A DUSTY SHADE OF WINTER: MONITORING DUST AND SEASONAL SNOWPACK PROPERTIES TO IMPROVE SNOWMELT PREDICTION IN THE CENTRAL WASATCH

The Wasatch Mountains of Utah are crucial to providing water to local hydrologic systems. The majority of the water resources in the region come from snowmelt, contributing to groundwater aquifers, stream flow, and reservoirs. These local systems in turn supply communities and agricultural areas with the water resources they depend on throughout the year. With the changing climate, multiple factors can enhance snowmelt, such as the deposition of dust and other pollutants leading to a snow albedo feedback. In collaboration with Sundance Mountain Resort and the University of Utah, we have established a snow monitoring site in the central Wasatch to gather key insights into these processes. This study will build on previous years' data from the snow monitoring program while integrating field observations and new data from a recently installed weather station at the study plot. This research aims to monitor changes in the seasonal snowpack that lead to enhanced snowmelt. We will collect a suite of standard snow pit properties throughout the spring season and include detailed sampling for dust on snow events. This data will lead to a better understanding of the snowpack processes in the area, supplying crucial information to improve existing snowpack models for predicting the timing and magnitude of spring and summer stream discharge in the region.