Multiscale hydrologic impacts of dust deposition and climate warming in the Upper Colorado River Basin
Abstract
The Colorado River provides water to 30 million people in seven states and two countries. Climate models project runoff losses of 7-20% from the basin in this century due to human-induced climate change. Recent work has shown that decreased snow albedo from anthropogenic disturbance-induced dust loading to the CO mountains shortens the duration of snow cover by several weeks, and advances peak runoff at Lees Ferry, Arizona by an average of 3 weeks. Increases in evapotranspiration from earlier exposure of vegetation and soils decreases annual runoff by more than 1.0 billion cubic meters or ~5% of the annual average. This prior work was based on observed dust loadings during 2003-2008, however 2009 and 2010 saw unprecedented levels of dust loading on snowpacks in the Upper Colorado River basin on the order of 5 times the 2003-2008 loading. We examine the hydrologic impact of extreme dust years such as 2009/2010, and interactions with projected regional warming on the Upper Colorado River Basin and selected sub-basins.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AGUFM.C41D..07D
- Keywords:
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- 0736 CRYOSPHERE / Snow;
- 0740 CRYOSPHERE / Snowmelt;
- 1637 GLOBAL CHANGE / Regional climate change;
- 1863 HYDROLOGY / Snow and ice