Why does snow crunch when you step on it and at what temperature does it crunch
From FIS Freestyle wiki
A layer of snow is made up of ice grains with air in between the ice grains. Because the snow layer is mostly empty air space, when you step on a layer of snow you compress that layer a little or a lot, depending on how old the snow is.
As the snow compresses, the ice grains rub against each other. This creates friction or resistance; the colder the temperature, the greater the friction between the grains of ice.
The sudden squashing of the snow at lower temperatures produces the familiar creaking or crunching sound. At warmer temperatures, closer to melting, this friction is reduced to the point where the sliding of the grains against each other produces little or no noise. It's difficult to say at what temperature the snow starts to crunch, but the colder the snow, the louder the crunch.
[edit] Other Snow FAQ
- How big can snowflakes get?
- Why is snow white?
- Is it ever too cold to snow?
- When is it too warm to snow?
- How does snow form if the ground temperature is above freezing?
- Why do weather forecasters seem to have so much trouble forecasting snow?
- Why does snow crunch when you step on it and at what temperature does it crunch?
- Does snow change how sound waves travel?
or see Snow and Weather Glossary
[edit] Also See
- Snowflake
- Water
- Clouds
- Evaporation
- Freezing Point / Freeze
- Moisture
- Rime
- Sublimation
- Water Cycle
- Water Vapor
- Atmosphere
- Fog
- Firnification
- Firn
- metamorphoses
- sublimation
- melting
- Heat transfer
- Freestyle Timing Booklet
- Snow temperature
- Dew Point
- Freezing Point / Freeze
- Fusion
- Melting Point
- Weather
- Atmosphere
- Melt Freeze Metamorphism
- Metamorphism
- Supercooling
- Solid
- Vapor
- Gas
- Temperature
- Fusion
- Melting Point
- Moisture
- Sublimation
- Water
- Condensation
- Slush
- Snow Advisory
- Snow Banner
- Snow Cover
- Snow Crust
- Snow Depth
- Drifting Snow
- Drifts
- Snowpack
- Snow removal
- Sastrugi
- Winter Storm
- Wind Chill Index
- Whiteout
- Blizzard
- Snowmaggedon
- Snowpocalypse
- Snow Devil
- Sublimation
- Snowfall
- Snow Line
- Snow Pellets
- Snow Flurry / Flurries
- Snowflake Gallery
- Snow Crystals
- FAQ Snow
- Graupel
- Snow Garland
- New Snow
- What is the Cryosphere
- Snowmaking guns
- Snow Shower
- Snow Sintering
- Snow Squall
- Snow Water Equivalent
- Snow and Course Preparation
[edit] Reference;
1. National Snow and Ice Data Center [1]
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