Fire and ice—Study explores Caldor Fire’s effect on snowpack

Fire and ice—Study explores Caldor Fire’s effect on snowpack

GREATER LAKE TAHOE AREA, Calif. / Nev. – A recently published study on the 2021 Caldor Fire burn scar is shedding light on how fires can impact snowpacks. Often referred to as the “frozen reservoir”, the Sierra Nevada snowpack provides 30% or more of California’s water. As wildfires in the west are not only burning increasingly more acreage, but are also going higher in elevation—including into areas where snowpacks occur—it’s raising questions …