Snowmelt response to simulated warming across a large elevation gradient, southern Sierra Nevada, California

Musselman, Keith N.; Molotch, Noah P.; Margulis, Steven A.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2847-2017

Articles | Volume 11, issue 6

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2847-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2847-2017

© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 11, issue 6

Research article

|

11 Dec 2017

Research article |

| 11 Dec 2017

Snowmelt response to simulated warming across a large elevation gradient, southern Sierra Nevada, California

Keith N. Musselman, Noah P. Molotch, and Steven A. Margulis

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Final revised paper (published on 11 Dec 2017)
Supplement to the final revised paper
Preprint (discussion started on 18 Jul 2017)
Supplement to the preprint

Interactive discussion

Status: closed

AC: Author comment | RC: Referee comment | SC: Short comment | EC: Editor comment

- Printer-friendly version

- Supplement

RC1: 'Reviewer comment for Musselman et al.', Eric Sproles, 03 Sep 2017
- AC1: 'Author response to Reviewer Comment', Keith Musselman, 16 Oct 2017
RC2: 'Useful illustration of elevation-dependent changes in snowpack due to climate warming', Brian Henn, 08 Sep 2017
- AC2: 'Author response to Reviewer Comment', Keith Musselman, 16 Oct 2017

Peer-review completion

AR: Author's response | RR: Referee report | ED: Editor decision

AR by Keith Musselman on behalf of the Authors (16 Oct 2017) Author's response Manuscript

ED: Referee Nomination & Report Request started (17 Oct 2017) by Ross Brown

ED: Publish as is (27 Oct 2017) by Ross Brown

AR by Keith Musselman on behalf of the Authors (30 Oct 2017)

Short summary

We present a study of how melt rates in the California Sierra Nevada respond to a range of warming projected for this century. Snowfall and melt were simulated for historical and modified (warmer) snow seasons. Winter melt occurs more frequently and more intensely, causing an increase in extreme winter melt. In a warmer climate, less snow persists into the spring, causing spring melt to be substantially lower. The results offer insight into how snow water resources may respond to climate change.