04-08-2006 - Earth

sagar: Author=’Abby Frank’ program=’4843′ video=”A team of Polar Huskies treks through the Alaskan Arctic to collect snow samples._DB:_ This is “Earth & Sky”:/http://208.96.63.114/. In preparing for a warmer world, some scientists are studying snow.

_James Foster:_ It’s very important in terms of hydrology. In western locations, perhaps 75% of the stream flow is derived from melting snow.

_JB:_ That was James Foster of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He helped find the funding for a project going on now to study snow in Alaska. A group of seven – scientists and teachers – accompanied by two dog teams – are collecting snow from five sites in the Alaskan Arctic. They call their expedition “Go North!”:http://polarhusky.com/home.asp

_DB:_ The collected snow samples will be preserved in nitrogen and sent to Maryland, where they’ll be peered at under microscopes. Scientists want to see what size and shape snow crystals are in different parts of the Arctic. They’ll compare these measurements to assumptions made by the Aqua satellite in its measurements of the thickness of Arctic snow packs. The results will confirm the accuracy of the satellite estimates and help scientists predict where melting snow will go.

_James Foster:_ So if we can get a better handle on how much water is stored in the snow pack, especially in mountainous water sheds, we’ll be more confident in being able to forecast how much snow will melt and will be delivered for industrial purposes and commercial use, recreation, that sort of thing.

_JB:_ For more, come to earthsky.org. Our thanks today to “NASA”:http://www.nasa.gov. I’m Joel Block with Deborah Byrd for “Earth & Sky”:/http://208.96.63.114/.

Written by EarthSky