Article
Water Resources
Jill S. Baron, David W. Clow, Isabella A. Oleksy, Timothy Weinmann, Caitlin Charlton, Amanda Jayo
Summary: The Loch Vale watershed has been the subject of research and monitoring activities since 1983, investigating the impacts of atmospheric deposition on ecosystems in Rocky Mountain National Park. High atmospheric inputs of reactive nitrogen were found, leading to studies on the ecological consequences in soils, surface water, and vegetation. The research results have informed the Colorado Nitrogen Deposition Reduction Plan and revealed that mountain wetlands release more carbon than they store.
HYDROLOGICAL PROCESSES
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Devon Kerins, Li Li
Summary: Warming in mountains leads to higher concentrations of dissolved carbon in streams, especially in arid mountain areas. This indicates deteriorating water quality and changes in soil carbon dynamics, which have significant implications for global water resources and environmental sustainability.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
James Holden Reinert, Lindsey K. Albertson, James R. Junker
Summary: Rising levels of stream degradation have led to an increase in restoration projects worldwide. However, there is often a lack of monitoring after restoration, especially concerning the impact on biotic responses. This study found that beaver mimicry structures (BMSs), a popular tool for stream restoration, can have both biotic and abiotic effects, influencing ecosystem functioning.
Article
Plant Sciences
Gregory S. Pappas, Daniel B. Tinker, Monique E. Rocca
Summary: This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the changes in understory species and communities following severe mountain pine beetle-induced lodgepole pine mortality. The results show that more species appeared than disappeared 5 years after the peak of the outbreak, with new species comprising both early- and late-successional species. There was an increase in the number of highly common species and a decrease in the number of exceedingly rare species. Some species were able to take advantage of the new stand conditions and expand throughout the study area through various dispersal methods. Although shifts in community composition were minimal, there was a slight convergence of plant community groups, indicating a trend towards community homogenization.
JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jeffrey E. Stenzel, Crystal A. Kolden, Polly C. Buotte, Kristina J. Bartowitz, Eric W. Walsh, Tara W. Hudiburg
Summary: Novel climates and disturbances in the 21st century pose a threat to western U.S. forests, increasing their vulnerability. However, the exact timing and extent of these vulnerabilities are uncertain and can vary across the region. Using a dynamic vegetation model coupled to an Earth Systems Model, the study examines the impacts of climate change and management strategies on the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains forests. Results show that forest carbon stocks and canopy cover are projected to decline after 2090 due to drought, fire mortality, and reduced primary production. However, the mid-century vulnerability to fire and drought is not consistently projected across climate models. Increased timber harvest diminishes forest carbon stocks and increases mortality, despite some reductions in stress in the late century.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura C. Scott, Mark J. Wilson, Scott M. Esser, Nicholas L. Lee, Michael E. Wheeler, Alexandra Aubee, Tiong Gim Aw
Summary: The study revealed that human activities significantly impact the presence and abundance of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in national park environments. However, ecological factors such as water movement, soil texture, and season also play a role in the detection of these resistant substances.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Rodney A. A. Chimner, Sigrid C. C. Resh, John A. A. Hribljan, Michael Battaglia, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Gillian Bowser, Erik A. A. Lilleskov
Summary: Although wetlands contain a disproportionately high amount of earth's total soil carbon, many regions are still poorly mapped and with unquantified carbon stocks. The tropical Andes contain a high concentration of wetlands consisting mostly of wet meadows and peatlands, yet their total organic carbon stocks are poorly quantified, as well as the carbon fraction that wet meadows store compared to peatlands. Therefore, our goal was to quantify how soil carbon stocks vary between wet meadows and peatlands for a previously mapped Andean region, Huascaran National Park, Peru. Our secondary goal was to test a rapid peat sampling protocol to facilitate field sampling in remote areas.
Overall, wetlands in Huascaran National Park contain 24.4 Tg of carbon with peatlands storing 97% of the total wetland carbon and wet meadows accounting for 3% of the wetland carbon in the park. In addition, our results show that rapid peat sampling can be an effective method for sampling carbon stocks in peatlands. These data are important for countries developing land use and climate change policies as well as providing a rapid assessment method for wetland carbon stock monitoring programs.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio-Juan Collados-Lara, Steven R. Fassnacht, Eulogio Pardo-Iguzquiza, David Pulido-Velazquez
Summary: This paper proposes a methodology to obtain high resolution air temperature fields by combining scarce point measurements with elevation data and land surface temperature (LST) data from remote sensing. Different geostatistical approaches were employed to assess the spatial variability of air temperature, with weighted kriging showing the best results. The methodology was evaluated using data from different seasons, with a mean squared error of 3.7 and 3.6 degrees C-2 for the application and validation, respectively.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Philip E. Higuera, Bryan N. Shuman, Kyra D. Wolf
Summary: The 2020 fire season in the western United States marked a decades-long trend of increased fire activity, particularly in subalpine forests where fire frequency historically has been low. Observing fire activity over the past 2000 years reveals that the current fire rotation period and burning rates are significantly higher than historical averages. This highlights how extreme events in recent years are shaping new fire regimes as temperatures continue to rise, impacting subalpine forests in the Rocky Mountains.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Water Resources
Benjamin S. Linhoff, Kimberly R. Beisner, Andrew G. Hunt, Zachary M. Shephard
Summary: Through geochemical groundwater sampling in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, it is found that the groundwater in this region is old and geochemically evolved, with a northward flow direction. Evidence suggests mixing between aquifers and hydrocarbons. This study provides new hydrological insights for the region.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2023)
Article
Environmental Studies
Shaohan Wang, Shuang Song, Mengxi Shi, Shanshan Hu, Shuhan Xing, He Bai, Dawei Xu
Summary: The official establishment of China's national parks marks a new stage in the construction of China's ecological civilization system. These parks protect areas with rich biodiversity and complete ecosystem processes. The study analyzed land use changes in the parks over the past 30 years and explored driving factors. Carbon storage changes in the parks were also assessed, with a trend of increasing and then gradually decreasing. Restoration scenarios were simulated for a specific park, showing the potential for carbon storage increase.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Carolina B. Brandani, Myeongseong Lee, Brent W. Auvermann, David B. Parker, Kenneth D. Casey, Erik T. Crosman, Vinicius N. Gouvea, Matthew R. Beck, K. Jack Bush, Jacek A. Koziel, Bryan Shaw, David Brauer
Summary: This review examined the emission, transport, deposition, and mitigation of gaseous ammonia (NH3) from open-lot cattle feeding facilities in Northeast Colorado. Various strategies including diet manipulation, management practices, and manure amendments were discussed. The review outlined the scientific basis, practicality, and expected efficacy of each management practice.
Article
Water Resources
Qing Peng, Ranghui Wang, Yelin Jiang, Weidong Zhang, Chunwei Liu, Limin Zhou
Summary: This study assessed the soil erosion rate and driving mechanisms in Qilian Mountain National Park in China. The results show that extreme precipitation and land use/cover change are the main factors causing soil erosion in the area, and ecological projects can effectively mitigate soil erosion caused by climate change.
JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY-REGIONAL STUDIES
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Qing Peng, Ranghui Wang, Yelin Jiang, Cheng Li
Summary: The study found that climate factors had the largest impact on vegetation dynamics in the Qilian Mountain National Park, with precipitation being the dominant factor. The contributions of CC and HA to the increase in NPP were 39.70% and 60.30% respectively, with HA-dominated areas containing most ecological restoration projects.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Charles J. W. Carroll, Alan K. Knapp, Patrick H. Martin
Summary: Recent observational studies have found weak temperature-growth relationships for many tree species in temperate forests, but distribution limits of trees are strongly influenced by temperature. Experimental results from the Rocky Mountains show that montane tree species exhibit significantly increased growth in warmer environments, while subalpine fir may face reduced survival in high temperatures.
