The Dusty Cover on Snow Speeding up the Snow-melting

According to a new research by the NASA's Earth Science News Team, it has been reveled that dust controls the ratio of spring snow melting that is the main source of the headwaters of the Colorado River.

It has nothing to do with spring warmth. The amount of dust on the mountain snowpack affects the speed of Colorado Basin's rivers rise in the spring, not the air temperature. This study is being considered crucial to understand how freshwater resources will respond to rising temperatures, in the form of snow and ice. When layer of windblown dust or soot covers the snow, the dark topcoat of dust increases the amount of heat that the snow absorbs from sunlight. This is the first type of study to get on which has a stronger impact on spring runoff, warmer air temperatures or a dust coating on the snow. With the decrease in rainfall and increasing land disturbances, protective crusts on soil are removed and more bare soil is exposed. The dusty soils are picked up by winter and spring winds and drop it on the Colorado. The effects of dust dominated the pace of the spring runoff. In spite of this report we can not ignore the effects of air temperature as it continues to climb. In future it will also be a big challenge. In mountain ranges all over the world surface darkening has been observed that includes the Alps and the Himalaya. It’s a matter of deep concern.

By: Anita Aishvarya

Content: https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2674/dust-on-snow-controls-springtime-river-rise-in-west/