Did you know Aristotle recorded his first interaction with “watermelon snow” in 300 B.C.?
Now, the mountains of Utah are seeing leftover snow turn to a pink/red color due to this phenomenon called watermelon snow that has been around for thousands of years.
Is watermelon snow a new phenomenon?
This pink snow has reportedly been around for a long time, with the earliest record of it being dated back to 300 B.C. when Aristotle made notes of the the phenomenon when he believed the snow to be the work of “red hairy worms.”
Since then, scientists and explorers have discovered and studied the watermelon snow in mountains around the world as well as the polar regions.
CBS News reported that the Italian Alps experienced watermelon snow on the Presena glacier in 2020.
What is watermelon snow?
The Associated Press reported that watermelon snow is snow that has a pinkish tint and smells sweet due to the awakening of “dormant green algae called chlamydomonas nivalis that thrives in cold temperatures.”
When the algae comes to the surface of the snow and comes in contact with sunlight, the color of the algae changes to a pink hue that protects them from sun damage.
“They need some kind of pigmentation to prevent damage related to the high-UV of the environment they’re in. So they produce the secondary pigment largely for that purpose to protect themselves,” Utah State University ecologist Scott Hotaling said, according to The Washington Post.
This snow reportedly shows up in “high-altitude environments,” and has been seen in different parts of the world.
Can you eat watermelon snow?
While it may be tempting with the fruit-like smell the snow gives off, the Ocean Conservancy reported that “experts do not recommend eating it,” due to the snow being considered “a laxative and can cause digestive ailments.”
“Most algae is considered edible. Even the faint watermelon-like scent of snow algae might give that impression,” the Smithsonian Magazine reported. “However, it is possible that snow algae might be contaminated by bacteria and toxic algae that are harmful to humans. Eating large quantities of watermelon snow has been known to cause digestive ailments, although the tolerance level of each person’s digestive system might be different.”