Magnitudes and timing of seasonal peak snowpack water equivalents in Arizona: A preliminary study of the possible effects of recent climatic change

Abstract

Field measurements and computer-based predictions suggest that the magnitudes of seasonal peak snowpack water equivalents are becoming less and the timing of these peaks is occurring earlier in the snowmelt-runoff season of the western United States. These changes in peak snowpack conditions have often been attributed to a warming of the regional climate. To determine if these changes are also occurring in Arizona, almost 75 years of water equivalent measurements on snow courses maintained by the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service and their cooperators have been analyzed in a preliminary study of possible effects of recent climatic change. The results of this analysis agree generally with the findings of other studies in the Western states.

Citation

Ffolliott, Peter F.; Gottfried, Gerald J. 2010. Magnitudes and timing of seasonal peak snowpack water equivalents in Arizona: A preliminary study of the possible effects of recent climatic change. Journal of The Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. 42(1): 1-4.