From sun dogs to snowpack, we answer some of your weather questions

CBC Alberta and Saskatchewan have teamed up for a new pilot series on weather and climate change on the Prairies. Meteorologist Christy Climenhaga will bring her expert voice to the conversation to help explain weather phenomena and climate change and how it impacts everyday life.

We've been covering weather and climate stories for a couple of months now with this project and every week we have given our audience the chance to pose questions related to climate change and weather. Since its start we have received hundreds of questions. So the time has come to turn the reins over to you.

This week we have picked a few of your questions to answer. And remember to keep those weather queries coming.

If you look up at the sky on a clear and cold day you may notice a ring around the sun or a couple of bright spots next to the sun.

These are called sundogs. But what are they?

Sundogs form as a result of ice crystals in the atmosphere. These crystals can be higher up in the sky, or closer to the ground when the temperature is quite low. 

As light from the sun passes through these crystals it refracts or bends. Depending how the crystals are oriented, you will see bright spots on either side of the sun or a halo running around it.

As rivers begin to freeze in late fall, the process isn't as simple as a sheet of ice forming. 

The freeze happens in stages, with a visual treat known as pancake ice, those circular pieces of ice with what look like fluffy edges drifting on the river. 

As the river begins to freeze, the ice crystals are loose and disorganized.

This ice is called frazil ice.  As the frazil ice accumulates, it congeals to form masses which continually bump into each other due to the motion of the water. That gives them the raised edges and circular shapes.

The Earth is tilted on its axis so the sun hits the earth at different angles depending on the season. 

In summer, as the northern hemisphere tilts toward the sun, the rays hit Canada from a more overhead angle. The sunlight isn't spread over as large an area, meaning the energy is more concentrated, making it warmer. 

The opposite is true in the winter as the hemisphere tilts away from the sun. When sunlight reaches the northern hemisphere it's at a lower angle, spreading out over a larger area. That means the sun will feel cooler.