Throughout the winter, scientists will be using cosmic rays to research soil and snowpack moisture levels at the Mullen Fire burn scar. Colorado State University civil engineers are working with a Cosmic Ray Neutron Rover to study ground moisture in several scenarios, from dusty, rural roads to wildfire recovery. This winter, researchers will evaluate snow water equivalent, or the amount of liquid water content in the snowpack in the Medicine Bow National Forest, working in an area that suffered a catastrophic wildfire in September 2020 west and southwest of Laramie. The team will use the technology at the Mullen Fire burn scar, utilizing the sensor to measure hydrological changes and water content across large-scale areas. … [R]esearchers hope to use the study to determine how the 176,878-acre Mullen Fire altered snowpack, soil moisture, and the connection between them.