Interpreting Global Change Impacts on Southern Rocky Mountain Alpine and Subalpine Ecosystems for Effective Resource Management

Human fossil fuel use and agricultural practices have increased atmospheric nitrogen deposits (e.g., through snow and rain) to mountain ecosystems. This, along with increasing measurable climate warming is affecting soil and water acidity and altering nutrient balances. In this project, North Central CASC-supported researchers will analyze decades of unexplored data, including surface water chemistry from the Loch Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park and other long-term data from Colorado and Wyoming, to understand climate change and atmospheric nitrogen deposition impacts on high-elevation ecosystems. Synthesis workshops with resource management partners will be held to apply the data products and new knowledge to frame future conditions and management options for these mountain ecosystems.



Climate change and atmospheric nitrogen deposition are rapidly altering the ecology and biogeochemistry of mountain ecosystems worldwide. In the US, nearly all high elevation ecosystems are on public lands that are managed federally (e.g., National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, and Bureau of Land Management) or by states and tribes. Changes to ecological processes and species’ assemblages that began in the mid-20th century are continuing at accelerated rates, especially in high-elevation lakes, forests, and the alpine.



This work will augment and extend research supported by the USGS Climate Research & Development program for the project “Interpreting the impact of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems – synthesizing legacy data to provide scientific and management insight for Rocky Mountain National Park and beyond.” Long-term research by this project team in Loch Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park has been foundational for guiding public policy in Colorado and informing resource management in the park. While many products (a book, more than 120 papers and 22 graduate projects) have shared knowledge and insight on ecosystem processes related to climate and nutrient impacts in the area, a vast amount of data are still unpublished and unexplored.



This project will evaluate past patterns of surface water chemistry and ecosystem processes using a legacy of long-term data in Loch Value watershed (from 1983) and Green Lakes Valley (from 1968). The project team will also initiate discussions and host a synthesis workshop with the North Central CASC and natural resource management partners to apply the knowledge gained from the legacy data to help frame potential future conditions and management options for alpine and subalpine ecosystems.