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Thawing glacial and permafrost features contribute to nitrogen export from Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, USA

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Abstract

Alpine ecosystems are particularly susceptible to disturbance due to their short growing seasons, sparse vegetation and thin soils. Increased nitrogen deposition in wetfall and changes in climate currently affect Green Lakes Valley within the Colorado Front Range. Research conducted within the alpine links chronic nitrogen inputs to a suite of ecological impacts, resulting in increased nitrate export. The atmospheric nitrogen flux decreased by 0.56 kg ha−1 year−1 between 2000 and 2009, due to decreased precipitation; however alpine nitrate yields increased by 40 % relative to the previous decade (1990–1999). Long term trends indicate that weathering products such as sulfate, calcium, and silica have also increased over the same period. The geochemical composition of thawing permafrost, as indicated by rock glacial and blockfield meltwater, suggests it is the source of these weathering products. Furthermore, mass balance models indicate the high ammonium loads within glacial meltwater are rapidly nitrified, contributing ~0.5–1.4 kg N ha−1 to the growing season nitrate flux from the alpine watershed. The sustained export of these solutes during dry, summer months is likely facilitated by thawing cryosphere providing hydraulic connectivity late into the growing season. This mechanism is further supported by the lack of upward weathering or nitrogen solute trends in a neighboring catchment which lacks permafrost and glacial features. These findings suggest that reductions of atmospheric nitrogen deposition alone may not improve water quality, as cryospheric thaw exposes soils to biological and geochemical processes that may affect alpine nitrate concentrations as much as atmospheric deposition trends.

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Acknowledgments

Support for this research came from a National Science Foundation grant to the Niwot Ridge Long-Term Ecological Research program (DEB 0423662), EAR-1124576, EAR-1248067/1027341, and an EAR Postdoctoral Fellowship to RTB (NSF-EAR 0814457). Logistical support was provided by the Institute of Arctic and Alpine’s Mountain Research Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80303, USA

    Rebecca T. Barnes

  2. Department of Geography and Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309-0450, USA

    Mark W. Williams, Jordan N. Parman, Ken Hill & Nel Caine

  3. Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers, State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901, USA

    Rebecca T. Barnes

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Correspondence to Rebecca T. Barnes.

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Barnes, R.T., Williams, M.W., Parman, J.N. et al. Thawing glacial and permafrost features contribute to nitrogen export from Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, USA. Biogeochemistry 117, 413–430 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-013-9886-5

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