Pink snow: pretty, but a troubling sign of a melting Arctic (RuH RoHhhh!! Alert!!)

Yahoo News ^ | 6/24/16 | Susanna Heller

[NormsRevenge]

Pink snow may be aesthetically pleasing, but scientists have found that it is indicative of the rapid pace of global warming.

This snow, which thrives in high-latitude and high-altitude regions, is found in areas comparable to the Arctic, where Chlamydomonas nivalis algae, which is normally green, has a chemical reaction to the UV rays from the sun and takes on a reddish-pink hue.

Scientists have been aware of rose-tinted snow since 1818, but they initially misunderstood its origins, believing it came about as a result of iron deposits left behind by a meteor. However, subsequent findings from the same year suggested that a kind of algae, not extraterrestrial iron, is to blame for the nontraditional hues. More contemporary findings have corroborated this notion.

This pink snow, sometimes referred to as blood or watermelon snow in the Arctic regions, is harmful despite its quirky facade. The algae expedites the melting of the Arctic, which is already happening at a faster rate than expected, due, in part, to global warming, a new study shows.

[fision]

What does RuH RoHhhh mean?

[Mad Dawgg]

"What does RuH RoHhhh mean?"

Astro used to say Ruh Ro Relroy when "Bad Things" happened.

[NormsRevenge]

Scooby doo ring any bells ?

[Excuse_My_Bellicosity]

It usually happens at higher altitudes when the temps get up into the 40s but there’s still snow on the ground. I saw it a lot on sunlit ridges when I was skiing at 9,000 to 10,000 feet altitude in mid-April.