What does the level of the Great Salt Lake have to do with skiing Utah’s “greatest snow on earth?” GCSC affiliate McKenzie Skiles, assistant professor of geography, studies snow hydrology, light absorbing particulates in snow/snow energy balance, remote sensing of the cryosphere, and cryosphere-climate interaction. Light-absorbing particulates includes dust. Dust on snow accelerates melting. In a recent study, Skiles linked the low level of the Great Salt Lake to earlier snow melt at Utah’s Alta ski resort. Read more here.