Polar explorers have shown “donuts” of snow in Antarctica

Ukrainian polar explorers from the Academician Vernadsky station showed a rather rare phenomenon – scrolls of snow, also called snow rolls, “donuts” or wind snowballs. The National Antarctic Science Center published the corresponding photos on Facebook on Saturday, January 27.

“These are multi-layer bundles of snow, which usually have nothing inside. They can be very small – from a few centimeters in diameter, or quite noticeable – more than a meter in diameter, resembling hay bales in a field. This phenomenon is quite rare, including for Antarctica, although you can meet it not only here,” said the center.

For the formation of snow scrolls, which are “built” from two different layers of snow, a number of weather conditions are required. The bottom layer is frozen or covered with an ice crust; it represents a type of substrate. The top is fresh, loose and moist and should cover the bottom, but not stick to it.

The air temperature should be close to the melting point of ice (ie slightly above 0°C); The wind is strong enough to move the snowballs without breaking them.

Also, to form “rolls” in general you need a slope – then they roll easier.

“The need for the coincidence of all these relatively specific conditions is precisely why snow scrolls are such a rare phenomenon that you rarely see. Because the snow in the center of the roll is fresh and of low density, it decomposes easily. , which leaves a hole. – sometimes formed immediately when the snow blanket is wrapped,” – explained the polar explorers.

Let’s remember that in November 2023, a passenger plane landed in Antarctica for the first time.