Outdoor FunWeather 101

Snowflake Shape Can Help Us Understand Climate Change

Snow flake shape and structure looks all the more beautiful and intricate when seen against a dark background.

Snowflake shape can be affected by pollution.

In fact, not only can pollution shape a snowflake, but so can other particles in the air. These impurities can actually influence a snowflake to form a flat plate, needle, or other shape.

But there is little else scientists know about snowflake shapes.

At least that is what Paul Shepson, an atmospheric chemist at Purdue University, says. He also states knowing how snow flake shape occurs and how ice forms is important to learning more about future climate change.

So, there you have it. While we may not know much about snowflake shape science right now, snowflake shapes can help tell us much about very important topics like global warming, the climate, and many other weather-related issues that affect you everyday!