This is a solid explainer I will be keeping in quick draw to share during the season. I remember talking about this with multiple people at various resorts last season, without data to hand to have an intelligent discussion. As somebody located in Northern Virginia, the data center inundation will not stop. Each one consumes stunning amounts of water that are not returned to the watershed, mostly due to evaporation. Putting the water ON THE GROUND as snow is always a preferable outcome, even if I still think “fake” snow does not ski as well as the real thing.
re: your comment about snow returning to the watershed. Biosphere 2 is currently researching where water ends up when it rains on a mountain slope. They have sensors embeded all around an artificial slope in a closed system to find out how much seeps in versus runs off or evaporates. This could give interesting insight into how snow water stays in the area or not at ski areas. Keep a lookout for what they find (although it may be years out).
Great article (as always). I am reminded of my favorite lesson learned in Statistics - "Correlation is not causation." Climate change is an issue for the industry but claims of it's demise are greatly overstated!
This is a solid explainer I will be keeping in quick draw to share during the season. I remember talking about this with multiple people at various resorts last season, without data to hand to have an intelligent discussion. As somebody located in Northern Virginia, the data center inundation will not stop. Each one consumes stunning amounts of water that are not returned to the watershed, mostly due to evaporation. Putting the water ON THE GROUND as snow is always a preferable outcome, even if I still think “fake” snow does not ski as well as the real thing.
re: your comment about snow returning to the watershed. Biosphere 2 is currently researching where water ends up when it rains on a mountain slope. They have sensors embeded all around an artificial slope in a closed system to find out how much seeps in versus runs off or evaporates. This could give interesting insight into how snow water stays in the area or not at ski areas. Keep a lookout for what they find (although it may be years out).
Great article (as always). I am reminded of my favorite lesson learned in Statistics - "Correlation is not causation." Climate change is an issue for the industry but claims of it's demise are greatly overstated!