The presence of pinkish snow in the Rocky Mountains is raising a host of questions about nature, health and climate.
An algae that provides snow banks a pink hue has piqued the curiosity of drivers and hikers traversing Guardsman Pass on Wednesday, June 28, 2023, near Park City, Utah. The so-called “watermelon snow” comes from algae that swim to the surface and change colors to protect themselves from ultraviolet rays. High up in the mountains, amid pinyon pine and quaking aspen trees, the remaining remnants of the winter's snow is dotted with hues of pinks, purples and oranges.
From the roads that traverse mountain passes above Park City to the Bear River Range near the Utah-Idaho border, last winter's record snowfall is heating up, baking under the sunlight and turning hues of red. The presence of so-called “watermelon snow” — referred to unofficially due to its pinkish tint — is piquing the curiosities of photo-seeking visitors and raising a host of questions about nature, health and climate.
“They need some kind of pigmentation to prevent damage related to the high-UV of the environment they’re in. So they produce the secondary pigment largely for that purpose to protect themselves,” he said.The answer: Technically yes because it is not harmful to ingest, Hotaling said. However, it is not recommended since it is often found in melting snow banks also dotted with dirt and dust that contain toxins.
Though snow becoming water makes it available to nourish the algae, the exposure of bare ground changes how much light is reflected versus absorbed. Darker colors absorb more sunlight, turning snow banks and glaciers into liquid more quickly.
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