This year’s snowpack the bleakest in 500 years, scientists say

[petronius]

The winter snowpack in the High Sierra was abysmal this year, and now California’s blue oaks have put a historic stamp on the season: It was the smallest in 500 years.

Examining a sample tree-ring survey of more than 1,500 of the trees, some living and others long dead, scientist also found that the water content of the meager snow was only 5 percent of the historical range over the five-century period.

“The tree-ring surveys for recent years indicated that snowpacks in the Sierra were diminishing, and we were expecting that 2015 would be extreme, but nothing like this,” said Valerie Trouet, a tree-ring specialist who helped lead the research with a team of scientists at the University of Arizona.

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http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/This-year-s-snowpack-the-bleakest-in-500-years-6503680.php

Yowsers.

I just got back from a hike in the Sierra and I was pleased to see that the high elevation lakes we visited were not hugely low and the streams were somewhat reasonable for this time of year, but there were a lot of dead trees on the way up, the reservoirs were barren, and the persistent pall of smoke was quite disturbing...

[Raster]

1. Welcome to human-induced climate change in the 21st century.

[padfun]

2. Lots of smoke in the air Saturday

I was driving up Highway 50 through El Dorado Hills and Cameron Park towards Placerville this last Saturday and the smoke in the air was appalling. It was quite thick. I imagine that it will be smoky towards the Sierra Peaks but I didn't go that far up. I stopped at Placerville.