In Levelland, Texas, a team of dedicated researchers has gathered to embark on the ambitious Project ICECHIP, a groundbreaking endeavor focused on studying hailstones. These scientists are braving the elements, experiencing dents in their vehicles and potential personal injuries as they chase storms to collect thousands of these icy phenomena in the name of scientific exploration. Their aim is to uncover insights about storm dynamics, potential damage, and even the atmospheric composition surrounding these weather events.
But what exactly can be achieved with nearly 4,000 ice samples rapidly melting away? Quite a lot, it seems. Within the realm of this unprecedented study, researchers are methodically measuring, weighing, slicing, and even dining on these hail samples, all in pursuit of unraveling the mysteries held within. Northern Illinois University’s meteorology professor Victor Gensini, one of the lead scientists, explains that the primary goal is to glean valuable information concerning the hailstone’s journey within the storm.
In a Walmart parking lot in Texas, near midnight on a Friday, a convoy of vans filled with students and full-time scientists assemble following an exhaustive storm-chasing expedition. Within each vehicle, coolers hold the evening’s haul of hailstones, now ready for analysis. The researchers, equipped with calipers, proceed to meticulously measure the width of the hailstones, followed by weighing them. The largest recorded was an impressive 139 millimeters, comparable in size to a DVD, though tonight they are only slightly larger than golf balls.
With data logged into their digital records, the next phase unfolds in the back of a van where a shark-themed beach blanket defends the floor. The hailstones find their place on a vertical device where a hand-operated mechanism propels a block downward, shattering the ice. Ian Giammanco, a meteorologist at the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety, notes how much force was necessary to break the hailstone, a measure of its strength.
Teams repeat this process, their vehicles littered with icy debris, as they seek to synthesize robust statistics on the structural resilience of typical hailstones. On this occasion, their findings indicate the samples are unusually soft. John Allen from Central Michigan University provides insights into this anomaly, attributing it to air bubbles trapped during the hailstone’s “dry growth” phase. As climate change affects atmospheric conditions, it might result in harder hailstones, although further research remains crucial to substantiate this hypothesis.
Capturing hailstones in their pristine state is no small feat. Often gathered post-fall with gloved hands, the goal remains to avoid warming or contaminating them. Enter SUMHO, the Super Mobile Hail Observatory, a specially designed funnel directing hail seamlessly into a cooler, limiting human interaction.
Many of these unblemished samples are sent to a cold lab in Colorado, where they are sectioned with a hot wire band saw. Similar to tree rings, the various layers provide researchers with information about the rapid growth phases of the hailstones during storms, according to Gensini. The scientists also analyze the contents of the hailstones. Past studies have unveiled the presence of fungi, bacteria, peat moss, and microplastics, shedding light on airborne components that are usually invisible to the naked eye.
After backbreaking work, Central Michigan student Sam Baron paused to taste one of the hailstones collected. “It tastes like an ice cube,” he observed. “It’s reminiscent of the high-quality ice served at restaurants.”