Innovative Technologies Unveil the Dire State of the West’s Snowpack
Flying high above the Sierra Nevada’s majestic peaks, the view from the aircraft is stunningly deceptive. Despite the appearance of a snow-laden landscape, advanced sensors aboard this specialized plane are telling a different story. This mission is not just a breathtaking flight but a crucial operation unveiling critical data.
“This is a distinct dry year,” states Tom Painter, CEO of Airborne Snow Observatories. Utilizing LiDAR technology, which emits rapid laser pulses, this plane measures snow depth with exceptional precision. “The LiDAR sprays out about 800,000 pulses per second,” Painter elaborates, producing a highly accurate 3D map of snow depth. This technology is essential for calculating the water stored in the snowpack, a vital resource for the American West.
A Record-Breaking “Spigot Shut-Off”
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor reveals a troubling scenario: over 60% of the lower 48 states are experiencing drought conditions, marking the most extensive spring dry spell since the monitor’s inception in 2000. While the Southeast grapples with wildfires in Georgia and Florida, the West faces a water crisis fueled by a snow drought.
The western snowpack, already at its lowest recorded level, was further diminished by a historically warm winter followed by an intense March heatwave, both exacerbated by climate change. “In March the spigot shut off and it shut off across the entire western US,” says Painter. “Loss of snowpack like we’ve never seen. It’s not in the record at all. So this is unprecedented.”
Statistics reveal the gravity of the situation, with California’s snowpack at just 18% of its average by April 1st, continuing to decline thereafter.
The Long, Dry Summer Ahead
At a stream near Reno, Nevada, Deputy State Climatologist Tom Albright observes that spring runoff is occurring two months earlier than usual. “We wish we could tell it to stay put a little longer,” Albright comments. The premature melt poses dual threats: it dries the landscape prematurely, heightening wildfire risk, and fails to replenish the already low reservoirs on the Colorado River. “What happens when we don’t have the snowpack is we lose what water there was early and then we’re left with this really long dry season,” Albright explains. His primary concern for the approaching months is “Fire. Particularly because we have such a broad area that’s affected.”
The New Normal
Historically, the West’s water systems depended on snow remaining in the mountains until mid-summer. However, climate change is altering these patterns. While this year’s drought appears anomalous now, experts caution that it may become commonplace in the future.
“As we look forward this year will become less and less unusual and may become not unusual at all at some point in the future,” warns Albright.
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Original Story at www.climatecentral.org