Dust Up: The Growing Problem Affecting Snowpack and Water Supply

A new study is challenging the conventional wisdom about spring runoff in Colorado. A ‘dirty little secret’ about how fast rivers will rise as the snowpack melts that has little to do with temperature.

H2O Radio reports that dust on snow is affecting springtime runoff in mountain ranges worldwide. A new study in Colorado finds that windblown particulates deposited on snow control how fast rivers rise in the spring regardless of air temperature. And, climate change is making it tougher to deal with the problem.