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Paper short abstract:

Frozen environments often leave powerful impressions on the scientists studying them. I analyse how such impressions shaped the study and understanding of snow crystals in the 19th and 20th centuries, and reflect on how a changing cryosphere might also change the way we study and understand it.

Paper long abstract:

Nowadays, much scientific attention on the cryosphere is directed at the vulnerability of massive bodies, like melting glaciers or shrinking sea ice. However, the historiography of academic research on snow and ice has largely overlooked studies of the “small ice” that makes up the cryosphere, notably snowflakes (or snow crystals). In this paper, I argue that knowledge of these particular forms of snow and ice has been greatly shaped by the places in which they have been studied. I do so by analysing the aesthetic experiences of observers who studied snowflakes in “high places”, namely in mountain and Polar regions, during the 19th and 20th centuries. Aesthetic experiences refer to the sensory impressions gained from and emotional responses to one’s surroundings, such as the perceived beauty of the snow, or the pleasure of observing it.

Ultimately, this paper elevates the role of space in the history of modern cryo-science. This is becoming ever more prescient as our cryosphere is transforming. Cryo-scientists are deeply engaged in studying the effects of melting ice or changing weather patterns on the Earth’s climate, but how will these changes affect the way we study the cryosphere in the first place? Decreasing access to snow and ice; an increasing reliance on remote sensing; fewer opportunities for chance encounters with snow. Understanding how scientists engage with their fields is necessary for understanding the effects of a changing climate on the sciences that study it.