Winter is fast approaching, and as those of us that live in the
UP know, winter can be a hard time, with lots of snow that can make
it very difficult to geocache. With these thoughts in mind I
started thinking about what a whiteout is and how many I have
actually seen in my lifetime. My next stop was to go to the
internet and get a definition of a whiteout to make sure that what
I think of as a whiteout is correct. The following is what I
learned...
Congratulations,
A whiteout is a weather condition in which visibility and contrast
are severely reduced by snow and diffuse lighting from overcast
clouds.
the cache coordinates are...
There are three different forms of a whiteout:
1. In blizzard conditions, the windblown snow in the air may make
it too difficult to see very far.
2. In snowfall conditions, the volume of snow falling may obscure
objects reducing visibility.
3. In clear air conditions, when there is no snow falling, diffuse
lighting from overcast cloud may cause all surface definition to
disappear. It becomes impossible to tell how far away the snowy
surface is. In polar regions this optical illusion can make whole
snow-covered mountains invisible against the background white
cloud, and the horizon cannot be identified, slopes cannot be
judged for steepness, and snow surfaces cannot be seen. This effect
is exacerbated by a smooth surface of fresh snow. It is only when a
contrasting object is placed on a snowy surface that the surface
can be detected. In less extreme cases, it may suffice to break the
snow surface by throwing a snowball ahead. This form is also known
as flat light.
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Whiteout conditions pose threats to mountain climbers, skiers,
aviation, and mobile ground traffic. Motorists, especially those on
large high speed routes are also at risk. There have been many
major multiple-vehicle collisions associated with whiteout
conditions.
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Given the above definition, there are four whiteouts that I
remember seeing clearly (or not so clearly, ha ha) in my lifetime.
How many
whiteouts have you seen?
