Dust storms in West indicate climate change, raise concern about reduced water supplies

A series of dust storms in Western Colorado and south of the Rocky Mountains has some worried about the causes (climate change?) and the effects (faster snowmelt?). Nicholas Riccardi reports for the Los Angeles Times that levels of dust in the region are five times the historic norm, and more 12 dust storms have occurred so far this year, compared to eight annually in the last three years. "Something's been going on, and I don't think we're exactly sure what,"Jason Neff, a hydrologist at the University of Colorado, told Riccardi.

The dust, which has been a reddish-brown color, has not yet begun adversely affecting operations like ski resorts, but further testing has been called for. The increased dust may speed up snowmelt and cut water supply; mountains that usually remain snow-covered until midsummer are already almost bare in western Colorado.

Even without the current storms, forecasters predict that global warming will decrease soil quality in the western U.S. to dust-bowl levels by 2050, Riccardi reports. Jayne Belnap, a scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey, told him, "This is the kind of world we need to imagine we're going to be living in and decide if we can afford this dust." (Read more)