Nature is many things, but "polite" isn't always one of them. Imagine standing in a silent, frozen forest when suddenly—BANG. 💥
It sounds like a gunshot, but nobody pulled a trigger. It’s the trees themselves.
The Science of the "Frost Crack"
When the temperature plummets, the physics inside a tree get volatile. Here is why the forest literally goes off:
The Expansion: Trees are full of sap and water. As we know from the ice cube trays in our freezers, water expands when it freezes.
The Pressure: In extreme cold, that moisture freezes so rapidly that the internal pressure becomes too much for the bark to contain.
The Explosion: The wood fibers reach their breaking point and snap instantly, sending a sonic boom through the frozen air.
It’s nature’s way of reminding us that even in the dead of winter, there is an incredible amount of energy (and drama) hidden just beneath the surface. 🌲❄️
Did you know? Native American legends and journals from early explorers often mention these "phantom shots" echoing through the woods during deep freezes.
#ExplodingTrees#NatureIsMetal#WinterScience#ForestMagic
It's been a hot minute, but the Adirondack gauge is back in action. ❄️ At 7 AM, we measured 1.1 inch of water locked inside our 10 inches of snow on the ground. #SnowMeasurement#WinterScience
ALT Picture of 1.1" of liquid from our snow pack
ALT Picture of taking a snow core sample at the office.
ALT Picture of taking a snow core sample at our office.
24 December – Science Fact
Snowflakes aren’t all unique, but no two form the same way. ❄️
Tiny changes in conditions shape every crystal. 🔬
#SSERC#ScienceFact#WinterScience
Photos from tonight's bubble freezing after dark, with a color changing LED! I can't wait to share this video with you! #freezing#frozenbubbles#winterscience
❄️ Snow isn’t just winter’s decoration—it’s a lifeline. 🌍💧 Discover how snowmelt drives our water systems and why it’s more important than ever. #Snowmelt#WaterCycle#ClimateChange#WinterScience
ALT Precipitación Invernal Nieve: Los copos de nieve nunca se derriten. Cellisca: Las gotas se congelan y forman hielo antes de llegar al suelo. Lluvia Congelada: La lluvia se congela al contacto con el suelo. Lluvia: La lluvia nunca se recongela.
With little to no wind, your body can maintain a thin layer of warmer air between your skin and colder air surrounding you. Higher winds can eliminate that thin layer, and your body can begin to cool at a dangerously fast rate. weather.gov/safety/cold#WinterScience
ALT Graphic showing how winter winds can break up the insulating layer of heat around our bodies. This can lead to low body temperatures and the risk of hyperthermia or frostbite.
ALT La Ciencia de la Sensación Térmica. Sin Viento: 98.6F La temperatura promedio del cuerpo humano. Bajo condiciones tranquilas, el cuerpo irradia calor, creando una capa de calor entre nuestra piel y el aire frío a nuestro alrededor. Con Viento: 95F Hipotermia comienza cuando nuestra temperatura corporal baja de dos a cuatro grados. Pero cuando hay viento, el aire en movimiento rompe esa capa aislante. Esto acelera la pérdida de calor quitando el calor de nuestra piel. Calor es removido de nuestros cuerpos.
With little to no wind, your body can maintain a thin layer of warmer air between your skin and colder air surrounding you. Higher winds can eliminate that thin layer, and your body can begin to cool at a dangerously fast rate. weather.gov/safety/cold#WinterScience
ALT Precipitación Invernal Nieve: Los copos de nieve nunca se derriten. Cellisca: Las gotas se congelan y forman hielo antes de llegar al suelo. Lluvia Congelada: La lluvia se congela al contacto con el suelo. Lluvia: La lluvia nunca se recongela.
ALT La Ciencia de la Sensación Térmica. Sin Viento: 98.6F La temperatura promedio del cuerpo humano. Bajo condiciones tranquilas, el cuerpo irradia calor, creando una capa de calor entre nuestra piel y el aire frío a nuestro alrededor. Con Viento: 95F Hipotermia comienza cuando nuestra temperatura corporal baja de dos a cuatro grados. Pero cuando hay viento, el aire en movimiento rompe esa capa aislante. Esto acelera la pérdida de calor quitando el calor de nuestra piel. Calor es removido de nuestros cuerpos.
ALT FURIA INVERNAL: Nor’easters No muchas tormentas invernales tienen el potencial de enterrar a 100 millones de personas en 1-2 pies de nieve en un solo día. Nor’easters son famosos por tener vientos fuertes y Grandes cantidades de humedad que obtienen del Atlántico. La región de alta densidad de población entre Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York, y Boston -- el “corredor I-95” , es especialmente impactada por Nor’easters. La nieve caerá al oeste de la trayectoria de la baja presión. Pequeñas variaciones en la trayectoria pueden causar grandes diferencias en los totales de nieve para las ciudades.
🔬 Simple science meets road safety! Dale Hiles breaks it down: just like spilled Coke® turns your floor sticky, beet juice solution on roads helps salt stick where it matters. The result? Improved ice melt, keeping drivers safer on icy roads. #IDOTRoadSafety#WinterScience
ALT Precipitación Invernal Nieve: Los copos de nieve nunca se derriten. Cellisca: Las gotas se congelan y forman hielo antes de llegar al suelo. Lluvia Congelada: La lluvia se congela al contacto con el suelo. Lluvia: La lluvia nunca se recongela.
With little to no wind, your body can maintain a thin layer of warmer air between your skin and colder air surrounding you. Higher winds can eliminate that thin layer, and your body can begin to cool at a dangerously fast rate. weather.gov/safety/cold#WinterScience
ALT Infographic - The Science of Wind Chill. The average temperature of the human body is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Under calm conditions, the body radiates heat, creating a layer of warmth between or skin and the cold surroundings. But when it's windy, the moving air breaks up this insulating layer. It speeds up heat loss by whisking away the warmth from our skin. Hypothermia begins when our body temperature drops two to four degrees.