Other expected effects include water scarcity in some regions and increased precipitation in others, changes in mountain snowpack, and adverse health effects from warmer temperatures.
Longwave radiation is received by the snowpack from many sources, including ozone, carbon dioxide, and water vapor present in all levels of the atmosphere.
Mountain hemlock is adapted to sites with long-lasting snowpacks.
If snowfall stays on the ground for a series of years uninterrupted, the snowpack develops into a mass of ice called glacier.
The average snowpack per year is 10.5 feet, with over 15 feet of snow depositing in certain areas.
High surface temperatures can intensify droughts by enhancing evapotranspiration in summer, and increasing sublimation and melting of the snowpack during winter.
Snowpacks are an important water resource that feed streams and rivers as they melt.
Variations in substrate, topography, moisture, and snowpack depth and duration determine the vegetation community.
