Brief Communication: Early season snowpack loss and implications for oversnow vehicle recreation travel planning

• Published in: The Cryosphere
• Main Authors: B. J. Hatchett, H. G. Eisen
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Copernicus Publications 2019
• Subjects: Environmental sciences; GE1-350; Geology; QE1-996.5; The Cryosphere
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-21-2019; https://doaj.org/article/447843c096114afbb969e2ed0b42031e

Oversnow vehicle recreation contributes to rural economies but requires a minimum snow depth to mitigate negative impacts on the environment. Daily snow water equivalent (SWE) observations from weather stations in the Lake Tahoe region (western USA) and a SWE reanalysis product are used to estimate the onset dates of SWE corresponding to ∼30 cm in snow depth (SWE min ). Since 1985, median SWE min onset has shifted later by approximately 2 weeks. Potential proximal causes of delayed onset are investigated; rainfall is increasing during October–January with dry days becoming warmer and more frequent. Adaptation strategies to address oversnow vehicle management challenges in recreation travel planning are explored.