MUN scientists held a public lecture Monday on how engineered snowflakes can help us address threats from avalanches and climate change.

Dr. Kristin Poduska is studying engineered snowflakes to understand climate change, which is a complex area of research that involves creating artificial snowflakes in a controlled laboratory setting.
Poduska, a Memorial University professor at the department of physics and oceanography, is studying many solid objects, including the shapes of snowflakes, that help scientists gain insight into the complex processes that govern snowflake formation and behavior in the atmosphere.
On Monday, she and assistant Marilena Geng held a public lecture at the Quidi Vidi Brewery as part of the Science on the Rock program.
By engineering snowflakes, scientists such as Poduska study the underlying physics and chemistry of snowflake formation, including the role of temperature, humidity and air currents.
Engineered snowflakes validate and improve climate models that are critical for predicting future climate scenarios.
Scientists also study artificial snowflakes to gain insights into the behavior of snowpacks and avalanches. This kind of research is essential to understanding and mitigating risks associated with such natural hazards.
According to Poduska, scientists use cloud chambers to create artificial snowflakes by simulating the conditions found in natural clouds.
Various techniques, such as ice nucleation, produce ice crystals that can grow into snowflakes under controlled conditions.
Computer simulation models simulate the growth and behavior of snowflakes, allowing scientists to explore a wide range of scenarios and conditions, such as scalability, complexity and collaboration in challenges and future directions.
Currently, engineered snowflakes are typically smaller than atmospheric snowflakes, so scientists scale up the process to create larger snowflakes. This process is essential for advancing the understanding of snowflakes and their role in the climate system, informing strategies for mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Atmospheric snowflakes absorb carbon dioxide, an organic carbon compound that comes from pollutants such as aerosols, biological materials and black carbon.
Black carbon, better known as soot, can absorb solar radiation, causing snow to melt faster. This faster snow melt, in turn, contributes to sea level rise.
Soot also affects snowpack chemistry, causing the formation of acids that seep into plants. These acids impact agriculture by causing changes in nutrients that can affect the habitat and survival of certain species.
Poduska says it is important to educate the public about methods used to combat climate change and reduce our carbon emissions.
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