Gibson et al. (2026) The dual role of snowfall in impacting surface albedo and spring snowmelt in the Upper Colorado River Basin

Identification

• Journal: npj Climate and Atmospheric Science
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-07-13
• Authors: Leah D. Gibson, Marianne Cowherd, Allison C. Aiken, William J. Rudisill, Laura Riihimaki, Daniel Feldman
• DOI: 10.1038/s41612-026-01446-0

Research Groups

• Earth and Environmental Sciences Area, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL)
• Environmental Science, Policy, and Management Department, University of California-Berkeley
• Department of Earth Sciences, Montana State University
• Earth & Environmental Sciences Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory
• Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder
• Global Monitoring Laboratory, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Short Summary

This study investigates the dual role of snowfall in impacting surface albedo and spring snowmelt in the Upper Colorado River Basin. The results show that wet deposition events, which account for the majority of dust loading, can accelerate melt and decrease snowpack duration.

Objective

• Investigate the impact of snowfall on surface albedo and spring snowmelt in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
• Quantify the contributions of wet and dry deposition of dust to radiative forcing and snowpack evolution.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: The study focuses on the East River Watershed (ERW) near Crested Butte, Colorado, a well-instrumented sub-basin of the Upper Colorado River Basin.
• Temporal Scale: The study uses observations from September 1, 2021 to June 15, 2023, during the SAIL, SPLASH, and SOS campaigns.

Methodology and Data

• Models used: PointSnobal snow model and SNOBAL model.
• Data sources: Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory (SAIL) campaign data, including precipitation, aerosol concentration measurements, radiative fluxes, and snow depth observations.

Main Results

• Wet deposition events account for the majority of dust loading in the ERW, with 54% in 2022 and 86% in 2023.
• Dust radiative forcing by wet deposition events alone moved up the date of snow disappearance by 14 days in 2023.
• The study shows that infrequent wet deposition events can significantly alter snowmelt timing.

Contributions

• This study provides new insights into the role of wet deposition in impacting surface albedo and spring snowmelt in the Upper Colorado River Basin.
• The results highlight the importance of considering not only the quantity of snowfall but also its quality, as wet deposition events can accelerate melt and decrease snowpack duration.

Funding

• This research was supported by the Department of Energy's (DOE) Surface Atmosphere Integrated field Laboratory (SAIL) campaign.
• Additional funding was provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Study of Precipitation and the Lower Atmosphere and Surface for Hydrometeorology (SPLASH) campaign.

Citation

@article{Gibson2026dual,
  author = {Gibson, Leah D. and Cowherd, Marianne and Aiken, Allison C. and Rudisill, William J. and Riihimaki, Laura and Feldman, Daniel},
  title = {The dual role of snowfall in impacting surface albedo and spring snowmelt in the Upper Colorado River Basin},
  journal = {npj Climate and Atmospheric Science},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41612-026-01446-0},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41612-026-01446-0}
}