A Ukrainian polar station in the Antarctic has turned into a horror movie set after the snow around it turned a bloody red. But scientists appear unfazed, offering an explanation for the strange phenomenon.
Photos from the Vernadsky research base were posted on Facebook by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science, which said that the snow had been like this for the past two weeks.
However, the ministry assured its followers that there was no reason for concern over the wellbeing of the station’s inhabitants, and mentioned no bad omens either.
The snow had changed its color because of the tiny seaweed with a red carotene layer known as Chlamydomonas Nivalis.
This weed stays deep under the snow in winter, but ascends to the surface to reproduce when it becomes warmer. It’s now summer in Antarctica.
Red snow isn’t unique to the South Pole; it’s also encountered in the Arctic, the Alps and other mountainous regions. And witnesses say that it smells like watermelon.
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