ScienceIQ.com

Now You See It, Now You Don't

What we call light is simply a narrow band of electromagnetic radiation that our eyes are sensitive to. This radiation enters our eyes and is conveyed to the brain by the process we call sight. While the mechanics of seeing is quite complex, the process of seeing is, in a different sense, quite extraordinary. Here are two examples. ...

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EMRadiation
Biology

The Great Permian Extinction

More than 250 million years ago, when the current continents formed a single land mass, known as the Pangea and there was one super-ocean called Panthalassa, something extraordinary happened. Nearly ... Continue reading

PermianExtinction
Geology

Rock, Mineral, Crystal, or Gemstone?

Rocks and minerals are all around us and used every day, perhaps without us even being aware of them. Besides making up the solid, supporting surface of the earth we live and move upon daily, rocks ... Continue reading

RockMineralCrystalGemstone
Chemistry

What Are Aerosols?

Aerosols are tiny particles suspended in the air. Most occur naturally, originating from volcanoes, dust storms, forest and grassland fires, living vegetation, and sea spray (Figure 1). Human ... Continue reading

Aerosols
Astronomy

Hats Off to the Sombrero

This nearly edge-on view of the Sombrero galaxy shows that the disks of spiral galaxies are incredibly thin. The majestic spiral arms cannot be seen in this side view of the Sombrero, named because it ... Continue reading

HatsOfftotheSombrero

How Much Water in an Inch of Snow?

HowMuchWaterinanInchofSnowIf the snowfall amounts were translated into equivalent volumes of water - then how much water would that be? Using a rule of thumb that each 10 inches of snow, if melted, would produce one inch of water, then each inch of snow produces about 2,715 gallons of water per acre. Of course, the actual amount can vary considerably depending on whether the snow is heavy and wet or powdery and dry, so this is based on the 'average' water content of snow.

Heavy, wet snow has a very high water content and 4 or 5 inches of heavy, wet snow can contain about one inch of water, while it may take 20 inches of dry, powdery snow to equal one inch of water. The 10=1 equation also assumes a 'perfect' snowmelt without evaporation or other losses. So how many gallons of water would that be for, say, Chicago?

An inch of snow that falls evenly over the 1,358,599 acres of the 'urbanized area' (acreage based on 2000 Census Bureau list of urbanized areas) of Chicago, Ill., is equivalent to about 3,689 million gallons of water (or 3.69 billion gallons). The snowpack that accumulates each year in the mountains across the country are a vital part of the hydrologic cycle, according to USGS hydrologists. The snows that melt off each spring provide essential runoff to streams and reservoirs and provide recharge to the nation's ground-water reservoirs as the ground thaws and the snows melt and filter downward into the aquifers (water-bearing rock formations).