Snow is important for the health of Earth. Snow plays a major part in regulating the planet’s temperature. Snow is hyper-reflective and is capable of sending the Sun’s energy back into space which keeps the Earth’s temperatures from rising too much through the year. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, without snow, the ground would absorb about 4-6x the amount of solar energy that it would if there was snow on the ground – leading to warmer temperatures. Less snow could lead to droughts in areas that typically relied on snowpack melting during the warmer months for access to water, or to harvest with the purpose of providing water. It could also lead to species of animals dying that had evolved to survive in a world with snow, such as snowshoe hares (white fur coats to blend into a snowy environment). It could also lead to Indigenous knowledge related to cultural practices that involve snow may disappear, as well.
