In a warming climate, changing snow conditions and consistency could play a notable role in how predators hunt prey. SEFS associate professor Laura Prugh is working with UW professor of civil and environmental engineering Jessica Lundquist to measure snow properties that led to a “danger zone,” where prey would sink but predators would not.
Their research was featured in a UW News article and video highlighting findings from a recent publication.
A recent study published in Geophysical Research Letters by UW researchers, including SEFS Associate Professor Laura Prugh, examines the relationship between early-season snow and total snowfall in the western U.S. Using data from a network of snow sensors, the researchers looked at air temperature and accumulated precipitation from 2001 to 2022 for over 800 sites. They found that in some western states, including Alaska, Oregon and Washington, and parts of Utah, Wyoming and Colorado, autumn snowfall is a good predictor of the total snow an area will get throughout the winter-spring season. The relationship between autumn snowfall and total snowpack was harder to predict in California, Nevada, New Mexico and Arizona, where weather patterns varied too much or most precipitation fell after December.