By Michael Collins, Teravana
“When the skiing is bad, everything is bad.” In her book Powder Days, Heather Hansman discusses winter erosion and its effect on the skiing industry. Ski areas take a direct hit when winters are less snowy, when there is more rain than in the past, or when winters are short.
It is fair to say there still are winters with big snow, especially in the Western ski mountains, but according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, April snowpack across the American West has declined by about 23 percent on average between 1955 and 2022. What’s happening at ski areas, especially on the East Coast, is an outward sign of increasingly warmer winters. But ski areas are only a small part of the story. Reflecting the above quote by Hansman, an investigation of snowpack out in nature reveals more boldly how vital snow is to overall ecological balance.
Without snowpack, particularly in the Western river basins, rivers do not flow healthily, ecosystems do not succeed and thrive, drinking water grows scarce, and eco-tourism and recreation activities like rafting take a hit. Less melt affects streamflows, increases fire risk, and hampers hydropower production for farms and agriculture. One of the most important benefits of a healthy and on-time melting snowpack is how it keeps water available for flora and fauna in the dry spring and summer months.
When the melt starts too early or is not robust, the streamflows get out of sync with ecological processes like salmon spawning. Along with rising water temps, streams with increasingly less water are causing salmon to dwindle in places like the Pacific Northwest, a direct result of smaller mountain snowpacks (State of Salmon in Watersheds). The impact on salmon shows how one event can affect so many others.
Less snowpack and shorter winters bring to light other problems, such as a parched vegetation and ground. In the article “The Vanishing Rio Grande: Warming Takes a Toll on a Legendary River,” Jim Robbins writes about the diminishing water levels of the Rio Grande and concordant effects on the ecosystem. He discusses how vapor pressure deficit happens when warming temperatures “[wick] more water out of the snow, the land, trees, rivers, and streams.” So, not only is the snow melting quicker because of the temperatures, but it is also being pulled into the thirsty land at a quick pace. Warm temps and drought also create more airborne dust; when the dust settles on the snow, it causes the snow to absorb heat and melt faster (Robbins, 2022).
While snowpack can be measured year to year, especially at ski mountains with little defense against the weather, foresters are looking at different ways to adapt. For example, opening the canopy to allow cold air to reach the ground more directly or, conversely, protecting the canopy from closing and keeping out warmer sunlight and wind can impact the snowpack.
Along these lines, preventing wildfires can help keep shade in and keep temps lower. The Nature Conservancy.org talks about the need to take action in an article about the Western Cascades of Washington: “Now we cross our fingers that open canopies yield later melt-out dates in Washington’s eastern Cascades. That would mean our forest-thining prescription for fire resilience matches our needs for water resilience. If they are at odds, well, then we need to get more creative about where we manage for water and where we manage for fire. Ignoring one or the other simply isn’t an option.” These writings focusing on snowpack are a stark reminder of an ever-changing environment.
Water shortage is a global crisis. Raising awareness of how important snow is to our most resilient trees and people who need drinking water to survive is a step towards allowing nature to function like it wants to.
REFERENCES
Climate Change Indicators: Snowpack. United States Environmental Protection Agency. July, 2022. https://www.epa.gov/climate-indicators/climate-change-indicators-snowpack#ref1
Hansman, Heather. Powder Days: Ski Bums, Ski Towns and the Future of Chasing Snow. Hanover Square Press, 2021.
Howe, Emily. “Allocating Water as Snowpack Declines.” The Nature Conservancy.org.
Pressure: Warming Temperatures Are Altering Salmon Streams. State of Salmon.wa.gov.
https://stateofsalmon.wa.gov/executive-summary/challenges/climate/
Robbins, Jim. “The Vanishing Rio Grande: Warming Takes a Roll on a Legendary River.” 2022. Yale Environment 360.
https://e360.yale.edu/features/warming-and-drought-take-a-toll-on-the-once-mighty-rio-grande
