Increasingly severe wildfires at high elevations are impacting snowpack – an important reservoir for the U.S. West. The altered landscape makes it more challenging to predict when snow will melt and how much water will be available for use.  Colorado State University researchers studied the 2020 Cameron Peak Fire’s effects on snowpack across mountainous terrain and found that location is key to melt rate and timing. … The study, published in Water Resources Research, is the first to quantify the impact of the full energy balance – both long- and shortwave energy – on snowpack in burned areas. The researchers used radiometers to measure incoming and outgoing long- and shortwave energy. Shortwave energy comes from solar radiation, and the long-wave form is thermal energy.