Spring Snow Machines

It's spring break, and many Americans enjoy spring skiing. Yet, thanks to climate change (or even uncooperative weather), sometimes there isn't enough snow on the slopes.

What happens in those cases?

We make snow!

Well, the ski slope managers do, not us. And they use machines to do it, because most of us do not have god-level powers. 

Let's check out how the technology has evolved over the decades. We're focused those that create a snow similar to actual snowfall, not on those that rely on ice, creating snow more suitable for a snow cone than skiing (I'm looking at you, US 9,909,796).

The first examples I found (US patents only) were patented in the 1950s. US 2,676,471, granted in 1954, claimed to make sufficient quantities for ski trails and other winter sports. The Connecticut-based inventor was potentially motivated by distressing ski season in 1948, '49, and '50, all cited in the patent.

Ah, the days of patent figures that were more artistic than technical

US 3,838,815 of 1974 innovated a machine that did not require compressed air, considerably minimizing the weight and energy usage of a snow machine. Therefore, snow making was more efficient, effective, and inexpensive. Probably a good thing all-around, since high use of energy and water really only makes the original problem--lack of precipitation--worse. 

It looks like plumbing to me

By 1992, inventors were more interested in improving side effects, as snow machinery had sufficiently advanced beyond efficiency concerns. US 5,167,367 is for a ducted-fan snow making apparatus that features a reduced noise level. Various contemporary patented machines had noise levels in the 70-100 decibel range, depending on whether they were ducted-fan or compressed air models. Depending on settings and distance from the fan, this model claims to max out at 82 decibels. 

Besides, this thing just looks kinda cool

After another decade or so, snow makers were turning into entire plants. Inventors were automating their control, such as 2015's US 9,200,825: Control system for an artificial snow making plant. The system is intended for a plant that has multiple snow making apparatuses across ski runs. It's mostly for programming and communications technology, rather than snow making, but still belongs here since one little snow machine can't fix an entire broken climate!

Finally, within the last couple years, inventors were completely automating the process and freeing it from fixed electrical infrastructures. US 11,466,915 can run on battery power, but also designed to use extant electrical systems. It's also compatible with wireless systems. Versatility is now key, since power is expensive and it's time to start thinking about energy expenditures when working against climate change.

Technology to the ski slope rescue!

Another interesting related patent, albeit kind of gross sounding in my opinion, is this artificial snow and artificial ski areas invention, US 7,998,566. It relies on snow "composed of a solid lubricant compounds and resin grains" and the solid lubricant compound consists of ingredients like paraffin, polyethylene ester, polypropylene ester, polyurethane grains, and/or talcum powder. For those of you who did not grow up in a petrochemicals and plastics family, that means this snow is made from plastic and oil-based granules. It sounds so slimy and completely unlike snow. But it doesn't require water or cooling agents! And it isn't restricted to appropriate seasons or temperatures! (Puke emoji)

Plant Patents Saving the Planet

Every now and then, a plant patent catches our eye. Sometimes it's for mundane reasons--like the length requiring a special high-capacity stapler--and sometimes it's for a particularly unusual... not plant.

There is a whole class category for plant patents that are technically not plants: fungi. Mushrooms are grouped under U.S. Patent Class (USPC) 394. But what about algae, which is grouped into multiple kingdoms of life? That, apparently, belongs to USPC 395, which is "Miscellaneous". 

Earlier in 2022, Blue Ocean Barns was granted a patent for a new Asparagopsis taxiformis variety called 'Brominata'. That alone makes it stand out, as algae are not a commonly patented plant (or whatever kingdom of life).

PP34,607: Asparagopsis taxiformis 'Brominata'

Plant patent no PP34,607 is even more interesting, as it is meant to provide "a source of halogenated compounds to inhibit methanogenesis in animals (e.g. ruminant animals)." For those readers like myself, a bit of translation into common parlance might be needed. Basically, this algae was created as a feed additive for cattle to reduce their methane production (via flatulence), and therefore reduce their contribution to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. 

'Brominata' parent plant image from the patent

Yes! Finally! An invention that will alter cow farts, making them less damaging to our ecosystem. 

Patents are saving the planet, one ruminant, one methanogenesis event, at a time.

A photomicrograph of undesired 'Brominata' spores from the patent

A photomicrograph of 'Brominata' gland cells from the patent

 

Happy 200th birthday to Eunice Foote, hidden climate science pioneer

Inventor and suffragist Eunice Foote held patents for non-squeaking shoes and improved paper mills. She was also the first to explain the concept of global warming. Her experiments in the 1850s demonstrated the thermal effects of carbon-dioxide-rich air when exposed to sunlight. 

 

Although Foote published the results of her experiments, she was not properly credited with this discovery. A male colleague had to present her findings at the 1856 annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and the society omitted her work in their annual report. No further recognition and no complete report of Foote’s findings appeared until the latter part of the 20th century. Foote shifted her focus to invention and innovation, receiving her two patents in 1860 and 1864. 

 

Learn more about Foote’s work in #climate science from the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

: https://bit.ly/3uwM8A1