Clean Air Act Amendments, Wilderness Act, and Organic Act have mandates to protect Class 1 Areas

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1 Clean Air Act Amendments, Wilderness Act, and Organic Act have mandates to protect Class 1 Areas Clean Air Act Preserve, protect and enhance air quality... and protect air quality related values (soil, water, flora, fauna, visibility)... in national parks Wilderness Act: Areas are administered in such a manner as will leave them unimpaired for future use and enjoyment as wilderness Organic Act: Leave resources unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations

2 Loch Vale Watershed Foundations 22+ years of long-term monitoring Experiments in field and laboratory to test cause and effect Modeling of ecosystem processes and what-if scenarios Spatial comparisons in Colorado and across western US Invaluable dataset for answering many different questions! Started with acid rain, now used for nitrogen saturation, mercury deposition, climate change, fundamental hydrology, biogeochemistry, and ecology.

3 Loch Vale Watershed Conceptual Model Precipitation Vegetation Bedrock Soils Sediments Freshwater Biota Outflow

4 Ecological Effects of Nitrogen Deposition at Rocky Mountain National Park Jill S. Baron, US Geological Survey M.Hartman, D.S.Ojima, K. Nydick, H.M. Rueth, B.Moraska Lafrancois, A.P. Wolfe, J. Botte, W.D. Bowman

5 Pathways and Effects of Excess Nitrogen Deposition N Deposition Changes in Plant Communities Fertilization N Saturation Loss of Soil Buffering Lake Eutrophication Changes in Aquatic Species Loss of Lake ANC (acidification)

6 In the alpine nitrogen favors sedges and grasses over flowering plants Niwot Ridge research shows sedges and grasses grow better with N than flowering plants in both experiments and surveys (Korb and Ranker 2001; Bowman et al. in press)

7 East-side forests are closer to N saturation Six pairs of sites were similar in all characteristics except for N deposition amount East side stands differed significantly from west side forests: - higher needle and soil N, - lower C:N ratios, - higher soil N cycling rates N. Doesken Baron et al. 2000, Rueth & Baron 2001, Rueth et al. 2003

8 As soils accumulate N, microbial activity increases Mineralization Rate (ug N/g/d) 6 5 R 2 =0.62 LV-E ML-E 4 MP-E 3 ER-E LL-E 2 BP-E 1 BR-W BC-W WR-W GF-W FC-W WA-W Organic Soil %N 1.6 Colorado Front Range Baron et al Rueth & Baron 2001 Similar patterns in New England, USA McNulty et al Nitrification ugn/g/d %N Forest Floor

9 Means (ueq/l) East 10.5 (5.0) West 6.6 (4.3) n=44, p = 0.02 Nitrate in ROMO Clow et al Baron et al. 2000

10 Watershed Nitrogen Saturation N export, kg/ha/y North American watersheds Loch Vale N wet deposition, kg/ha/yr after Stoddard, 1994

11 Andrews Creek fr Thatchtop

12 Loch Vale nitrate isotopes, Winter snow δ18o (NO3) 60 Rainfall Spring snow Snowmelt 20 Groundwater Streams Microbial nitrate δ15n (NO3)

13 Apr-06 Apr-04 Apr-05 Apr Andrews Creek, Rocky Mt. NP Nitrate, μ eq/l Apr-92 Apr-93 Apr-94 Apr-95 Apr-96 Apr-97 Apr-98 Apr-99 Apr-00 Apr-01 Apr Polynomial Trend Line y = 1E-10x 4-2E-07x 3 + 9E-05x x ANDREWS CREEK Alpine mean =~25 ueq/l NO3, ueq/l Nitrate concentrations are increasing in Loch Vale streams THE LOCH OUTLET Subalpine mean =~16 ueq/l

14 Lake sediments extend records into the past Wolfe et al., 2001, 2003, Das et al Saros et al. 2005, Baron et al. 1986

15 Diatoms are good indicators of environmental change Diatoms are algae: single-celled aquatic plants Species are very sensitive to water chemistry Glass (silica) cell walls do not decompose Each species has unique cell walls

16 Diatom Indicators of Disturbance Increased Abruptly in east-side lakes ca Sky Pond Asterionella formosa Fragillaria crotonensis Aulacoseira spp.

17 Experiments with Bioassays (Bottles), Mesocosms (Hula Hoops), and Lakes Lafrancois et al. 2003, 2004, Nydick et al. 2003, 2004a, b

18 Experiments: Productivity increased with added N and N+P. Communities changed to nutrient-loving algae. Green Algae Chlamydomonas sp. Chrysophytes Dinobryon sp. N Additions = Eutrophication increased productivity changed algal community

19 Conclusions On the east side of the Front Range changes have been observed in: Alpine tundra Forests Soils Lakes and streams Lake biota Experiments support nitrogen as the cause

20 What Happens Next? Nitrate is a strong acid anion. Nitrogen saturation leads to acidification. Hundreds of studies funded by NAPAP and its European counterpart show strong biological responses to acidification.

21 Eutrophication Changes in species Increased productivity Increased microbial activity Increased soil N Nitrogen saturation Acidification Depletion of base cations, mobilization of aluminum Forest dieback Episodic/chronic acidification of waters Declines in species richness and abundance Loss of fish Increased N and acid deposition Reversal?

22 Nitrogen emissions, transport, and deposition NPS, USDA-FS, EPA, NSF, Universities Colorado DPHE & local partners Don Campbell Dave Clow Alisa Mast George Ingersoll Leora Nanus

23 Global N budget ~1860

24 Global N Budget present

25 Nitrogen in atmospheric deposition Source >>> Emissions >>> Wet Deposition Combustion: Vehicles Energy development Energy production NO x (Nitrogen oxides-gases) NO - 3 (Nitrate- dissolved + particulate) Agriculture Livestock production Crop production NH 3 (Ammonia gas) NH + 4 (Ammonium- dissolved + particulate)

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27 -- includes mobile and non-point sources Total NO x emissions

28 Nitrate Ion Concentrations National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network

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49 Percent change in NO - 3 in wetfall Lehmann et al., Environmental Pollution 2005

50 Trends in NO3 Concentrations in Precipitation, FY2004 Annual Performance Report for NPS Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Olym pic North Cascades Air Quality Goal Ia3 Mount Rainier Glacier Isle Royale Craters of the Moon Yellowstone Little Bighorn Acadia Yos em ite Great Basin Canyonlands Rocky Mountain Indiana Dunes Bryce Canyon Sequoia Grand Canyon Mesa Verde Capulin Volcano Bandelier Buffalo Great Smoky Mtns Shenandoah Organ Pipe Gila Cliff Guadalupe Mtns Denali Big Bend Improving Trend, p<=0.05 Improving Trend, 0.05<p<=0.15 Everglades Degrading Trend, 0.05<p<=0.15 Degrading Trend, p<=0.05 No Trend 02/03/2005 Downward pointing arrows denote trends toward decreasing nitrate (NO 3 ) concentrations and improving air quality. Similarly, the up arrows correspond to trends toward higher nitrate concentrations and hence worsening air quality.

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52 -- includes mobile and non-point sources Total NH 3 emissions

53 Ammonium Ion Concentrations National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network

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72 Ammonium Ion Concentrations National Atmospheric Deposition Program / National Trends Network

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74 Percent change in NH4+ in wetfall Lehmann et al., Environmental Pollution 2005

75 Trends in NH4 Concentrations in Precipitation, FY2004 Annual Performance Report for NPS Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) Olympic North Cascades Air Quality Goal Ia3 Mount Rainier Glacier Isle Royale Acadia Craters of the Moon Little Bighorn Yellowstone Yos em ite Great Basin Bryce Canyon Sequoia Grand Canyon Organ Pipe Rocky Mountain Canyonlands Mesa Verde Capulin Volcano Bandelier Buffalo Indiana Dunes Great Smoky Mtns Shenandoah Gila Cliff Guadalupe Mtns Denali Big Bend Improving Trend, p<=0.05 Improving Trend, 0.05<p<=0.15 Everglades Degrading Trend, 0.05<p<=0.15 Degrading Trend, p<=0.05 No Trend 02/03/2005

76 Annual VWM Inorganic N conc. in wetfall W Co. SW Co. Zirkel Front Range Wyo. DIN Concentration in μ eq/l Sunlight Peak Four Mile Park Wolf Creek Pass Molas Pass Buffalo Pass - Dry Lake Buffalo Pass - Summit Lake Sugarloaf Niwot Saddle RMNP Beaver Meadows RMNP Loch Vale Snowy Range Brooklyn Lake South Pass City Gypsum Creek 10-year mean DIN concentration (NO 3 + NH 4 ) NADP sites in Colorado and Wyoming > 2400m elevation

77 Inorganic Nitrogen Concentration in Wetfall, Loch Vale NADP site NO NH from NADP/NTN database Nitrogen conc., μ M

78 Snowpack chemistry Major ions Nutrients Trace metals 34 S, 15 N isotopes - G.P. Ingersoll and others, USGS

79 Nitrate in Rocky Mountain snowpack (average, ) - G.P. Ingersoll and others, USGS

80 Regional deposition trends in Snowpack Chemistry, No trend No trend MT MT ID WY ID WY Kg/ha/yr Kg/ha/yr UT UT Kg/ha/yr. Taos SV CO Kg/ha/yr. Taos SV CO Ammonium Nitrate - Ingersoll, in prep.

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82 South Platte Basin Emissions: Mostly Mobile (45%) and Stationary (34%) Sources Livestock 10% NH3 Hwy 3% Crop NH3 Crop NOx 11% NOx Hwy 24% NOx Point/Area 34% NOx Offroad 18% Baron et al. 2004

83 Sources of nitrogen emissions in Colorado Sources of nitrogen emissions in Colorado Colorado Natural Gas Marketed Production Production (MMcf)

84 NH 3 emissions from livestock in S. Platte basin are nearly 1000x greater than NH 3 emissions from wildlife in Rocky Mt. NP Animal emissions 4.E+00 Annual ammonia emissions, millions of kg 3.E+00 2.E+00 1.E+00 0.E+00 Dairy, feedlot Beef, feedlot Beef, pasture Pigs Poultry Sheep Elk, deer, moose Baron, unpublished data

85 Source attribution using naturally occurring, stable isotopes of nitrogen compounds. Provide capability to distinguish between major source types of emissions. 15 N, 18 O, 17 O in NO 3 15 N in NH + 4 Annual Snowpack Recent advances in methodology expand possibilities. Campbell and Kendall, unpub. data Emily and Kendall, in prep.

86 Nitrogen deposition in Rocky Overall nitrogen deposition is increasing. NO 3 (combustion sources) makes up >50%. NH 4 (agricultural sources) is increasing rapidly. Local and regional sources contribute to both. Local sources may contribute more during spring and summer. Next steps? - Integrated modeling and monitoring studies of air quality + deposition, incorporating natural tracers to identify source categories.

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