Snow in Science, Culture, and Climate

Snow and People

Two kids with sled-bike in a snowy park (black and white image)
Photo by Victoria Borodinova from Pixabay (Pixabay License)

If you live in a place where it snows, you probably have a strong opinion about it.

Do you love it? Do you hate it?             

Do you love to play in it but hate to shovel it? Do you like it only when it means a day off from school or work?

Or do you live for skiing, snowboarding, sledding, or snowmobiling?

Or do you appreciate the beauty and stillness of a white Christmas or a sparkling blanket of newly fallen snow? 

For those of us who live with snow during the winter months, snow affects our lives on an everyday basis by providing recreational opportunities, influencing how and when we travel, and even the possibility that our water pipes will freeze! You might be surprised to learn, however, that snow affects people everywhere on the planet by providing water that humans and other living things depend on and cooling our climate.

Select the topics below to learn about the ways that human beings affect and are affected by snow.

Snow and Alaska Native Peoples

Snow Travel and Recreation

Living with Snow