Thirsty Sierra Nevada trees offer clues to predicting water flow into reservoirs
As more winter precipitation is falling as rain instead of snow, it’s changing how much water flows into reservoirs. It turns out it might be changing how much water trees can drink, too.
Meadow ‘sponges’ can help store water as snowpack shrinks
A project to restore a damaged meadow in the Sierra Nevada shows the possibilities for improving an important mountain ecosystem. It can also store precious groundwater as climate change shrinks mountain snowpack, a vital source of fresh water in the American West.
Trees move uphill as Sierra Nevada climate warms
Warming Sierra Nevada temperatures mean young trees of cold-adapted species are growing at elevations hundreds of feet higher than trees counted 80 years ago — taking entire habitats with them.
Shrinking Sierra snowpack: Warming temperatures shift snow to rain, forcing water agencies to adapt
As wintertime temperatures warm in the Sierra Nevada, precipitation shifts from snow to rain. That means snowpack is shrinking — and changing the entire foundation for people’s water supply across the American West.
