Nutrient Enrichment Critical Loads of Atmospheric Nitrogen Deposition for Aquatic Ecosystems in the Western U.S.
Project ID: P15AC01313
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: Washington State University
Fiscal Year: 2015
Initial Funding: $49,671
Total Funding: $49,671
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Interdisciplinary
National Park: Pacific West Region
Principal Investigator: Beutel, Marc
Agreement Technical Representative: Blett, Tamara
Abstract: Nitrogen pollution threatens to alter protected ecosystems throughout the Western U.S., including wilderness, national parks, and national forests. Nitrogen released into air by cars and power plants, and into soil and water by agriculture, can be transported through the atmosphere and subsequently deposited onto remote ecosystems as wet deposition (precipitation) and dry deposition of gases or particles. Nitrogen deposition can cause a range of adverse ecological effects, including altered nutrient cycling, reduced species diversity, and acidification. In the Western U.S., changes in the chemistry and ecology of high elevation lakes are often the first in a series of ecological changes caused by nitrogen deposition. Because lakes are sensitive indicators of deposition effects, testing for the onset of these lake changes is crucial for assessing if current management strategies and nitrogen emissions regulations are sufficient for protecting wilderness and other federal lands.
The NPS, other federal agencies, and stakeholders are engaged in an effort to identify threshold or ‘critical’ load nitrogen deposition rates at which adverse changes to ecosystems occur throughout the U.S. The National Critical Loads Database (NCLD) was developed by the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) Critical Loads of Atmospheric Deposition (CLAD) Science Committee. The NCLD was created to support critical loads research, provide federal agencies with scientific information that can inform policy or land management decisions, and facilitate collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe related to critical loads. The NCLD database currently does not include critical loads for nutrient enrichment effects of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in aquatic ecosystems. This project will gather and analyze data relevant to lake nutrient enrichment critical loads in the Western U.S. in order to support the addition of this information to the NCLD. The focus will be on high-elevation lakes in national parks and national forests, but depending on data availability and applicability, may include lower-elevation lakes on federal and state lands. The project will be completed in two phases. Phase I will involve data gathering, database construction, and data assessment. Data analysis will take place in Phase II.
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