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Bizarre Dust Stains Snow-Capped Rockies

Dust could leave crops dehydrated by late summer

By Wesley Oliver,  Newser Staff

Posted May 24, 2009 3:37 PM CDT

(Newser) – A veil of dust coating the snowcapped Colorado Rockies is accelerating river runoff and has farmers scrambling to avoid an arid crop season, the Los Angeles Times reports. An unusually high number of dust storms and unseasonably warm temperatures have caused rivers to swell near flood stage. “It creates a high-pressured game of Twister for water managers,” said an expert.

Scientists blame off-road vehicles, mountain bikers, and energy exploration for kicking up the dust, which has turned the snow brown and red and can speed up snowmelt by a month. Levels are five times the norm, but so far, ski resorts aren’t worried. Marveled one rep, “You'd ski, turn around and look at your tracks, and they'd be red chocolate.”

Dust blows from the dry bed of Dillon Reservoir in Dillon, Colo. Low snowpack and dry conditions have created a serious drought in the west.
Dust blows from the dry bed of Dillon Reservoir in Dillon, Colo. Low snowpack and dry conditions have created a serious drought in the west.   (Getty Images)
A dusting of snow covers the contours of part of the Roan Plateau in this photograph taken on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, near Eagle, Colo.
A dusting of snow covers the contours of part of the Roan Plateau in this photograph taken on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2003, near Eagle, Colo.   (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
This image provided by Vail Resorts shows a light dusting of early season snow at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado's High Country Monday, Oct. 6, 2008.
This image provided by Vail Resorts shows a light dusting of early season snow at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado's High Country Monday, Oct. 6, 2008.   (AP Photo/Vail Resorts, Jack Affleck)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
riffran
May 26, 2009 1:15 AM CDT
poor poor madeyline.....dont wory that nasty yeast infection will go away...just keep using the vagisil...........now as for the dust thing.......surrounding countryside being more dry, over way more than "just the mountains" in area would certainly explain the issue...just not the evil offroader, and exploration vehicle.....just think about it...how tons of dust would have to be dispensed into the air to cover the mountains in that manner shown on the picture.....then try to coorelate that with automobile travel on dirt roads......in that area.........it doesn't work......now wide spread dusty conditions from poor farming, or drought from a very large surrounding area, and add wind erosion to it...yes could do it easily.....but the mentioned cause in the ARTICLE is bs....and MADyline I don't know it all but I know more than you.....FOXTROT UNIFORM
kokuaguy
May 25, 2009 7:47 AM CDT
I'm guessing dust at high altitudes from storms in desert areas of Africa, China, Australia etc.
Mad
May 25, 2009 7:21 AM CDT
Rif is a nurse, so clearly, Rif knows far more than any environmental scientist does. If Rif 'doesn't buy it', why, its not true. (I love how republicans can just cover their eyes and ears and stamp their feet whenever the TRUTH interferes with their world view)

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