Leaner snowpack in Western Canada and United States mountain ranges is causing drier summers and increasing wildfire risk, says a new study from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Lead author Kate Hale said her team analyzed mountain snow data and found snowpack water storage decreased more than 25 per cent from 1950 to 2013. This, she said, can be attributed to earlier snowmelt, less snowfall and more rain.
B次元官网网址淲e actually saw some of the strongest signals up in the Canadian Rockies, by way of this decrease in snowfall and then earlier snowmelts and rainfall generation,B次元官网网址� Hale said in an interview.
Snowmelt serves as the primary water resource in western mountain regions, the study says. The ranges store snow throughout the winter, which then melts during spring and summer months when demand for water peaks.
Hale said snow in these regions typically wouldnB次元官网网址檛 start melting until late May or June, but has begun showing signs of snow thawing as early as March.
Such a shift in snowmelt may pose challenges for residents as much of the infrastructure in these regions were designed to adapt to when water becomes available, Hale said.
B次元官网网址淭he snowmelts are providing most of the downstream water resources, such that if there is more snowmelt occurring earlier in the year, that means there will be less available for later in the year,B次元官网网址� she said.
Holly Chubb, a climate researcher at the University of British Columbia, agreed, saying a serious decline in the snowpack would cause B次元官网网址渃ascading issuesB次元官网网址� for energy security in B.C.
B次元官网网址淲e rely on hydroelectric power as a major source to power our businesses, our homes and our schools, and the hydroelectric power is generally fed from the glacier, which fills our reservoirs,B次元官网网址� she said in an interview.
B次元官网网址淲e may have to really adjust our usage, our consumption, and think about actually how we are utilizing hydro power in B.C.B次元官网网址�
She said changes in snowmelt may impact soil and lead to an increase in the size and duration of wildfires.
It could also disrupt wildlife, she added. For instance, she said early snowmelt could shift the volume and temperature of rivers, which could prevent fish from spawning and reduce the provinceB次元官网网址檚 salmon population.
B次元官网网址淎ll of this information about the timing of snow melting is really, really essential to our cultural, economic and general energy security in British Columbia,B次元官网网址� she said.
She suggested governments follow advice from Indigenous leaders.
B次元官网网址淭hey have seen the changes in this landscape for thousands of years,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淭hey have a deep knowledge and relationship with the land, with salmon, with bears that we do not have and that knowledge system is incredibly valuable.B次元官网网址�
Nono Shen, The Canadian Press
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