Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover

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Editor's Highlight Read Full Article (file size: 353663 bytes) Cited by GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS, VOL. 34, L12502, doi:10.1029/2007GL030284, 2007 Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover Thomas H. Painter National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA Andrew P. Barrett National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA Christopher C. Landry Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, Silverton, Colorado, USA Jason C. Neff Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA Maureen P. Cassidy National Snow and Ice Data Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA Corey R. Lawrence Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA Kathleen E. McBride Department of Geography, Planning, and Recreation, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA G. Lang Farmer Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado, USA Abstract Snow cover duration in a seasonally snow covered mountain range (San Juan Mountains, USA) was found to be shortened by 18 to 35 days during ablation through surface shortwave radiative forcing by deposition of disturbed desert dust. Frequency of dust deposition and radiative forcing doubled when the Colorado Plateau, the dust source region, experienced intense drought (8 events and 39–59 Watts per square meter in 2006) versus a year with near normal precipitation (4 events and 17–34 Watts per square meter in 2005). It is likely that the current duration of snow cover and surface radiation budget represent a dramatic change from those before the widespread soil disturbance of the western US in the late 1800s that resulted in enhanced dust emission. Moreover, the projected increases in drought intensity and frequency and associated increases in dust emission from the desert southwest US may further reduce snow cover duration. Received 7 April 2007; accepted 22 May 2007; published 23 June 2007. Keywords: dust; radiative forcing; snowmelt. Index Terms: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801, 4906); 0736 Cryosphere: Snow (1827, 1863); 0740 Cryosphere: Snowmelt; 0764 Cryosphere: Energy balance. Read Full Article (file size: 353663 bytes) Cited by Citation: Painter, T. H., A. P. Barrett, C. C. Landry, J. C. Neff, M. P. Cassidy, C. R. Lawrence, K. E. McBride, and G. L. Farmer (2007), Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover, Geophys. Res. Lett., 34, L12502, doi:10.1029/2007GL030284. Copyright 2007 by the American Geophysical Union.

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