Snowflake Gallery

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Colloquially an ice crystal, or more commonly an aggregation of many crystals that falls from a cloud.

Simple snowflakes (single crystals) exhibit beautiful variety of form, but the symmetrical shapes reproduced so often in photomicrographs are not found frequently in snowfalls. Broken single crystals, fragments, or clusters of such elements are much more typical of actual snow.

Colloquially an ice crystal, or more commonly an aggregation of many crystals that falls from a cloud.
Colloquially an ice crystal, or more commonly an aggregation of many crystals that falls from a cloud.

Snowflakes made up of clusters of crystals (many thousand or more) or crystal fragments may grow as large as three to four inches in diameter, often building themselves into hollow cones falling point downward. In extremely still air, flakes with diameters as large as 10 inches have been reported.


Contents

[edit] Snowflakes

[edit] New Snow

New Snow is recently fallen snow in which the original form of the snow crystals is recognizable. It is also considered to be the amount of snow fallen within the previous 24 hours.

New Snow is recently fallen snow in which the original form of the snow crystals is recognizable. It is also considered to be the amount of snow fallen within the previous 24 hours.
New Snow is recently fallen snow in which the original form of the snow crystals is recognizable. It is also considered to be the amount of snow fallen within the previous 24 hours.


[edit] Snow crystal with Dendrites


[edit] Firn Snowflake

Firn — Old snow that has become granular and compacted (dense) as the result of various surface metamorphoses, mainly melting and refreezing but also including sublimation. The resulting particles are generally spherical and rather uniform.

Firn — Old snow that has become granular and compacted (dense) as the result of various surface metamorphoses, mainly melting and refreezing but also including sublimation. The resulting particles are generally spherical and rather uniform.
Firn — Old snow that has become granular and compacted (dense) as the result of various surface metamorphoses, mainly melting and refreezing but also including sublimation. The resulting particles are generally spherical and rather uniform.

Depth Hoar Crystal see [1] Large-grained, faceted, cup-shaped crystals near the ground. Depth hoar forms because of large temperature gradients within the snowpack.

Deep Hoar Snow Large-grained, faceted, cup-shaped crystals near the ground. Depth hoar forms because of large temperature gradients within the snowpack.
Deep Hoar Snow Large-grained, faceted, cup-shaped crystals near the ground. Depth hoar forms because of large temperature gradients within the snowpack.

Layering and hollow interior characterizes this unusual depth hoar crystal

[edit] Faceted Crystals

Faceted Crystals Faceted snow is angular snow with poor bonding created from large temperature gradients within the snowpack

Faceted snow is angular snow with poor bonding created from large temperature gradients within the snowpack.
Faceted snow is angular snow with poor bonding created from large temperature gradients within the snowpack.

Rounding and Faceted Growth

Grain clusters from the surface layer of a melting snowpack with much free water evident

Faceted snow crystal

Snow after several days in snowpack exhibiting rounding

[edit] Columns

Snow Crystals Columns with Rime Deep Hoar Snow Large-grained, faceted, cup-shaped crystals near the ground. Depth hoar forms because of large temperature gradients within the snowpack.

Deep Hoar Snow Large-grained, faceted, cup-shaped crystals near the ground. Depth hoar forms because of large temperature gradients within the snowpack.
Deep Hoar Snow Large-grained, faceted, cup-shaped crystals near the ground. Depth hoar forms because of large temperature gradients within the snowpack.


Hollow Column

[edit] Plates

Hexagonal plate

Snow crystals plates

Rimed Hexagonal Snow Crystal

Irregular crystals which include broken crystal fragments and abnormal growth features

[edit] Needles

Snow crystals with Needles

[edit] Graupel particles

Snow crystals graupel particle

Wind-packed snow

[edit] Artificial Snow

Artificial Snow Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow.

Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow.
Snowmaking is the production of snow by forcing water and pressurized air through a "snow gun" or "snow cannon", on ski slopes. Snowmaking is mainly used at ski resorts to supplement natural snow.

[edit] Hail

Small hail that has been fractured to show internal structure

Hail is precipitation that originates in convective clouds, such as cumulonimbus, in the form of balls or irregular pieces of ice, which comes in different shapes and sizes. Hail is considered to have a diameter of 5 millimeter or more; smaller bits of ice are classified as ice pellets, snow pellets, or graupel.
Hail is precipitation that originates in convective clouds, such as cumulonimbus, in the form of balls or irregular pieces of ice, which comes in different shapes and sizes. Hail is considered to have a diameter of 5 millimeter or more; smaller bits of ice are classified as ice pellets, snow pellets, or graupel.

[edit] Ice

[edit] Ice Pellets

Ice Pellets commonly occur with other crystal forms near the freezing point Ice pellets (also referred to as sleet by the United States National Weather Service) are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets usually are smaller than hailstones. They often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain.

Ice pellets (also referred to as sleet by the United States National Weather Service) are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets usually are smaller than hailstones. They often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain.
Ice pellets (also referred to as sleet by the United States National Weather Service) are a form of precipitation consisting of small, translucent balls of ice. Ice pellets usually are smaller than hailstones. They often bounce when they hit the ground, and generally do not freeze into a solid mass unless mixed with freezing rain.


[edit] Ice Particle

Ice particles (tens to hundreds of microns in linear dimension) play important roles in the atmosphere, modifying radiative and water fluxes and creating large electric fields in thunderstorms.

Ice particles (tens to hundreds of microns in linear dimension) play important roles in the atmosphere, modifying radiative and water fluxes and creating large electric fields in thunderstorms.
Ice particles (tens to hundreds of microns in linear dimension) play important roles in the atmosphere, modifying radiative and water fluxes and creating large electric fields in thunderstorms.


[edit] Glacier ice

Glacier ice is a compacted and intergrown mass of crystalline ice with a density of 830-910 kg·m-3

Glacier ice is a compacted and intergrown mass of crystalline ice with a density of 830-910 kg·m-3
Glacier ice is a compacted and intergrown mass of crystalline ice with a density of 830-910 kg·m-3

[edit] Also see


[edit] Reference

  1. Electron and Confocal Microscopy Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture Beltsville Agricultural Research Center [2]
  2. Low Temperature Scanning Electron Microscope (LT-SEM) [3]

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