California Ski Resorts Face Drastic Snow Loss by 2100 Due to Climate Change

Climate change continues to present daunting challenges across various sectors, and it seems the recreational winter sports industry is not immune. A new study from UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography predicts that most ski resorts in California, especially those located between 5,000 and 10,000 feet, could lose a significant portion of their snowpack by 2100.

Source: 23 ABC News | KERO/Youtube

The study points out that atmospheric rivers, which originate from the Pacific Ocean and cause warmer and wetter storm systems, are primarily responsible for this looming threat. These weather systems produce snow at higher altitudes and rain at lower ones. As these storms continue to grow warmer due to Climate change, they will push the snowline higher, reducing the snowpack at lower altitudes.

Sadly, only three ski resorts in California – Mammoth, Kirkwood, and Heavenly – have summits over 10,000 feet. The remaining resorts, which include Palisades Tahoe, Sierra at Tahoe, and Northstar, could face up to a 70% reduction in their snowpack as the snowline recedes by 1,300 to 1,600 feet between 2050 and 2100.

The silver lining, however, is that the highest resorts, like Mammoth, could actually see more snow at their summits. This is due to the atmospheric rivers becoming warmer and depositing more moisture at the highest elevations.

The researchers arrived at these conclusions after studying 70 years of snow data. They caution that even though there may still be significant snowfall in some years, these occurrences will become less frequent.

According to lead researcher Alexander Gershunov, by the end of the century, “Low elevation mountains will be more and more likely to be snow-free.”

The study underlines the urgency to combat Climate change in order to protect our winters and the recreational activities that so many of us enjoy.

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