European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 8, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                _ National geographic Snow which covers More of Alaska than any other state blankets a mining Camp in the Wrangell mountains. Snow it s White cold and a mystery by Joy Aschenbach National geographic after slogging through it being Styck in it and even dying from it you d think that human beings by now would know everything there is to know about Snow. Not so. Solid liquid and Gas at varying times,7snow is a Complex substance whose behaviour a on land and in the air a still eludes scientists. Wet Snow is an entirely different material from dry. Snow and within the wet and dry categories Are numerous different types. When Snow hits the ground it is no longer the same substance that has been falling through the atmosphere. And fallen Snow a Good insulator of the soil it blankets undergoes constant change. What happens to Snow on the ground a How it Bonds Breaks apart melts and refreeze a matters for everything from Avalanche prediction to the design of better performing tires for military tanks and private cars safer skis for air planes faster skis for people More effective but environmentally Correct de icing chemicals for highways and Quot grooming Quot techniques for smoother longer lasting Snow roads and snowmobile trails. So researchers want to learn As much about the White stuff As possible. More than 95 percent of Earth s seasonally Snow covered land lies in the Northern hemisphere which holds most of the planet s land mass. From december through March Snow blankets 16 million to 20 million Square Miles of the hemisphere the majority of the land North of 40 degrees latitude. Since 1972, satellite images which have provided the first consistent record of Snow coverage have shown that the year to year horizontal expanse of Winter Snow has not varied significantly across the Northern hemisphere As a whole. A a Quot but the Snow has melted earlier in the Spring in the past six years a in March and april rather than april and May Quot says David a. Robinson of Rutgers University in new Jersey who has Analysed the satellite data. Quot the biggest change in recent Snow monitoring Snow cover May give an Index to future climate change. Snow has to be an important piece of the climatological  a a David a. Robinson Rutgers University cover is not so much its Lack in Winter As its Early end its reduction in Spring Quot agrees Kenneth f. Dewey professor of climatology at the University of Nebraska. Why the Early Spring Snow loss scientists Aren t sure. Quot there is a Strong correlation Between temperatures in the Northern hemisphere and the extent of Snow cover Quot Robinson says Quot does recent warmth in Spring cause the Early end of Snow cover or does the Early Snow loss have a subsequent Impact on temperature once you have the loss it kind of  researchers Are Quot trying to unravel this Chicken and egg question Quot Robinson says. Quot it is too Early a the record is too Short a to attribute this to global  while Snow coverage has not changed much globally Snow depth May have decreased. There is no similar satellite record because the current technology cannot yet distinguish different Snow Depths. Quot monitoring Snow cover May give an Index to future climate change Quot Robinson says. Quot Snow has to be an important piece of the climatological  Earth loses a Good portion of its heat from the reflection of sunlight off Snow. Snow on the ground especially fresh Snow the Whites reflects Back about 90 percent of Sun s rays says Samuel c. Colbeck a senior research scientist at the army cold regions research and engineering lab in Hanover . Quot the More Snow cover the More solar radiation is reflected Back Quot he says. To fit another piece into the weather Puzzle Dewey is analysing satellite data of Southern hemisphere Snow cover for the first time to determine whether it is in phase with the Northern hemisphere s. About 1 million Square Miles of the Southern hemisphere mostly in South America is Snow covered  your health skin needs extra care during Winter months by Sally Squires the Washington Post Stephanie. Duncan director of health enhancement at the yoga  Georges county md., does no to let cold weather hamper her workouts. She jogs and walks outdoors. Indoors she teaches Bench classes works out on the Stair climber and lifts weights. All of which Means that she often takes at least three showers every Day. And that in turn takes a toll on her skin especially in the cold dry Winter months. Quot i just definitely have to moisturize a lot More than in the summer Duncan said. Quot i hear a lot of complaints in the locker room about dry  As Many As one third of visits to dermatologists offices in Winter Are because of dry skin according to Joseph bark a dermatologist in Lexington by. Many people have dryness and done to realize it bark says. A they come in for itching and think they have Winter Poison Ivy or Contact dermatitis and in reality what they have is dry  Winter wind chaps the skin and conspires with Low humidity cold temperatures outdoors and dry heat indoors to Rob it of moisture. The american obsession with cleanliness adds to the problem according to dermatologists. Frequent showers and Baths along with harsh soaps can strip away natural oils. Quot skin can get abnormally dried chapped Flaky cracked irritated and itchy Quot said Nelson Lee Novick associate professor of dermatology at the mount Sinai school of Medicine in new York. Protecting the skin in Winter is a constant Battle. Aside from the common problems of dryness and Chipping those who spend time outdoors in Chilly temperatures also have to watch out for frostbite. Another Hazard Many people forget about is exposure to the Sun that not Only can cause wrinkling but also increase the risks of. Developing skin cancer. Quot in Winter the suns rays Are not As Strong Quot said Amit Pandya assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Texas southwestern medical Center in Dallas. Quot but there s still enough ultraviolet radiation to cause damage to the  even on overcast Days up to 80 percent of ultraviolet radiation penetrates the Cloud cover. Reflection off Snow and ice adds to exposure the reason that Pandya said he sees a Many Many cases of sunburn in  ass. File a Well bundled Jogger works out. Tuesday february 8, 1994 the stars and stripes 17