This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Mount Timpanogos, towering 7,000 feet (2,100 meters) above Utah Valley, is more than an iconic view and beloved hiking destination. Snowmelt from mountains like these provides about 95% of Utah's water supply.
Hotter, drier conditions have led to water conservation statements from both religious and state leaders. BYU geology professor Greg Carling and his students are studying hidden water supplies beneath rock debris in alpine areas like Mount Timpanogos, where the Timpanogos Rock Glacier feeds Emerald Lake. Rock glaciers—slowly flowing masses of ice and debris—store and release water long after the snow melts.
In collaboration with the Utah Geological Survey and universities across the state, the BYU research team hopes its findings will inform future water management strategies. Because rock glaciers may feed streams during late summer, they could provide relief to communities facing drought conditions. But pinpointing rock glacier locations to assess water quality is daunting.
Carling and his students spent six weeks hiking to nearly 100 high-country rock glaciers throughout Utah and Colorado. In addition to identifying outlet streams, they collected water and macroinvertebrate samples. Back at the lab, they analyzed water chemistry, including trace metals.
So far, the analyses show excellent water quality at most rock glacier outflows. Lerato Thoka-Cole, a BYU geology graduate student, plans to apply her research knowledge to benefit drought-stressed communities back home. "Africa is considered a very water-scarce continent, and much of its water is trapped in aquifers," Thoka-Cole said.
"I want to take everything I've learned and give back." Carling said the field research has given students unique experiences to be awed by God's creations and inspired to be more conservation-minded. "They want to be better stewards of the landscape, better stewards of the mountains, better stewards of our water," Carling said. "It gives me hope for the future that we have a great generation rising up that is going to lead us in the decades to come." BSc Life Sciences & Ecology.
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