The Elusive Diamond Dust by Xuan-Hui Ng

Issue 179

Diamond dust are ice crystals that form in the air when temperatures dive below about -3 deg F (or -16 deg C) overnight. When skies are clear, heat from the ground escapes and the air nearer the surface becomes colder than the air above. The warmer air transports moisture to the air below. When there is sufficient humidity, ice crystals will form. On calm mornings, these ice crystals sparkle like light bubbles in the sunlight for a few precious minutes before they melt away and disappear.

Over the past few winters in Hokkaido, Japan, sightings of diamond dust became increasingly rare. The temperatures were generally higher and weather patterns were more erratic, rendering conditions unfavorable for diamond dust formation. Even when diamond dust appeared, they were sparser and more short-lived. My fear that this breathtaking phenomenon may someday vanish completely has led me to pursue it in earnest.

I hope that my photographs can prompt people to be a little kinder towards the environment so that they will not be a mere record of their once brilliance.

Xuan-Hui Ng (she/her) is from Singapore and currently works in Japan.
www.xuanhuing.com | @xuanhui_ng