Dust storms causing early snowmelt

Assistant Professor of Geography Dr. Thomas Painter iresearch on dust storms and snowmelt has been reported in the national news media again, including the Los Anegles Times and the New York Times.  An unprecedented number of major dust storms (twelve during the last three years), is speeding up the snowmelt runoff to rivers.  Three storms that swept through southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado in late March and early April 2009 helped eliminate the snowpack along the entire western stretch of Colorado.  The mountains usually remain snow-covered until mid-summer. 

The increased dust levels are the result of grazing, mining, increased recreational use, and energy exploration.  Soot from Asia and California's smog-emitting centers could also be contributing to early snowmelt. The dust and soot darkens the snow, allowing the surface to absorb more heat from the sun.  This warms the snow, and the air above it, significantly. Officials are worried about drastic water shortages in late summers and a return to the Dust Bowl soil conditions of 1934.  The Southwest's temperatures are expected to rise by 10 degrees Celsius by the year 2100.

Read stories in the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times!