Don't Eat the Watermelon Snow!

What causes watermelon snow to appear pink?

• Blood contamination

• Iron deposits in the soil

• Algae living in the snow

• Pollution from the air

Which scientist first suggested that algae might be responsible for the pink color of snow?

• Aristotle

• Captain John Ross

• Robert Brown

• Charles Darwin

What is the scientific name of the green algae that causes pink snow?

• Chlorophyta

• Chlamydomonas nivalis

• Cyanobacteria

• Rhodophyta

Why do the algae that cause pink snow have a red outer layer?

• To attract nutrients from the snow

• To help them move through the snow

• To protect them from solar radiation

• To make the snow smell like watermelon