POURING ROCK SALT ON WINTER

by Earlie Doriman

Photo by Earlie D

Winter is here once again and the blast of chilling wind plus the freezing temperature outside gradually conquer the strange warmth and residual sunshine of November autumn.  Although the weather in England is generally unpredictable, the onset of winter is the time of the year when everybody knows exactly that anytime soon the snow would be speeding its way down to the awaiting grounds.

I don’t hate the idea of winter. When I first came here in 2007, I was looking forward to see and feel the winter character. Since then, I loved to see the glittering white fields of snow around parks and how the snowflakes transform the lonely skeleton of trees into a spectacular framework of white crystals clinging naturally to their healthy branches, and coating faultlessly around shrubs, pines, and mountains. I cherished the sights of people throwing snowballs and crafting snowman.

Unfortunately, snow could be terrible too. It is annoying to everyday travelers. Road accidents are higher on icy days and more often than not, people find no option than stay at home and endure every bit of monotony. But if you work and drive on a daily basis like myself, snowfall unquestionably becomes a nuisance. 

Every winter, UK would spend millions of pounds to protect the safety of travelers and drivers by dispensing rock salt along major city streets and de-icing motorways. One would surely experience rock salt down the sidewalks and roads to melt the ice and snow and keep it from refreezing.  Having your own bags of rock salt at home would definitely provide convenience aside from owning a spade and metal scoop. It is always better being ready to clear away pathways and doorsteps from snow.

But what does rock salt do during winter season? Generally salt or sodium chloride helps by lowering the melting or freezing point of water. In actual figures, sodium chloride could melt ice or snow to about (-9 )degrees celcius. This means that by scattering rock salts on roads and sidewalks, ice or snow would liquefy and prevent it from freezing again. Although salt is not necessarily the best choice for de-icing, it is cheaper and a less environmentally hazardous alternative.

Generally salt does not melt the ice, it does lower the freezing point of water. Ice is characteristically layered with a thin film of water which is enough to allow the salt particles get through the ice. Eventually this makes a salt-water solution that freezes at a comparably lower temperature and prevent re-freezing. The salt-water solution is naturally carried down the drain and cleaning off surfaces of road and sidewalks from ice or snow. Therefore, it is truly necessary to have a stock of rock salt during winter so that when snowfall comes you are ready with rock salt to pour around.