Dirty snow could impact spring snowmelt

The ugly brown snow that fell over much of Utah got everybody’s cars dirty. But it can also have an impact on spring runoff from the Wasatch Mountains. 

McKenzie Skiles, an assistant professor of geography at the University of Utah studies the effects of windblown dust and air pollution on winter snowfall. Dust and soot make the snow darker, so it absorbs more sunlight and melts faster, she explained.

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