Science question, why does the snow around a tree

[catmandu57]

melt first? I don't know the answer and as I watch our snow melting areas around the trees are bare and in the yard it's still covered. I don't know if the trees are drinking down the moisture or if the dark color is absorbing more sun and heat. Is Bill Nye in the house?

[HuckleB]

1. Usually it's because snow on the tree melts and drips on the snow...

below it.

[LARED]

2. The tree collect heat from the environment

sun , wind, etc and transfers it to the ground via the branches, truck and into the roots to the ground. Heat always flow from hot to cold.

If the ground is warm under the tree and below the snow it will transfer heat up as well

[catmandu57]

3. Okay that makes sense

thanks.

[StClone]

4. Trees do funny things

-Depending on the temperature and wind, snow fall is intercepted by trees by their branches making the the ground snow cover thinner in the first place.

-The snow then melts often as it is still falling and drips to the ground and thus melts even more snow.

-Tree branches being upright and dark colored collect and convert solar radiation and again more heat to melt Snow.

-The root mass of trees forms a shallow mound which in effect also spreads snow (the surface area is increased over that of a flat surface) and also forms a slanted surface that collects more solar radiation.

-Tees allow less heat to escape at night due to radiational cooling and lenghten the melt time.

[RebelOne]

5. Another science question

Why is the wind so much colder at the gas pumps?