Geography ETDs

Publication Date

Summer 7-28-2026

Abstract

Climate change, declining snowpack, and increasing wildfire risk have profound impacts on water availability in the southwestern United States. Because the southwestern United States is a global hotspot for freshwater vulnerability, and snowpack provides much of the region’s freshwater, understanding how climate and forest structure influence snowpack dynamics is increasingly important. In this dissertation I aim to better understand and communicate these dynamics through empirical data collection and the development of a simple vegetation driven temperature-index snow model: SNOW-17(VEG). I then implement the model at a watershed scale using remotely sensed imagery to create vegetation zones and climate simulations to evaluate future management and climate scenarios. Results of this study suggest that forest structure influences snow accumulation, persistence, and melt rates in semi-arid snow environments. Treated forests frequently maintained snow the longest with the highest soil moisture levels, suggesting forest thinning and prescribed burning may be a tool to balance competing snow processes of interception and radiation exposure. SNOW-17(VEG), a modified version of SNOW-17, designed to incorporate vegetation density while maintaining low data requirements, successfully represented vegetation snow-dependent behavior while remaining computationally efficient. Watershed-scale implementation of SNOW-17(VEG) demonstrated potential for integrated vegetation-snow dynamics into future climate adaptation and management planning. Together these findings reinforce the importance vegetation has on snowpack dynamics and provide tools for watershed managers to better understand and adapt to a changing climate.

Degree Name

Geography

Department Name

Geography

Level of Degree

Doctoral

First Committee Member (Chair)

Yolanda C. Lin

Second Committee Member

Ryan Webb

Third Committee Member

Alex Webster

Fourth Committee Member

Su Zhang

Fifth Committee Member

Dan Dugas

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Keywords

Water Resources, Snow, Snowtography, Snow Modeling

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