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Artificial snow saved the Winter Olympics. Here’s how it’s made.

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C C Offline
https://www.insidehook.com/article/scien...r-olympics

EXCERPTS: In case you haven’t heard, the 2022 Winter Olympics is devoid of natural snow. [...] This marks the first time in Olympic history that nearly 100% of the competition snow is artificial, but by no means is it the first time winter-sports venues have relied heavily on technology to produce fake flakes.

[...] So how does it work? ... Water is pulled from a nearby source and mixed with compressed air before it’s atomized into fine droplets. Once shot through a nozzle, the droplets freeze instantly before mixing with larger droplets to create snow. It’s then blasted from a powerful, oscillating fan to cover as much as an acre of land at a time. This process is repeated again and again with an array of snow guns to cover a vast area. Modern snow cannons work best when temperatures are just below freezing, while chemical additives are needed to help the water crystallize when temperatures are higher.

[...] the snowmaking process ... isn’t exactly efficient. To produce just one cubic meter of snow requires 1,000 liters of water, and some evidence suggests upwards of two-thirds of a resort’s energy usage is dedicated to making artificial snow each year...

[...] artificial snow also feels different. Unlike natural snow that’s fluffy and light, artificial snow is heavier, melts more quickly and therefore turns to ice more readily. Fortunately for Olympians, a harder, icier surface is often preferred...

[...] Just last year ... concluded that California’s Sierra Nevada snowpack could disappear by 2050, and snow in the Cascades and Rockies’ will follow shortly after. ... And disappearing snowpack isn’t just bad for skiers — it also influences agricultural trends, water supply to major cities and local ecosystems that rely heavily on snowmelt... (MORE - missing details)
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