Colored Snow an Indication of Trouble?

Now I know this is a perfectly natural phenomenon...but up until a few weeks ago, I wasn't even aware that this was possible...

Storm drops dark brown snow in Colo.

South Korea gets rare yellow snowfall

Creamy Pink Snow Covers Russian Region

What bugs me is why are there so many of these stories now in the span of just a few short weeks?

That is weird, I though that the color on some snow in some areas is due to the pollution in the air.

Dark snow sometimes is attributed to smog, but yellow and pink? now that is something to see.

Interesting.

All of them are said to be blamed on dust storms in the various regions (China, Mongolia and Arizona). I wonder if it's usual for dust storms during this time of year in these areas, or is this an unuaully dry year resulting in the dust storms, resulting in increased stories of coloured snow.

Curious.

lol.. the yellow snow is where someone peed on it... don't eat it!

I'm sure y'all know what the first thought was in my mind, when I heard about the rare yellow snow.



What about watermelon snow? Has anyone ever seen this stuff? I've heard about it, but I've never actually seen it up close. Supposedly it's just got some red algae in it, but it smells like watermelons, and it's pink/red in color.

I'm not sure it's a sign that necessarily points to problems in the environment. Usually it's just a sign of something being carried along with the snow, some form of bacteria or soot or algae or whatever. I'm sure it can be bad, depending on what, exactly, is in the snow.

I'd love to see pink snow, the idea that colored snow can fall is kind of gross.

Somewhere over South Korea, Frank Zappa is standing, with his angel's robes open, laughing.

Originally posted by phiniks
lol.. the yellow snow is where someone peed on it... don't eat it!

You know I thought about that one too.

But how about the pink one? that I will not dare to answer.

Remember folks, this is how it fell from the sky.... not how it was found!

In the yellow snow example, someone would need really good aim, and one hell of a good set of plumbing....

WyrdeOne:

Here is a pic of the snow you mention.


Source.


[edit on 13-3-2006 by loam]

Someone posted earlier this week about red rain in India - and pushed an alien slant...

Alien cells found in rain?

It seems related so I checked back - and Nygdan already had done the work.

Thanks Nygdan.


Here is another arxiv article on the red rains:
arxiv.org...
Here is an article on colored snow and rain events in the somewhat distant past:
abob.libs.uga.edu...
Here is an abstract that was able to conclude that it was at least partly from dust.
abstract

Oh for the love of GOD Do not...I repeat DO NOT EAT THE YELLOW SNOW!


Damn...too late!

I just lost my lunch.

Guys, while I can appreciate the humor about the yellow snow, please, let's b e serious and stay on topic.

Ok?

Thanks.

Originally posted by parrhesia
Guys, while I can appreciate the humor about the yellow snow, please, let's b e serious and stay on topic.

Ok?

Thanks.

I am so sorry. I just couldn't help it. I will now move to the front of the class and write on the blackboard 100 times.

" NO MORE YELLOW SNOW JOKES..."
" NO MORE YELLOW SNOW JOKES..."
" NO MORE YELLOW SNOW JOKES..."
" NO MORE YELLOW SNOW JOKES..."
" NO MORE YELLOW...................

- One Man Short

So what does this mean?

Is our atmosphere totally polluted and full of particles?

What kinds of things grow on dust in air? Are we talkin' disease-causing microbes here?

Will this dust 'blanket' first insulate the planet and then cause cooling?

Anyone?

The OP's links provide 2 examples of discolored snow in Russia - the pink and a prior episode of yellow, oily, odoriferous snow. That second example might compare to the Korean yellow snow. Also, I am not certain, but the Maritime Provinces of Russia (pink snow) can be the eastern seaboard, but then the article uses Far East to describe Sakhalin Island (yellow snow).

Addressing yellow snow in Korea and Sakhalin Island: Does anyone think this may have something to do with the chemical spills in China between Nov2005 and Jan2006 (see link below)? The benzene spill flowed downriver to Khaborovosk - very close to Korea and Sakhalin Island.

Although benzene is colorless, some of its related chemicals are white, yellow, gray, gray-reddish.

I do not know that much about weather systems except that typhoons that originate in the western Pacific tend to slam up Taiwan, mainland China, Japan, Korea, Sakhalin. China is so wet with rivers, do the prevailing winds carry from China northeast to Korea and Russia, dumping "heavy" (chemical laden) snow?

Red snow is not uncommon. An algae that lives in snow will have blooms.