Mountains in Utah glow pink from watermelon snow. What is it?

In spite of the fact that summer has officially begun in the United States this week, Tony Grove Lake in Cache County’s rocks is still clinging to an odd sort of buildup. People have started noticing unusual snow in the Utah mountains, including pink and red hues. The abnormal shades were captured in pictures and shared on social media. Even though the colourful snow may be attractive, it could be a more ominous sign that our world is warming up. However, what’s behind this natural phenomenon that experts have nicknamed “watermelon snow?” Does it have any human health concerns, and what is its potential environmental impact?

Known as a natural phenomenon, watermelon snow has turned Utah’s mountain peaks into shades of pink. 🏔️ pic.twitter.com/dCqFkAzO7k

— 1440 (@1440_Daily) June 23, 2023

Let’s take a closer look. Also read: Winter Meltdown: Why ski resorts in Europe are shutting their doors What is watermelon snow? Although it may appear that the colour of the snow is altering, Scott Hotaling, an assistant professor in the Department of watershed sciences at Utah State University, explains that the vibrant tint is caused by green algae bloom that thrives in cold, snowy situations. Chlamydomonas nivalis is the name of the species of algae that is colouring the snow in Utah. Although red is the most often colour seen in the phenomena, according to Hotaling, different forms of algae that live on snow and ice can change the typically white frozen precipitation into a variety of colours, including purple, green, and orange. “(The algae is) normally in this kind of dormant cyst form, and when there’s enough meltwater in the snowpack and enough nutrients, like during spring, that cyst form is triggered out of dormancy,” Hotaling told CNN.

'Watermelon snow' phenomenon turns Utah's mountains pink and red pic.twitter.com/8yWiMzlVnI

— Kayla Bolderstone (@aayxjziwiuf) June 26, 2023

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“It has this little flagella that can swim through the snowpack to the surface, (where it) experiences a lot of solar radiation and it blooms,” he continued, adding that the bloom is a sign of the algae’s reproductive stage, during which there’s a secondary pigment that’s created which darkens the algae’s cells. The cells of the algae are shielded from sun radiation by this pigment, which serves as an ultraviolet ray blocker. He said that as the algae cells melt in the light, snow-covered water around them melts, freeing up water in the frozen environment. According to the website SnowBrains, snow is less reflective than pure white snow due to the pink pigment that the algae emit, which causes it to absorb more heat from the sun and melt more quickly. More snowmelt results in more water for the algae to flourish. The cycle keeps going; more algae produce more pigment, which accelerates snowmelt and produces more algae. Also read: Watch: Boiling water turns to snow mid-air amid biting cold in Montana Where is it commonly seen? In the Western United States, pink-hued snow has frequently been spotted by observers and researchers. In the summer of 2022, researchers searched for pink snow in Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Washington, and Oregon. It also emerges in Alaska, according to Wired. In recent years, droughts in Western US states including California, Utah, and Nevada resulted in little snowfall in those regions, according to CNN Senior Meteorologist Brandon Miller. The snow depth was quite deep, and there was plenty of snow to last well into the summer, according to Miller. “This year, they’ve seen a tremendous amount of record snow in some locations,” he said. In this region of the world, we had a busy snow year, so for some people, it’s perhaps the first time in years they’ve been able to observe this occurrence, he said. Are there any human health concerns? No. According to Hotaling, the water quality and the health of everyone who comes into contact with the watermelon snow are both unaffected.

Snow/cryosphere Twitter: we (me, @DrLimnology, @trinity_lh) are starting a US-based snow algae project and need to find a spectroradiometer to use until ours arrive (supply chain issues).

Anyone want to collaborate/help us? If yes, get in touch. Also please share widely! pic.twitter.com/nmVWTX5Exs

— Scott Hotaling (@MtnScience) April 21, 2022

How does it impact our environment? SnowBrains cited a research investigation into the effects of the “more algae, more heat, more snowmelt” cycle on polar glaciers as concluding that the pigment-producing algae could hasten to melt by up to 13 per cent. “We estimated that the overall decrease in snow albedo by red-pigmented snow algal blooms over the course of one melt season can be 13%. This will invariably result in higher melt rates," Nature Communications Journal said in its study. “There’s a lot of evidence now that shows that these algal blooms contribute rather significantly to overall melt of snowpack around the West,” Scott Hotaling told KUER. The delicate balance of natural water sources and stream temperatures may be upset if the snow melts faster and at higher rates, which would exacerbate the drought in the West of the United States. With inputs from agencies  Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.