Dust on Snow

It's hard not to notice the dust accumulating on the peaks surrounding Aspen and the greater Roaring Fork Valley. On this beautiful Spring day, I drove from Aspen to Basalt and noticed what looked like dirty chalk on the mountain peaks. It's one thing to look at the dust on snow, it's quite another if it begins to negatively impact people living in the Valley.

Chris Landry from the Silverton-based Center for Snow and Avalanche Studies, says the dust makes the snow melt faster because it absorbs solar radiation. He said the snowpack on McClure Pass is already gone and snow on the peaks around Marble are melting quickly. He and his team recently visited these areas and took core samples of snow, which had reddish rings where the dust had settled.

With the quick snowmelt, comes a rapid spring runoff, which could limit the amount of time reservoir managers have to gather water and irrigators may get their biggest dose of water at the wrong time. Landry said it's all about timing and if the water flows sooner than is typical, there could be some issues. A prediction from the Colorado River Basin Forecast Center says the Colorado River in Grand Junction will peak Thursday. That's about three weeks ahead of what is typical.

So, unfortunately, the visual of dust on snow is just the small part. The eye-catching reddish-brown act of nature has far-reaching impacts.