Joseph C. Blankinship, Matthew W. Meadows, Ryan G. Lucas, and Stephen C. Hart

Water Resources Research

Published date February 7, 2014

Snowmelt timing alters shallow but not deep soil moisture in the Sierra Nevada

  • Manipulates the timing of seasonal snowmelt in a high-elevation mixed-conifer forest in a Mediterranean climate during consecutive wet and dry years to understand how snowmelt timing effects soil water availability during the summer in terms of depth and persistence
  • Finds the hydrological signal of snowmelt timing was strongest in shallow soil
  • Finds that the effects of snowmelt timing on soil moisture lasted 2–4 months
  • Finds that advancing snowmelt timing by 2–3 weeks depleted shallow soil water by one third