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Is Desertification in the Southwest Affecting the Colorado Snowpack? Chris Landry CSAS – Silverton Tom Painter, Andy Barrett NSIDC Jason Neff CU Geosciences. Colorado Plateau. Desert Dust Emission. Possible sources: ‘natural’ processes drought - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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Colorado Plateau
Is Desertification in the Southwest Affecting
the Colorado
Snowpack?
Chris Landry CSAS – Silverton
Tom Painter, Andy Barrett NSIDC
Jason Neff CU Geosciences
March 25, 2006 near Shiprock
Desert Dust Emission
Possible sources:
• ‘natural’ processes
• drought
• dryland farming
• recreation
• overgrazing
Dust Deposition in Colorado Mtns.
1999
2004
2003
March 31, 1999
Trajectory Analyses
NOAA Hysplit Model
48 hour back-trajectories
Dugout Ranch Wind Speed
Radiative effects of desert dust deposits in alpine snow TH Painter1, C Landry2, J Neff3, AP Barrett1
1National Snow and Ice Data Center, 2Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, 3CU-Boulder, Dept of Geological Sciences
CSAS
Collaborative Research funded by the National Science Foundation Atmospheric Sciences,
Geography, and Hydrologic Sciences Grants #ATM-0432327 to NSIDC and ATM-0431955 to the CSAS
Study Site – Senator Beck Basin
Operated by Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, Silverton, CO
May 21, 2004Photo courtesy JPL (Ian McCubbin)
Swamp Angel Study Plot 11,050’
Senator Beck Study Plot
12,200’
Measurements• Snowpack: depth, SWE (density), stratigraphy,
grain size & type, temperature, wetness, coverage
• Climatology: air temp, RH, wind speed & direction, precipitation, pressure, dust event trajectories
• Radiation: incoming LW, SW; reflected SW; IR ‘skin’ temperature, snow surface albedo
• Sediment & Dust: mineralogy, concentrations
• Hydrological: temperature, EC, streamflow
Albedo Measurement
Snow Albedo
0.78
126 w/m2
0.60
224 w/m2
April 4, 2003 - San Juan Mountains
Snow Pits
May 2004
May 2005
Observed Snowmelt Swamp Angel Study Plot, Red Mountain
Pass, CO
• 15 inches SWE May 20, 2003
• 0 inches SWE May 28, 2003
May 24, 2006
June 4, 2006
May 17, 2005
May 27, 2005
Spectral albedo SWESnowmelt flux
Preliminary Findings …• Dust deposition appears to significantly decrease snow albedo on a regional scale ...
• The ‘doubling’ of absorbed solar radiation appears to increase snowmelt rates and likely results in a higher amplitude and shorter duration snowmelt hydrograph …
Next Steps …
• Formalize findings on albedo effects ...
• Develop modeling of ‘dust-on-snow’ effects on basin-scale snowmelt timing, intensity, and duration …