Monitoring of high-altitude ecosystems

Monitoring of high-Monitoring of high-altitude ecosystemsaltitude ecosystems

Don CampbellAlisa MastDave Clow

NPS, USDA-FS, EPA, NSF, Colorado DPHE, Universities, and others

Jill BaronAlex Wolf

Mark WilliamsPaul Brooks

Leora Nanus

George Ingersoll

Carol Kendall

Heather RuethBrenda MoraskaKoren Nydick

Tamara BlettJohn Turk

•Mountains are primary water supply for western U.S.

•Valuable as reference sites for disturbed areas.

•Crown jewels of public lands: mandates to protect wilderness and parks “unimpaired”…

Why monitor ‘clean’ systems?Why monitor ‘clean’ systems?

Pollutants in atmospheric deposition:

Acidity (sulfur and nitrogen)

Nitrogen

Mercury

Organic pollutants

Air Quality “Impairment/Impact” Thresholds:

Resource/AQRV change thresholds need to be established (by the NPS) for ecosystem protection

How much change will we allow in flora, fauna, soil, water, visibility? (what amount of change constitutes “impairment” or “adverse impact”)

How do we tell what is “impaired”?How do we tell what is “impaired”?

-D.W. Clow and M. A. Mast, USGS

1985-99

NADP / NTN data

RegionalRegionaltrends in trends in precipitationprecipitationconcentrationconcentration

N Deposition

FertilizationLoss of Soil Base Cations

Changes in Aquatic Species

LakeEutrophication

Loss of Lake ANC(acidification)

Pathways and Effects of Excess Pathways and Effects of Excess Nitrogen DepositionNitrogen Deposition

N SaturationChanges in

Plant Communities

Research and monitoring for Research and monitoring for resource managementresource management

Intensive studies

Long-term monitoring

Synoptic surveys

Population estimates

Process modeling

Empirical modeling

Long-term lakesContinental DivideNational ParkNational Forest

WY

CO

US Forest Service US Forest Service lakes monitoringlakes monitoring

Synoptic surveysSynoptic surveys Long-term Long-term

monitoringmonitoring

Nitrate in wilderness lakesNitrate in wilderness lakes

051015202530

Nit

rate

co

nc

en

tra

tio

n, u

eq

/l

Wilderness area

30

20

10

0

MT

IDWY

UT

AZ NM

CO

Wet deposition of nitrogenWet deposition of nitrogen

2.0 – 2.5

0 – 0.5

1.0 – 1.51.5 – 2.0

2.5 – 3.0

0.5 – 1.0

3.0 – 3.5

Deposition (kg N/ha)

MT

WY

UT

ID

AZ NM

CO

NO3 NH4

WY

CO

Long-term monitoring sitesLong-term monitoring sites

Front Range, Northcentral ColoradoFront Range, Northcentral Colorado

SITE Loch Inlet Loch Outlet

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

date

JAN80 JAN85 JAN90 JAN95 JAN00 JAN05

Front Range

3-6 kg N / ha wet deposition.

Low retention of inorganic N in terrestrial ecosystem.

Aquatic ecosystem N assimilation:Nitrate 3-5 eq/L lower in outlet.

Many watersheds sensitive to N deposition.

Mount Zirkel, Northwest Mount Zirkel, Northwest ColoradoColorado

STATION_NAM E Lake Elbert Lake Elbert Inflow

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

JAN84 JAN86 JAN88 JAN90 JAN92 JAN94 JAN96 JAN98 JAN00

3-5 kg N / ha wet deposition.

High retention of inorganic N in terrestrial ecosystem.

No leakage of inorganic N from lake.

Organic N: stored or exported?

Most watersheds not highly sensitive to N deposition.

Wind River, Northwest Wyoming Wind River, Northwest Wyoming

1-3 kg N / ha wet deposition.

Moderate retention of inorganic N in terrestrial ecosystem.

Aquatic ecosystem N assimilation:Nitrate 3-5 eq/L lower in outlet.

Many watersheds sensitive to N deposition.

STATION_NAME BLACK JOE LAKE INLETBLACK JOE LAKE OUTLET

Nit

rate

, u

eq/l

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

JAN84 JAN86 JAN88 JAN90 JAN92 JAN94 JAN96 JAN98 JAN00

Wind River

Weminuche, Southwest ColoradoWeminuche, Southwest Colorado

STATION_NAME Little Eldorado Inflow Little Eldorado Lake

Nit

rate

, u

eq

/l

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

JAN84 JAN86 JAN88 JAN90 JAN92 JAN94 JAN96 JAN98 JAN00

1-3 kg N / ha wet deposition.

Moderate retention of inorganic N in terrestrial ecosystem.

Aquatic ecosystem N assimilation:Nitrate 3-5 eq/L lower in outlet.

Sensitive to acidification (acid rock drainage).

Nitrogen Emissions sources in the RockiesNitrogen Emissions sources in the Rockies

TransportationTransportation

Electric power generationElectric power generation

Energy developmentEnergy development AgricultureAgriculture

Colorado Natural Gas Production

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

70000

80000

MMcf

Toxic compounds in atmospheric Toxic compounds in atmospheric deposition ?deposition ?

Mercury in ice Mercury in ice core from core from

Upper Fremont Upper Fremont GlacierGlacier

-Shuster et al., Environmental Science and Technology, 2002

•Remote location in Wyoming, 4000m elevation

•70% of Hg-T deposition during last 100 years from anthropogenic sources.

•Peak deposition = 20x background.

•Better temporal resolution than sediment cores.

Paleolimnological records of Paleolimnological records of deposition.deposition.

Mercury Lake sediments, Mount Zirkel

Lake Elbert

0

5

10

15

20

0.0 50.0 100.0 150.0

Hg (ng/g Dry)

De

pth

(cm

)

PesticidesLake sediments, Rocky Mt. NP

0

5

10

15

20

0 5 10 15Mills Lake total DDT (ug/kg)

Dep

th (

cm)

Van Metre, Krabbenhoft, Striegl, and others, USGS

Lower valley of East Inlet, Lower valley of East Inlet, 7/12/007/12/00