Nice timing: With record snowpacks across the West, new snowpack study suggests that carbon dioxide is causing "unusually severe declines" in the northern Rockies

Snowpack decline threatens water supplies - UPI.com

WASHINGTON, June 9 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests snowpack declines in the Rocky Mountains measured over the last 30 years are unusual compared with data going back the past few centuries.

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey says the decline can be linked to unusual springtime warming and changes in rainfall patterns.

The warming and snowpack decline are projected to worsen through the 21st century, threatening to put a strain on water supplies.
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Since the 1980s there have been declines in snowpack along the entire length of the Rocky Mountains with unusually severe declines in the north, the study found.

"Over most of the 20th century, and especially since the 1980s, the northern Rockies have borne the brunt of the snowpack losses," said USGS scientist Gregory Pederson, the lead author of the study.

[May 22, 2011]: Record Snowpack Across The West | Real Science