Walking in a whiter wonderland
January 29, 2007 10:22 PM Subscribe
Why is it that the streets look whiter on very cold days?
This is probably a familiar phenomenon to (at least the more northerly) city-goers: on truly, painfully, balls-freezing-off cold days, the formerly black-ish roads look much lighter. The phenomenon is unrelated to salt (the streets look whiter regardless of whether salt has been laid down or not) and it doesn't seem to affect the sidewalks.
The most reasonable explanation that I've been able to come up with is that on very cold days, moisture in the air is more likely to both condense and freeze in a very thin layer on top of the roadway (according to this model, in slightly warmer weather, heat from passing cars melts this layer and...)...and in typing this out, I realise how little sense this theory makes.
Any ideas?
This is probably a familiar phenomenon to (at least the more northerly) city-goers: on truly, painfully, balls-freezing-off cold days, the formerly black-ish roads look much lighter. The phenomenon is unrelated to salt (the streets look whiter regardless of whether salt has been laid down or not) and it doesn't seem to affect the sidewalks.
The most reasonable explanation that I've been able to come up with is that on very cold days, moisture in the air is more likely to both condense and freeze in a very thin layer on top of the roadway (according to this model, in slightly warmer weather, heat from passing cars melts this layer and...)...and in typing this out, I realise how little sense this theory makes.
Any ideas?
This post was deleted for the following reason: it's salt!
Response by poster: And I apologise: I am an arrogant man, one who thought his query so unique as to be beyond the mundanity of the search function. I have learned my lesson.
I thought that the streets somehow looked whiter independently of the road salt, but the answers in that thread all seem pretty definitive upon the matter.
Please delete.
posted by Tiresias at 10:56 PM on January 29, 2007
I thought that the streets somehow looked whiter independently of the road salt, but the answers in that thread all seem pretty definitive upon the matter.
Please delete.
posted by Tiresias at 10:56 PM on January 29, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mullacc at 10:25 PM on January 29, 2007