Blog: Dan E. Linstedt

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A funny idea: Slower Melting Snow

I've been thinking, with all the advancements that are being made in nanotech, why can't we create a molecule that melts more slowly, and lasts longer in warmer temperatures? This blog is a hypothetical look at an idea I would love to see discussed...

Imagine, slower melting snow - made from nanotech. Snow that still melts, so it doesn't harm the environment and nature still can experience the seasons - but something that might be able to be created on the ski-slopes on the first of September every year, and doesn't melt until late may or June.

Maybe it's a silly idea, but maybe just maybe there might be something to it. Imagine if we could keep a water molecule crystallized for just a little bit longer than usual - get it to release heat less quickly, or get it to absorb heat slower. What kinds of applications could this lead to?

Let's speculate for a moment - I know nothing (other than what I've seen on Nova) about avalanches, and how they are caused by melting sheets of snow - turning top layers of snow to water on warm days, freezing at night into ice sheets - then new snow fall on the ice sheets; eventually the weight causing the layer of snow to "slide" off the ice, starting an avalanche.

Suppose this type of extreme crystallization could be stopped or prolonged - in other words, suppose the snow melts more slowly, less water, less ice at night. Do you think that the sheets could be "thinned" out enough to be crushed under the weight of new snow rather than cause a slide? Maybe.

Or how about slow-melting ice in drinks, (but still melts); let’s just say I'm in to the old-fashioned ice cubes, rather than the plastic re-freezable ones. Well, back to snow. If we could construct slow melting snow molecules we might have longer lasting ski seasons.

What are some of the dangers?
If the clouds are seeded, we'd have one heck of a time getting this snow off the roads, or it would require the fast-melting molecule to be introduced on the roads. In this case, we'd want to make sure that the chemical reaction caused by fast-melting applied to slow-melting doesn't cause a toxic reaction, and that it doesn't rust metal.

Another possible danger is the slow-melting snow, if applied to bare-ground, might actually trap heat in the ground - because it doesn't absorb the heat as fast as regular snow. I'm not sure of all the impacts, but at first glance, this doesn't sound good.

Well, here's one more possibility: Slower melting snow may actually hold a colder internal temperature than regular snow, so if you got it on your hands or down your back - it would be colder to the touch. However - that requires a heat absorption rate within the snow molecule itself. Now that I think about it, to the touch - this slower melting snow may not feel as cold (not sure about this one).

Here's an interesting (possibly dangerous) use: applying slower melting snow (or some offshoot) to warmer ocean waters that have traditionally been "cold". What if it could be used to slowly lower the temperature of what are supposed to be cold regions of water?

Of course this is a silly idea, and one made from a fictional thought - but I just thought maybe, someone was daydreaming (like me) about a longer ski-season.

Thoughts? What do you see as the dangers, or possibilities of this type of idea? What makes it infeasible/feasible?

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