Students Examine Winter Snow

by Michael J. Demchik

The Acid Snow Project was initiated in a small way in 1985. When it snowed at Jefferson High School (Shenandoah Junction, WV), a sample was brought in, melted, and tested for pH, according to the acid snow collecting protocol of Randy Borys of the Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV:

The preparation for the collection of acid snow starts with clean polyethylene containers which can often be found in the supermarket. A pint size is usually preferred and should be prepared by washing with distilled water. Allowing the containers to stand overnight with distilled water in them will insure cleanliness. Snow should be collected in them and the collector should be wearing plastic gloves. One should be careful not to have anything from oneself fall into the sample while collection is taking place. Samples should be taken from a fresh snow surface. The sample may also be collected in a plastic bucket prepared in the same manner.

When collecting, always collect from the downwind side, so as not to disturb or influence the snow in any way. The container should be sealed and then sealed again in a ziploc bag. The sample should be kept frozen and appropriately labelled until ready for testing. The snow should be allowed to thaw at room temperature and the container should remained closed. It should be analyzed with a probe from a pH meter which is corrected for temperature. This testing should take place as soon as all the snow has melted. The environment surrounding the sample could easily influence the readings because of the carbon dioxide in the air, so take an immediate reading.

As in the case of acid rain, the samples should be kept out of the snow shadow of the house and away from the edge of a roadway. Avoid any local influences that might affect the collection, and sketch a map of the area in which the collection takes place.

It snowed on thirteen days of January 1995, with an average of 3.3 inches per day and a pH of 4.6, as reported from up to 16 sites, as follows:

    Date         pH     Snowfall (in) # of sites
1/3/96 4.6520.00 15
1/4/96 4.70 1.00 5
1/5/96 4.87 trace 10
1/6/96 4.86 0.17 15
1/7/96 4.50 1.00 2
1/12/96 4.651.002
1/13/96 4.401.00 2
1/18/96 4.671.00 16
1/19/96 4.5712.50 9
1/20/96 4.701.00 3
1/26/96 4.544.00 5
1/27/96 4.65 0.10 2
1/28/96 4.500.601

Collection of acid snow at Jefferson High School resumed in January 1997.

(Editor's Note: Mike Demchik teaches at Jefferson High School, Route 1, Box 83, Shenandoah Junction, WV 25442.)

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