As Waterloo Region continues to dig out from another winter of heavy snowfall, researchers at the University of Waterloo say what’s trapped inside that snow could be quietly reshaping local ecosystems.
New research suggests that even tiny amounts of industrial pollution embedded in snow can change how sunlight filters through to the ground, potentially affecting when and how plants begin to grow.
The culprit is black carbon, a fine, sooty pollutant produced when fossil fuels are incompletely burned. It’s emitted from vehicle exhaust, industrial processes and other combustion sources. While black carbon is already known to contribute to climate warming, the Waterloo study highlights a lesser-known impact: how it alters the “light environment” beneath snow cover.
