Nationwide, civil engineers consider precipitation values from NOAA to design their structures. But those values are missing another contributor to flood risk: snowmelt.
Snow and ice
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Atmospheric Rivers Trigger Heavy Snowmelt in Western USA
A rare atmospheric phenomenon that transports large quantities of water vapor into the coastal watersheds of the western USA is responsible for up to 10–20% of intense snowmelt events in the region.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Capturing Snowmelt Patterns from Cloudy Satellite Images
A new modeling strategy could improve streamflow predictions in places where mountain snow is a critical source of water.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Restoring Natural Fire Regimes Can Yield More Water Downstream
Research in Yosemite National Park offers a new benchmark for understanding water balance changes in a mountainous basin 4 decades after its natural wildfire regime was reestablished.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Forested Streams May Warm More Than Observations Predict
Understanding how temperatures of cold-water streams respond to global warming could help clarify the impacts of climate change on aquatic ecosystems.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Using GPS Sensors to Capture Key Snowpack Properties
A low-cost, two-antenna GPS setup could enable valuable snow measurements in remote locations, improving predictions of runoff and avalanche risk.
Posted inNews
Simplifying How (and When and Where) Snow Turns into Flow
A Montana researcher has developed a map for predicting how climate change may alter the water supply.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
How Will Melting Glaciers Affect Streamflow?
High-resolution modeling of summertime streamflow in the Pacific Northwest reveals the effects of glacial retreat on streamflow will vary by elevation.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Cosmic Ray Neutrons Reveal Mountain Snowpacks
The first application of aboveground neutron sensing to evaluate alpine snowpacks indicates that this method can reliably detect average snow depth and water content across intermediate distances.