Climate change is expected to affect the hydrological and ecological states of snow-dominated ecosystems, but"the precise impact is unclear," according to a study published in theSnow acts as a"bank account" for water reservoirs and stores up the resources over the winter, Will Wieder, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and author of the study, told ABC News.
Snowpack reduction, early snowmelt, lengthened growing seasons, increasingly dry soils and increased fire risk over the 21st century are expected under a high carbon-emissions scenario, the researchers found. This will be as a result of longer, hotter and drier summers combined with earlier snowmelt and longer snow-free seasons, Wieder said.
"It's sobering and surprising to see how much snowpack is predicted to be reduced by the end of this century and how much earlier spring snowmelt happens," Wieder said. The impacts are widespread, with peak snowpack in the Northern Hemisphere predicted to decline by over 50% by the end of the century, Wieder said.
Yall have become liberal...
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