TERC: Changing Snowpack, Hazards, and Backcountry Safety

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. - Join UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, for an evening in-person presentation by Andrew Schwartz of the Central Sierra Snow Lab.

Snow is a vital resource. It supplies at least 30 percent of California's freshwater, has a significant role in ecosystem regulation and health, and is invaluable to outdoor recreation. Snowpack season is becoming shorter and snowfall is gradually being replaced with cold-season rain as air temperatures increase. As a result, new hazards have developed in areas where the seasonal snowpack is typical in response to changes in snowfall and snowpack.

Andrew Schwartz is the lead scientist at the UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab (CSSL) and has been researching winter weather, its trends, and its impacts for over a decade. Using historical records from the CSSL, some of which are the longest of their kind in the world, he will discuss snowpack trends being seen in the Sierra Nevada, how they are redefining our fire seasons and natural disasters, and their impacts on the recreation and safety of outdoor enthusiasts. Andrew will also discuss additional actions that can be taken to ensure safety in the backcountry and measures to curb the loss of snow.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for appetizers and drinks. The presentation will begin at 6 p.m. in Room TCES 139/141 of the UC Davis Tahoe Science Center, 291 Country Club Drive, Incline Village, Nevada. Tickets are $10 for the general public, and free for students and staff. Make a reservation HERE.

This event is being held as part of the annual Backcountry Safety Awareness Week. Learn more at https://takecaretahoe.org/backcountry/.