Credit: Mathieu NguyenUnderstanding the optical properties of snow might open advancements varying from improved snow removal techniques to increased avalanche safety.One may believe that snow, of all things, is simple to describe: it is cold, white and covers the landscape like a blanket.” A landscape of mirrorsAmong other things, Nguyen has studied how snow reflects and absorbs light, and the way the sun makes snow crystals shimmer has been of particular interest.He believes the lovely appearance of winter landscapes may hold the key to answering a number of concerns that have puzzled scientists for numerous years.But initially, what is it that makes the snow shimmer on brilliant sunny days?” If we are to teach someone who might never ever have actually seen snow before what it is, we need to be able to replicate it in all its intricacy,” states Nguyen.Reference: “Exploring Imaging Methods for In Situ Measurements of the Visual Appearance of Snow” by Mathieu Nguyen, Jean-Baptiste Thomas and Ivar Farup, 28 January 2024, Geosciences.DOI: 10.3390/ geosciences14020035.
Credit: Mathieu NguyenUnderstanding the optical properties of snow might unlock improvements ranging from boosted snow removal techniques to heightened avalanche safety.One might believe that snow, of all things, is simple to describe: it is cold, white and covers the landscape like a blanket.” A landscape of mirrorsAmong other things, Nguyen has studied how snow reflects and absorbs light, and the method the sun makes snow crystals sparkle has been of specific interest.He believes the beautiful look of winter season landscapes may hold the secret to answering a number of questions that have puzzled scientists for numerous years.But initially, what is it that makes the snow sparkle on brilliant warm days? Understanding how different levels of contamination play a function in the look and homes of snow will be important,” states Nguyen.An experience for the futureIn addition to being difficult to translate from images, snow has long shown surprisingly challenging to reproduce digitally.” If we are to teach somebody who may never have seen snow before what it is, we need to be able to reproduce it in all its complexity,” states Nguyen.Reference: “Exploring Imaging Methods for In Situ Measurements of the Visual Appearance of Snow” by Mathieu Nguyen, Jean-Baptiste Thomas and Ivar Farup, 28 January 2024, Geosciences.DOI: 10.3390/ geosciences14020035.