New Zealand’s Southern Alps turned red during the 2019-2020 summer, but research has finally uncovered the reason behind this dramatic event. Scientists have found that massive dust storm from southeast Australia sent clouds of red dust across the sea, dumping around 4,500 tons onto the snow.
The discovery corrects widespread assumptions that the contamination was caused by ashes from Australian bushfires and warns that such events could become more frequent in the future. The study, published last year, analyzed data from time-lapse cameras, air mass movement, and remote sensing operations to determine the source of the red dust.
Researchers found that the dust arrived in New Zealand’s Southern Alps in late November 2019 and melted away in early 2020, coinciding with spectacular skies over New Zealand associated with the Australian bushfires. The layers of dust had a major impact on the mountains by reducing their ability to reflect sunlight, increasing surface temperatures, and causing snow and ice melt.
The study highlights an event that changed New Zealand’s landscape and serves as a warning about the less obvious environmental impacts of climate change. Climate experts predict that such events will occur more often due to increased desertification and dry conditions in many areas.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/why-snow-in-new-zealands-alps-turned-an-alarming-shade-of-red-2000593615