A depleted New Mexico snowpack is causing concern because the region relies on it for an essential source of water when it eventually melts.
What’s happening?
A hydrologist with the National Weather Service office in Albuquerque, New Mexico, voiced his concern about a diminished snowpack he observed during the middle of winter. It’s a time of the year when accumulating snow can hopefully fuel a growing snowpack in New Mexico. Some light snow during the middle of January didn’t offer much hope for a snowpack recovery.
“It cannot be stressed strongly enough that this little dusting of snow is not going to save us, in terms of water supply,” said National Weather Service hydrologist Andrew Mangham, per Source NM. Mangham warned that if the current weather pattern doesn’t change, “we could be looking at a particularly dangerous fire weather season.”
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report notes that drought conditions have expanded across New Mexico. Over 60% of the state is experiencing at least a moderate drought, an increase of more than 3% compared to last week’s report. Almost a third of the state is now in an extreme to exceptional drought, levels four and five out of five, respectively.
“February 1 snowpack conditions are far from optimistic for New Mexico’s forecast basins, with persistent dry conditions pervading the state as we move deeper into the winter season,” according to the latest Natural Resources Conservation Service’s New Mexico Basin Water Supply Outlook report. “Extremely low to absent snow conditions dominated the state’s major river catchments as of the end of January, with accumulated Snow Water Equivalent dropping to or below the record lows in many locations.”
Why is a depleted snowpack in New Mexico important?
The implications of an ongoing drought and depleted snowpack in New Mexico are serious. An analysis by Climate Central concluded that mountain snowpack in the western U.S. declined by an average of 15-30% between 1955 and 2020.
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“Melting snowpack provides an essential water supply to rivers and reservoirs in the Western U.S. in their drier summer months,” the analysis stated. In addition to threatening water supplies for millions of people, dry conditions mean more fuel for wildfires.
An overheating planet is driving extremes on both ends of the hydrological spectrum. The warming world is effectively supercharging thunderstorms, like the ones that produced extreme flooding in Roswell, New Mexico, last October that killed at least two people. Where it is dry, rising temperatures are contributing to deeper droughts.
“We’re seeing an acceleration,” Mangham added. “Where it’s getting hotter, faster, and you’re seeing greater extremes.”
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What’s being done about reductions in water supplies?
New technology is offering hope. Researchers are developing new methods of desalination that have the potential to save millions of people. Last year, Spain used a 1,000-year-old technology to combat a historic drought. A startup is trying to revolutionize household water access with “water generators” that extract moisture from the air for drinking.
It is essential to reduce the heat-trapping gases contributing to Earth’s overheating. Supporting ethical brands whose mission includes fighting for a better future can help. Talking to family and friends about critical climate issues and advocating for change at work can also help.
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