The Snow That Turned Red
Around a research base in Antarctica, the snow turned pink and blood-red. It even smelled faintly of watermelon.
What was reported
In February 2020, scientists at Ukraine's Vernadsky Research Base, on an island off the Antarctic Peninsula, shared photos of snow around the station turned a vivid pink and red, as if stained with blood.
Red snow has been reported for centuries. The British explorer John Ross described 'crimson cliffs' of snow in Greenland in 1818. The snow is sometimes said to smell slightly sweet, and it has been nicknamed watermelon snow.
Explanations offered
The colour comes from tiny algae that live in snow. In summer, when meltwater gives them a chance to grow, they bloom and produce a red pigment that protects them from strong sunlight. The darker snow absorbs more heat, so it melts faster, which scientists are studying as a factor in melting glaciers.
- When
- Photographed in February 2020
- Where
- Vernadsky Research Base, Galindez Island, Antarctica
- Witnesses
- Scientists at Vernadsky Base
- Status
- Explained
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.
More from Antarctica