Kelsey Brunner/Snowmass Sun
I am neither mathematician nor scientist, but I don’t need to be for this. The problem is complex, but the solutions are straightforward.
There is a phenomenon where air cools as it expands at higher altitudes. We all know this. The rate at which this occurs is called the adiabatic lapse rate. On a clear day, the temperature will drop about 5 degrees per 1,000 feet of elevation gain; that rate changes to about 3 degrees per 1,000 feet on a cloudy day. It’s a good thing to know if you like spending time in the mountains.
This information also gives us skiers a clue as to how significant a 1-degree change in average temperature is. By way of jiggering the math above, we can deduce that every degree the average temperature rises, the average annual low snow line could rise between 200 and 330 feet. Think of a receding glacier.