Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover
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
Publication Date: 2007
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