Impact of disturbed desert soils on duration of mountain snow cover

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 34; no. 12
• Main Authors: Painter, Thomas H., Barrett, Andrew P., Landry, Christopher C., Neff, Jason C., Cassidy, Maureen P., Lawrence, Corey R., McBride, Kathleen E., Farmer, G. Lang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2007; American Geophysical Union
• Subjects: dust; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Exact sciences and technology; radiative forcing; snowmelt; Rocky Mountains; Colorado Plateau; United States; San Juan Mountains; U. S. Rocky Mountains; Argentina, San Juan; USA, Colorado Plateau; short period waves; mountains; projects; atmospheric precipitation; Dust fall out; ablation; Radiation balance; Perturbation; North America; Desert soils; frequency; intensity; currents; deserts; drought; Radiative transfer; Snow cover; Forcing; soils; dust

Snow cover duration in a seasonally snow covered mountain range (San Juan Mountains, USA) was found to be shortened by 18 to 35 days during ablation through surface shortwave radiative forcing by deposition of disturbed desert dust. Frequency of dust deposition and radiative forcing doubled when the...