Yukimarimo at Dome C, Antarctica

Balls of frost (yukimarimo) up to 12 cm in diameter and weighing up to 14 g were observed forming in light winds in the temperature range, -70 to -60 degrees C at Dome Charlie, Antarctica, during the 2014 winter. Their density ranged from 15 to 60 kg m(-3). Meteorological conditions during four formation periods are tabulated. Their formation seems to be due to a clumping of crystals caused by electrostatic attraction, followed by the collection of hoarfrost crystals while rolling along the snow surface.