Researchers with the Long Term Ecological Research site at the University of Colorado’s Mountain Research Station on the Niwot Ridge of Colorado’s Indian Peaks work on the 2019 snow survey in the Green Lakes Valley, which includes the Arikaree Glacier and provides a substantial portion of Boulder, Colorado’s water supply. The LTER runs a snow survey in the valley every year. Credit: Michael Kodas Lack of monsoon rainfall last summer and spotty snowfall this winter combined to worsen the Western drought dramatically in the past year, and spring snowmelt won’t bring much relief. Critical April 1 measurements of snow accumulations from mountain ranges across the region show that most streams and rivers will once again flow well below average levels this year, stressing ecosystems and farms and depleting key reservoirs that are already at dangerously low levels. As the climate warms, it’s likely that drought conditions will worsen and […]