WINTER
WONDERS

Contents

1. Introduction

2

2. The Science of Snowflakes

4

3. Glossary

10

Introduction

Have you ever wondered about the wonders of Winter?

The weather, temperature and snowy landscapes in Winter are what we come to expect when we enter this season. They make it what it is.
This information booklet is about one element of this season....snowflakes.

We try to catch them, eat them and hold them but do you know anything about these fascinating little things? Read on and find out...

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The Science of Snowflakes

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Written by: Kristine Nannini

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Unless you live in a desert or a tropical climate, you’ve probably seen snowflakes fall from the sky. It’s an amazing sight when snow collects on the ground and blankets everything.
When most people see snow, they try to find creative ways to melt it and clear it from the roads. However, scientists would rather study it. Through many years of research, scientists have made some amazing discoveries about these little frozen crystals.

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The Science of Snowflakes

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Written by: Kristine Nannini

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a real snowflake

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One such discovery is how snowflakes form. Snowflakes are part of the water cycle because snow is a form of precipitation, just like rain. When the temperature is zero degrees celsius (......) or colder, water changes from a liquid to a solid. 

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A snowflake is a special kind of solid. It forms when water vapour condenses, or gathers onto dust particles inside of clouds. On warm days, the water vapour would collect to make rain drops. However, on cold or freezing days, the water vapour can collect into frozen crystals which fall from the sky as snow.

In addition to how they form, scientists have researched how snowflakes get their crystal shape. They found that all water molecules have an electric charge.

That electric charge makes the water molecules stick together. In order for the water molecules to stick together, it must be cooled to 0 C or colder. When this happens, a crystal is formed. If it is warmer than this, the water molecules move too fast and won’t stick together to form crystals.

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water molecules

With all this research, scientists have also tried to figure out if two snow crystals can look exactly the same.

Snowflake Picture Slideshow

Most scientists believe that no two snow crystals are alike because they come in so many different shapes and sizes. Their research has shown that slight differences in temperature, moisture, and pressure create the different crystal combinations. 

There are also other factors that affect a crystal’s shape. For example, as a crystal falls to the ground, its shape can be changed by the wind and by impacting other snow crystals.

While this is fun to think about, not even scientists are 100 percent sure that all crystals are different. To know this, they would have to look at every crystal under a microscope. That would take a really long time!

The Science of Snowflakes

Learn more about this fascinating science here.

Glossary

climate

The usual weather conditions in a place.

condenses

Changing from a gas to a liquid or solid.

crystals

Pieces of a certain substance that is made when it changes from a liquid to a solid.

factors

Things that have an influence on something that happens or are a cause of it happening.