Sierra Nevada Snow Won’t End California’s Thirst

It has been very clear over the past few decades that water is scarce on the west coast.  This year, however was what many hoped to be the end of a long drought because it is an El nino year.  However, recently Dr. Roger C. Bales and other members of the Sierra Critical Zone Observatory have noticed that not nearly enough snow has fallen for that to be true.  Although they have seen a dramatic increase in precipitation levels, much more of it was rain and not snow as they had hoped.  This causes a much quicker release of water which is not as beneficial as the slow release from melting snow because the ground is not able to use all of the water efficiently in such large amounts.  Much of the specific facts for total snow pack and rainfall have not been compiled yet but it is obvious, there has been a dramatic change from the old norm.  They have found that this change is so dramatic that water is flowing off the mountains two weeks earlier than it used to.  This is also due to trees.  Trees use a lot of water not only to grow and photosynthesize but also just by catching snow and rain on their leaves and absorbing the heat from the sun causing a large portion of the snow and rain to evaporate rather than run into the water supply.  Furthermore, the warmer conditions are causing faster tree growth and a shorter period of “shut down” for the trees because it is warm enough for them to operate for longer.  This only adds to the amount of snow that the trees are using up and takes more from the water supply.  This is not only affecting people but also many trees are being affected in late summer due to lack of water.  Furthermore, the author notes that we are part of the reason the trees are taking so much of the water.  By keeping a constant policy of quick suppression of small forest fires which are beneficial in nature and would clear many trees, we are preventing a lot of snow pack by keeping a high tree density.  If we allowed these natural fires to occur, the snow-pack would dramatically be increased.  

This topic is relevant because this water problem has become very important in California.  Now, many regulations have been put on water use forcing big users like golf courses and hotels either out of business or to find new landscaping methods.  Furthermore, many people are not able to water their lawns or even have drinking water at the prices they used to.  California recently built a desalination plant that would add to the water supply but at a very high cost compared to collecting runoff.  The fact that even in an El Nino year, we are not able to use all of the water because it was not in the right form does not bode well for the future and signifies that something drastic needs to be done now.  

Overall this article was very well written and thoughtful with only a few minor flaws.  I felt like this article was a little ahead of its time, the author should have waited until the rest of the facts were compiled to write this article because it would have dramatically added to the credibility of the story.  On the other hand, the author did a very good job at describing the whole situation and quoting scientists and some other facts to really make it clear what the problem is and how important and pressing this issue is.  To improve this article, I would suggest the author add a little more info about past snowpack and how it has changed over the years and compare that to what we have seen this year to give the reader some context.  

Fountain, Henry. "Sierra Nevada Snow Won’t End California’s Thirst." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Apr. 2016. Web. 11 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/science/california-snow-drought-sierra-nevada-water.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fscience&action=click&contentCollection=science®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0>.