Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change
Abstract In this paper, we seek to understand how useful the Western United States Dynamically Downscaled Data set (WUS‐D3) is to water managers in California, as well as how climate change will impact the state's water resources. We analyze intrannual snowpack water storage skill of this data...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Geophysical Research Letters |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115768 |
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| author | Kyle Greenspan Branwen Williams Heather Williams Stefan Rahimi Alex Hall Lei Huang |
| author_facet | Kyle Greenspan Branwen Williams Heather Williams Stefan Rahimi Alex Hall Lei Huang |
| author_sort | Kyle Greenspan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract In this paper, we seek to understand how useful the Western United States Dynamically Downscaled Data set (WUS‐D3) is to water managers in California, as well as how climate change will impact the state's water resources. We analyze intrannual snowpack water storage skill of this data set over the southern Sierra Nevada, and project future changes in timing and magnitude of snowpack water storage over this region. We find that WUS‐D3 downscaled climate models are skillful at capturing peak SWE timing, but overestimate peak SWE and melt date. The model ensemble projects diminished peak SWE and earlier, shorter snowmelt seasons. Further improvements in intrannual skill of these data would be useful to water managers. Altered timing and magnitude of southern Sierra snowpack water storage will have impacts in that region and throughout California, indicating that we must accelerate climate change adaptation planning. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f8883d72bea349bebe9bfc2cabe111cf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geophysical Research Letters |
| spelling | doaj-art-f8883d72bea349bebe9bfc2cabe111cf2025-08-20T04:02:27ZengWileyGeophysical Research Letters0094-82761944-80072025-08-015215n/an/a10.1029/2025GL115768Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate ChangeKyle Greenspan0Branwen Williams1Heather Williams2Stefan Rahimi3Alex Hall4Lei Huang5Kravis Department of Integrated Sciences Claremont McKenna College Claremont CA USAKravis Department of Integrated Sciences Claremont McKenna College Claremont CA USADepartments of Politics & Environmental Analysis Pomona College Claremont CA USADepartment of Atmospheric Science University of Wyoming Laramie WY USACenter for Climate Science University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USACenter for Climate Science University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles CA USAAbstract In this paper, we seek to understand how useful the Western United States Dynamically Downscaled Data set (WUS‐D3) is to water managers in California, as well as how climate change will impact the state's water resources. We analyze intrannual snowpack water storage skill of this data set over the southern Sierra Nevada, and project future changes in timing and magnitude of snowpack water storage over this region. We find that WUS‐D3 downscaled climate models are skillful at capturing peak SWE timing, but overestimate peak SWE and melt date. The model ensemble projects diminished peak SWE and earlier, shorter snowmelt seasons. Further improvements in intrannual skill of these data would be useful to water managers. Altered timing and magnitude of southern Sierra snowpack water storage will have impacts in that region and throughout California, indicating that we must accelerate climate change adaptation planning.https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115768Sierra Nevadasnowpackclimate changewestern United States dynamically downscaled data setCaliforniawater resources |
| spellingShingle | Kyle Greenspan Branwen Williams Heather Williams Stefan Rahimi Alex Hall Lei Huang Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change Geophysical Research Letters Sierra Nevada snowpack climate change western United States dynamically downscaled data set California water resources |
| title | Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change |
| title_full | Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change |
| title_fullStr | Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change |
| title_short | Preparing for Uncertain Water Futures: An Analysis of Intrannual Snowpack Processes in the Southern Sierra Nevada Under Climate Change |
| title_sort | preparing for uncertain water futures an analysis of intrannual snowpack processes in the southern sierra nevada under climate change |
| topic | Sierra Nevada snowpack climate change western United States dynamically downscaled data set California water resources |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1029/2025GL115768 |
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