Colorado: Chilly January, but few records broken

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Bob Berwyn
rwqerqwe

Several Colorado weather stations reported record-low daytime high temps in January.

Salt Lake City suffers through weeks of air quality problems

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — When the weather history of January is written, it might be all about the persistent cold air pools that lingered in many western valleys, setting the stage for record-low temperatures, something that’s been quite uncommon in recent years.

In Summit County, only one temperature record was broken during the month, a record minimum high of 7 degrees on Jan. 16 at the Dillon weather station. The previous record-old high temperature for the day was 9 degrees, set not all that long ago, in 2007.

No record highs were set in Summit County, but nearby, Climax broke its all-time record high for January 27, hitting 44 degrees. The previous record of 42 degrees was set back in 1927. A few spots nearby, notably Williams Fork Dam, set both daily record high and low readings. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Cheatgrass implicated in Great Basin fire regime

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

asdfasd

Satellite images help pinpoint land-cover and fire patterns

By Summit Voice

FRISCO — Along with global warming, new research suggests that invasive cheatgrass is a significant factor in the proliferation of more intense fires in the intermountain West, and specifically in the Great Basin.

“Although this result has been suspected by managers for decades, this study is the first to document recent cheatgrass-driven fire regimes at a regional scale, the scientists wrote, describing the study that relied partly on satellite images captured between 2000 and 2009 to create a detailed land-cover map of the Great Basin. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Environment, public lands, wildfires | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

Climate: New clues for ancient Great Basin lakes

Posted on September 30, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Nevada’s Walker Lake is a remnant of one of the great inland lakes that covered parts of the Great Basin during the last glacial cooling period. Image courtesy NASA Earth Observatory.

Glacial climate regime may have enhanced Southwest Monsoon

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Geologists and paleoclimatologists have long known that the great basins of the intermountain West were once filled with water, forming vast inland seas. At the peak of the last glacial cooling period, about 14,000 to 20,000 years ago as much as a quarter of Nevada and Utah were covered with water.

What’s not exactly clear is where and when the water came from, but a new study led by a Texas A&M researcher offers additional clues, suggesting that the additional moisture came from a powerful, enhanced summer monsoon.

First, the scientists set out to test the prevailing hypothesis that the water resulted from a shift in the winter storm track that now generally carries storm to the north of the Great Basin, into northern California, Washington and Oregon. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Drought, global warming | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Water: BLM study shows widespread impacts of Las Vegas diversion plan

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

A massive water diversion proposal in Nevada would permanently damage fragile aquatic ecosystems in the Great Basin desert.

Proposed mitigation inadequate, critics say

By Summit Voice

A massive Las Vegas water grab aimed at siphoning 37 billion gallons from underground aquifers could destroy more than 137,000 acres of wildlife habitat by lowering groundwater tables — by up to 200 feet in many areas.

Species associated with the springs and wetlands are most at risk, but the diversions would also drive declines in species like mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, sage grouse and Bonneville cutthroat trout, according to the Bureau of Land Management’s final environmental impact statement for the pipeline right-of-way for the Southern Nevada Water Authority’s groundwater development project.

Conservation advocates say the study shows what they’ve been claiming all along — that the project is unsustainable and will result in unacceptable impacts to ecosystems.

“The federal government’s own scientists are confirming this Las Vegas water project would be an epic environmental disaster,” said Rob Mrowka, a Nevada-based ecologist with the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s really no exaggeration to say that the natural, cultural and social heritage of central Nevada is at grave risk from this project.” (more…)

Filed under: BLM, Environment, water | Tagged: , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Global warming: New evidence of Great Basin pika decline

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Great Basin pika populations are dwindling fast, as global warming shrinks their habitat. Photo courtesy Kim Fenske.

Tiny mountain mammals vanishing from peaks of the intermountain West

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY —Some of North America’s most vulnerable mammals are definitely feeling the heat of global warming, as  localized pika extinctions in the Great Basin have increased at five times the 20th century average in the last 10 years.

Pikas have long been considered sentinels of climate change impacts because they are sensitive to small changes in climate and are often exposed to frequent swings in temperature and wind speed, poorly developed soils and generally harsher conditions than animals living at lower elevations.

American pikas are small, mountain-dwelling mammals that lives in rocky talus slopes and lava flows typically found in mountain ecosystems throughout the western United States.

A recent Colorado study found that pikas are holding their own in the southern Rockies, at least for now, but the pika habitat in the Great Basin is much more constrained by elevation and vegetation.

The Great Basin study also found that the lowest elevation that pikas are occupying moved upslope 11 times faster during the past decade than during the 2oth century, suggesting that their habitat is now shrinking rapidly.

The researchers also found that there may be some resiliency in pikas, which may start using non-traditional habitats, enabling them to live on the edge of their climatic niche.

 

Filed under: biodiversity, climate and weather, endangered species, Environment, global warming, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

10,000 acre Nevada wildfire started as a prescribed burn

Posted on June 20, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

North Schell fire 15 percent contained

The North Schell Fire perimter map, courtesy U.S. Forest Service.

The North Schell Fire in Nevada. Photo courtesy BLM.

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — One of the biggest new wildfires burning in the West started as a prescribed burn that escaped control during one of the driest seasons on record in the Great Basin.

The North Schell Fire in Nevada has burned across more than 10,000 acres and is estimated at 15 percent containment. It’s burning in the North Schell Range, not far from Ely, in eastern Nevada.

Fuels include white fir, mountain mahogany, piñon-pine, juniper, and sagebrush. The fire is making occasional runs, along with spotting and torching in extremely difficult terrain. More than 200 firefighters are on scene with more resources arriving.

Fire officials said there is extreme potential for the fire to grow, with temperatures in the high 70s and 80s and relative humidity in the single digits.

Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

BLM to limit impacts in sage grouse habitat

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Greater sage grouse. PHOTO COURTESY U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE.

Interim measures aimed at providing guidance for more pending land-use plans — and some certainty for private landowners
By Bob Berwyn
SUMMIT COUNTY — The Bureau of Land Management this week took a  step toward preserving habitat for greater sage grouse by limiting disturbance in areas identified as priority habitat.
The iconic western bird  once flourished across the sagebrush ocean of the Great Basin, but has declined in recent decades as a result of habitat fragmentation from agriculture, ranching, oil and gas development and other human development pressures.
Greater sage grouse is one of many species deemed worthy of protection under the Endangered Species Act but precluded from listing because of more immediate threats to other species. More information on the status of the species at this U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, Colorado, endangered species, Environment, Summit County news, wildlife | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

Global warming: California may list pikas as endangered

Posted on October 24, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

A pika near Aspen, Colorado. PHOTO BY KIM FENSKE.

The alpine mammals are quickly disappearing from marginal low-elevation habitat

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Pikas in Colorado may be holding their own at high elevations, but in California, the alpine mammals are quickly disappearing from areas like Mt. Lassen and the Bodie Hills as their habitat succumbs to global warming.

As a result, the  California Fish and Game Commission last week voted to designate the American pika as a  candidate for protection under the California Endangered Species Act, marking the first step toward full protection for the animals.

The Center for Biological Diversity first asked California to protect pikas in 2007, but the commission denied the petition twice, claiming there wasn’t enough evidence to show that the species is threatened by global warming. (more…)

Filed under: biodiversity, endangered species, Summit County news | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Summit County weatherblog: Ready for the monsoon?

Posted on July 5, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Wilderness Sports sponsors the Summit Voice weatherblog. Click to visit Wilderness Sports online.

Summer rains could be boosted by evaporating snow

A National Weather Service graphic shows what a typical post-La Niña monsoon could look like.

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — You might want to get your outdoor yah-yahs out of the way early the next few days, as the National Weather Service is predicting an early onset of the monsoon season, with a good chance for afternoon thunderstorms through the rest of the week. Wednesday could be the wettest day, as a plume of subtropical moisture takes direct aim at the high country, but scattered daily rain can be expected right on through next weekend.

Specifically, the National Weather Service says there is a 40 to 50 percent chance of rain through Friday, with highs in the low 70s each day and overnight lows in the mid-40s, fairly close to seasonal averages. The record high for July 5 is 84 degrees, set in 2001. The record low, a chilly 24 degrees, set way back in 1931. Frisco’s all-time record high for July is 89 degrees, a reading that hasn’t been reached since 1939.

The U.S. southwestern monsoon season occurs when winter and spring’s jet stream-driven westerlies retreat to the north. Instead of being dominated by incoming cyclonic storms off the Pacific, the weather in the Southwest and the Rockies is influenced by the clockwise rotation of air around a big area of high pressure parked in the center of the country, often over Texas. The rotation draws moist air northward from the Gulf of Mexico, the Gulf of California and the eastern Pacific. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, Environment, La Niña, seasons, Snow and weather, Summit County Colorado, Summit County snow and weather | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Weatherblog: More spring snow!

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

Wilderness Sports sponsors the Summit Voice weatherblog. Click to visit Wilderness Sports online.

Leon Littlebird celebrates the first day of spring by carving some fresh powder during a snowcat skiing session at Monarch Mountain.

On and off showers to persist through the week; avalanches likely higher backcountry terrain

By Summit Voice

SUMMIT COUNTY — Spring roared into Colorado with a chilly, blustery storm that dropped snow statewide, including 10 inches at Winter Park, and 9 inches at Wolf Creek, Silverton, Eldora, Aspen Mountain and Monarch. Nearly every ski area picked up almost half-a-foot snow as a dynamic cold front swept across the state Tuesday.

A few lingering showers Wednesday morning should give way to mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures as transitory high pressure builds across the Rockies while yet another systems winds up over Southern California and head into the Great Basin and shoots over Colorado Thursday. (more…)

Filed under: avalanches, climate and weather, Colorado, La Niña, seasons, snow, Snow and weather, Summit County snow and weather, Weatherblog | Tagged: , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Next Page »
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 5,717 other followers