Bioscience Evidence 2024, Vol.14, No.4, 161-171 http://bioscipublisher.com/index.php/be 163 3.3 Impact on water supply for agriculture, industry, and domestic use Snowpack is a significant source of water for agriculture, industry, and domestic use. In regions such as the western United States, snowmelt provides a substantial portion of the water used for irrigation, municipal, and industrial purposes (Mote et al., 2018). Changes in snowpack dynamics due to climate change, such as reduced snow accumulation and earlier snowmelt, can lead to water shortages and increased competition for water resources among different sectors (Simpkins, 2018; Qin et al., 2020). For instance, in high-mountain Asia and the western US, shifts in snowmelt patterns are expected to impact agricultural water supply, necessitating the adaptation of water management practices to ensure sustainable water availability (Qin et al., 2020). 3.4 Case studies of snowpack-dependent water management systems Several regions around the world rely heavily on snowpack for their water management systems. For example, the western United States depends on snowmelt from mountain ranges such as the Sierra Nevada, Rocky, and Cascade mountains to meet its water needs (Mote et al., 2018; Singh et al., 2022). In these areas, water managers have developed infrastructure such as dams and reservoirs to capture and store snowmelt for use during the dry season. However, declining snowpack and changes in snowmelt timing are challenging these traditional water management systems, prompting the need for innovative approaches to ensure water security (Simpkins, 2018; Pelak et al., 2022). Since the mid-20th century, there has been a significant decline in spring snowpack, which has had a major impact on snow-dependent water resource management systems. By combining observational data and hydrological models, research has found that climate warming has led to reduced snowpack, subsequently affecting various aspects such as agricultural irrigation and urban water supply (Figure 1).Another example is the high-mountain Asia region, where major river basins like the Indus and Ganges rely on snow and glacial melt for water supply. Changes in snowpack dynamics in these regions highlight the need for adaptive water management strategies to cope with the impacts of climate change (Simpkins, 2018; Qin et al., 2020). Figure 1 Linear trends in 1 Apr SWE relative to the starting value for the linear fit (i.e., the 1955 value for the best-fit line) (Adopted from Mote et al., 2018) Image caption: (a) at 699 snow course locations in the western United States for the period 1955-2016, with negative trends shown by red circles and positive by blue circles; (b) from the simulation using the VIC hydrologic model for the period 1955-2014 (cells in gray have mean April 1 SWE less than 5 mm; areas in white are not simulated); (c) as in (b) but using temperature data in which linear trends have been removed for the 1954-2014 period. Lines on the maps divide the West into four regions for analysis shown in subsequent figuresm(Adopted from Mote et al., 2018) 4 Snowpack and Ecosystem Function 4.1 Influence on soil moisture and vegetation Snowpack plays a critical role in regulating soil moisture and vegetation dynamics. Variations in snow depth and duration can significantly affect soil temperature and moisture levels, which in turn influence plant growth and soil microbial activity. For instance, snowpack insulates the soil, reducing temperature fluctuations and preventing
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