Vanishing Antarctic Snowflakes May Alter Sea Level Rise – Scientific American
Article Synopsis – Scientists have just documented an unexpected process occurring in the air over the Antarctic ice sheet: The wind is causing snowflakes to vaporize — literally — before they hit the ground. The cause, they believe, is a particular type of wind pattern known as katabatic winds — cold, dry air currents that flow down from high elevations toward the coast. These dry winds can cause snowflakes to turn from a solid state to a gas — a process known as sublimation — while they’re still drifting through the air. This means less snow accumulates on the ground and less mass is added to the ice sheet over time. To read the actual article click here.