What color should the snow be in this chlorine world?

This question is in the same context (the same world) proposed by Steven L. Gillett in his book: "World-building". And actually there have been some other questions about this same chlorinated world. For example this:

Are plastic plants plausible?

Long history short: The world is Earth-like (same biochemistry, carbon based also and oxygen breathers) but the atmosphere contains 1% chlorine.

Steven L. Gillett explains about the atmosphere:

"Chlorine is colored; as all the chemistry texts say, it's a "greenish yellow" gas. It absorbs blue light (and shorter wavelengths) strongly."

and explains about the water:

"the acidity of surface water will be about like that of undiluted vinegar."

I am trying to draw such a planet as accurate as possible, but I have a problem with the color of the polar ice caps and the snow. Although the planet has oceans and rivers of water, there will be a small amount of (an equivalent of) acid and bleach solution in the water. So, my question is: What color will the snow be in that planet?

EDITON: Justification of the chlorine in the planet (from the book also)

Over geologic time, geologic processes have gathered most of Earth's chlorine together in the ocean, in which it's present as the very stable chloride ion, Cl-. In fact, it takes quite a bit of energy to strip that electron away. But suppose some plant in the oceans evolved the capability to make chlorine gas from chloride by stripping that electron away again, using the energy derived from food. (And, of course, a special enzyme system.) Why would it bother? Well, say, as a defense mechanism. It could then incorporate the chlorine into its biomolecules to make itself a poor meal for predators"”making its own natural chlorinated pesticides, if you will. But predators will eventually evolve a defense to that, too. Then, the continued escalation of the biological "arms race" may eventually result in plants releasing free chlorine"”still as a defense mechanism, a natural gas attack.

posted about 5 years ago

Carlos Zamora‭

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