Clean Snowmobile Facts
- CONCERNS
- National Parks
- Air Quality
- Water Quality
- Personal Exposure
- Other Concerns
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- Two-Stroke Engine Principles
- Two-Stroke Engine
Modifications - Four-Stroke Engines
- Electric Snowmobiles
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- Oxygenated Fuels
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- Clean Snowmobile Challenge
- What You Can Do
- REGULATIONS
- MONTANA ISSUES
Concerns - Water Quality
Overview
Emissions from snowmobiles raise water quality concerns since unburned fuel, lubrication oil, and other compounds are deposited on the top layer of snow and may eventually reach surface or ground water. Snowpack samples near heavily traveled snowmobile trails have been correlated with elevated levels of ammonium, sulfate, benzene, and other toxic compounds. Nonetheless, the topic of water quality has not been well-studied and numerous unanswered questions remain. Water quality studies associated with two-stroke engines have mainly focused on boat motors.
Selected Links
Go to the Publications and Links section for a more complete list, including related or overlapping topics.
In 1998 a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Service collected Yellowstone snowpack samples at a variety of locations in the park, in order to observe the effects of a range of snowmobile traffic levels. He compared concentrations of organic and inorganic compounds in snow samples located directly in and off snow-packed roadways used by snowmobiles:
Ingersoll, George, 1999. Effects of Snowmobile Use on Snowpack Chemistry in Yellowstone National Park, 1998 . (Complete version 11M pdf file, 23 pages)
Researchers from the University of Utah have studied whether semi-volatile organic compounds in the Yellowstone snowpack can be attributed to snowmobiles, whether these compounds accumulate to levels that pose an environmental hazard, and how long they persist:
Tyler, B. and Peterson, R. Field Studies of Aerosol Formation and Biodegradation of Snowmobile Fuels, Lubricants, and Emissions in the Yellowstone Region (32k pdf file). Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana.
Two fisheries biologists from Yellowstone National Park have concluded that "Winter recreation affects aquatic organisms mainly by indirect impacts due to pollution. Two-stroke engines can deposit contaminants on snow, leading to ground and surface water quality degradation, which subsequently may impact aquatic life":
Ruzycki, Jim and Lutch, Jeff 1999. Impacts of Two-Stroke Engines on Aquatic Resources (1.5M pdf file). In Olliff, T., K. Legg, and B. Kaeding, editors. Effects of Winter Recreation on Wildlife of the Greater Yellowstone Area: a Literature Review and Assessment, pp. 145-149.
See also:
Hagemann, M. and Van Mouwerik, M., 1999. Potential Water Quality Concerns Related to Snowmobile Usage. Internal memo, National Park Service, Water Resources Division.
