place on Earth
- MotoGP Girls
- Haters Gonna Hate
- P-Tree Urinal
- Gypsy Wedding
- Wayne Barlowe
- The Famous Redwood One Log House
- 25 World of Warcraft Cosplay Girls
- Peta Demo Against Bearskin Hats in London
- Celebrity Prom Pictures
- How The Male Angler Fish Gets Completely Screwed
- Formula 1 Pit Babes
- The World’s Most Expensive Cell Phone
- Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillar
- R.I.P. Paul Gray from Slipknot
- 15 Things You Didn't Know About Steve Jobs
- Best Beer Bong Fails
- KC Ortiz Photography
- Not Guilty
- Iron Sky The Moon Nazis Are Coming
- Female Torsos Made Out of Unusual Materials
- The Items They Only Sell At Chinese Walmarts
- Melbourne Graffiti Part 8
- A Low Budget Amusement Park
- The Best Demotivational Posters - Part 5
- When a Bull Strikes Back
- ESPVisuals With NetNewsWire
- Back Talk With Jay Howell
- Laurie Lipton
- Udom Ruangpaisitporn
- Damien Canderle
- The Dreadator by Skinner
- High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine
- Death Note
- Ryan Firchau - Aliens
- Jason Eagle
- Such Hawks Such Hounds
- 50 Awesome Super Mario Cakes
- Israeli Beach Girls
- Ganvie - The Village Built on Stilts
- A GPS Cat
- Snowblower Trains
- ESPVisuals Interview With Chris Mars
- Toy Machine Decks
- Barry X Ball
- Maura Holden - Tripping?
- 55 Bad Unicorn Tattoos
- Soulfly – Omen
- Paintings Worth Millions Stolen From Paris Museum
- Meanwhile, In...
- Top 10 Celebrities Caught Staring At Laker Girls
- Very Rare Pink Katydid
- Girls of 2010 Wörthersee GTI-Fest
- Silicon Overload
- Art Events Thursday 20th May Onwards
- The Best Action Scene Ever
- Filthcast 025 featuring The Sect
- Sneakers As Sculpture
- Worst Photoshop Mistakes
- Hail Storm Oklahoma City
- Karma To Burn – Appalachian Incantation
- 65 Strange Product Names
- Jeremy Geddes
- 16-Year-Old Girl Sailing Around the World in Pink ...
- Forbidden Society
- Herbert Baglione
- 15 Spectacular Supercar Crashes They Walked Away From
- Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih
- Melbourne Graffiti Part 7
- The Vader Project
- Phace @ Subsession/GerogeFM Auckland/NZ Feb.17th 2010
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May
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