Stories in the Snow - Citizen Science

Stories in the Snow: After four successful years, this project is not currently active.

If you donated or shared snow crystal images, we appreciate your support and energy for the project! We achieved many great things together, including reaching an average of 700 students per year and collecting over 2500 snow crystal images. Take a moment to celebrate those successes!

Stories in the Snow is an innovative citizen science initiative . We engage students and people of any age to directly participate in snow science research. 

Our aim is to inspire curiosity for the natural world as participants take beautiful snow crystal photographs. You can participate from anywhere in the world. 

Your Stories in the Snow kit comes in your very own pouch with a macro lens, snow crystal capture card, and  thermometer. 

Give one, get one

Half of your donation covers the cost of your kit, and the other half covers the costs of classroom outreach to schools, including:

• Providing kits for students in the Sierra Nevada region 
• Training classrooms on how to use the kits

Stories in the Snow benefits the community by building: 

• A generation of youth participating in real research on the natural world
• A more robust understanding of snowstorms 
  
• Stewardship, fun, and discovery in the natural world

The science behind the project

A single smartphone image of a freshly-fallen snow crystal reveals a lot about the dynamics of the atmosphere. Every snow crystal tells a “story,” its shape capturing important information that can help scientists better understand the evolution of a storm or the conditions that lead to avalanches. 

When considered together, these snow “stories” can be stitched together by scientists into a larger narrative about the climate of the Sierra Nevada. 

 Find out more about the science on our website!