Why does snow smell?

[Bluegill]

I can't believe that the smell of snow is endemic to Syracuse.

It does sometimes smell like "old ice," like your freezer if you haven't cleaned it lately. Other times it smells like a very clean freezer. Other times it doesn't smell like anything.

I also can't believe I'm the only one who's ever read descriptions of the smell of snow in literature.

I've noticed a snow odor, but I've never read about it.

It smells like...like, umm... I dunno. It's just this thing in my nose. I guess it's possible that it could be the same smell as that from a rain storm, but without the odor of damp pavement and damp grass thrown in.

I've never noticed if I'm more likely to notice it with wet snowfall.

 

[Soapy Sam]

But why does it SQUEAK when you step in it?

 

[DrMatt]

Re: Re: Re: Why does snow smell?

Most of the contamination in Onondaga lake is actually at the bottom or in the sediments, IIRC (it's been a while since I've had any limnology). In any event, the smell of snow is that sharp, kind of snowy smell you get. I can't describe it, but I've read many descriptions of it in literature. Stupid words.

Could there be an olfactory response to microlesions of the inner nose due to freezing? If there were, it had better be sharp--a really nasty strong danger warning signal telling you to get a move on and warm up your head before you hurt yourself reallllllyb badly....
If that were true, it ought to be possible to recreate the same smell other ways, independent of snow, perhaps with sudden exposure to desert dryiness before the observer's mucus membranes have a chance to coat themselves protectively...

 

[daver]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Why does snow smell?

Could there be an olfactory response to microlesions of the inner nose due to freezing? If there were, it had better be sharp--a really nasty strong danger warning signal telling you to get a move on and warm up your head before you hurt yourself reallllllyb badly....
If that were true, it ought to be possible to recreate the same smell other ways, independent of snow, perhaps with sudden exposure to desert dryiness before the observer's mucus membranes have a chance to coat themselves protectively...

I don't think so. The poster said that warm snow smelled, very cold snow didn't.

I no longer live in snow country (and no, global warming is not to blame); i don't remember associating a smell with snow. Cold temperatures (well, reasonably cold-- -20F) caused my nostril hairs to crinkle, but i don't remember much of a smell associated with them (well, maybe i do. Kind of a sharp cold clean smell. But pleasant, not painful).

There was an article in the yahoo science pages a few days ago about the "rain" smell being due to bacteria; maybe the reported snow smell was also bacterial.