HUNTING FOR WATERMELON SNOW A citizen science project to track snow algae and its environmental effects By Claire Giordano, member and watercolor artist
Watercolor of Mt. Baker and a microscope slide of snow algae. By Claire Giordano.
T
28
he incongruous streaks of red and pink on the snowfield look like faint blood stains across the side of the mountain. I quicken my pace, excited to finally find my quarry after two days of hiking in the Goat Rocks Wilderness. I step gingerly onto the snow and head straight for the darkest patch of red as I pull a sample tube out of my pocket. I fill it with the vibrant, pink-tinted snow, screw on the cap tightly, and label it with my coordinates. This small vial, which at first glance looks like a prop in a bad horror movie, is filled with tiny bits of algae that live a fascinating life in the mountains – one that is tied to the larger stories of climate change in our home ranges.
The project’s goal is to “engage the outdoor recreation community in research that is characterizing the biodiversity of pink snow and its impact on snowmelt dynamics.” When we collect samples and record watermelon snow sightings, we are contributing to research into the different snow algae species and the connections between algae blooms and climate change. Although snow algae blooms are a natural part of the summer cycle in the mountains, they can also increase the rate of snow and glacier melt. This occurs because the colorful algae absorbs more solar radiation than clean snow does, leading to faster snow melt and the resulting negative impacts on alpine environments.
After filling my sample tube I store it securely in my pack, snap a few photos, and record my location and observations in the Living Snow Project app. As I wander off to paint, my eyes rove the landscape looking for a good scene to sketch. “Watermelon snow,” or “pink snow,” results from algae that leaves a distinctive red, orange, or pink tint on the surface of a snowfield. As a volunteer and citizen scientist, I’m collecting these samples for the Living Snow Project run by Dr. Robin Kodner at Western Washington University.
As an artist I’m always looking at the patterns, colors, and shapes of a landscape, especially those connected to environmental changes. When I volunteered for the Living Snow Project for the first time last summer, my eyes were opened to a whole new story of life and change in the mountains.
mountaineer | summer 2022
Like all scientific projects, especially those that look at changes over time, the Living Snow Project needs data. Thanks to the efforts of volunteers, Dr. Kodner is building the largest database of snow algae species and blooms in the world.
