The Impact of Changing Climate on Winter Nitrogen Export from a Forested Watershed of the Adirondack Mountains

Recipient Organization
STATE UNIV OF NEW YORK
(N/A)
SYRACUSE,NY 13210

Performing Department
Forest & Natural Resources Management

Non Technical Summary
Atmospheric deposition and climate change impact nitrate availability, which affects water quality and forest ecosystem health. Climate variability, particularly during the winter months, may play an important role in controlling variability of nitrate export to streams. This project examines how changes in winter climate impact nitrate dynamics in forested watersheds during the winter and how changes in winter climate impact rates of nitrate export in streams.

Animal Health Component

(N/A)

Research Effort Categories

Basic

100%

Applied

(N/A)

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
132	0399	1060	100%

Knowledge Area
132 - Weather and Climate;

Subject Of Investigation
0399 - Watersheds and river basins, general;

Field Of Science
1060 - Biology (whole systems);

Keywords

atmospheric deposition

Goals / Objectives
The objective of our study is to understand how climatic and hydrological factors influence nitrate dynamics in forested watersheds during the winter and how changes in winter climate impact rates of nitrate export in streams. Climatic and hydrological factors include air temperature, duration and depth of snowpack, soil temperature, soil freezing and flowpaths during rain-on-snow events, mid-winter thaws and snowmelt. Our study will be conducted in the Arbutus Lake watershed, which is located in Huntington Forest, a major SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry research property in the Adirondack Park. We will identify relationships between soil physical and hydrologic variables during winter melt events. We will establish relationships at a larger spatial scale by linking soil chemistry and hydrology with observed stream nitrate loads. We will also establish relationships at a larger spatial and temporal scale by linking winter subcatchment observations to the long-term record from the Arbutus Lake watershed.

Project Methods
Our approach includes analysis at multiple spatial and temporal scales and integrates new observations of climate, hydrology and chemistry at the subwatershed scale with long-term monitoring of stream hydrology and nutrients at the larger catchment scale. At the subwatershed scale, linkages between climate, hydrology and nitrate concentrations in soil and associated waters will be assessed through intensive field observation in two subcatchments of the Arbutus Lake watershed during the winter. Differences in hydrologic flowpaths and nitrate concentrations in streams during different melt events will be established by comparing results from subcatchments with observations of stream flow and chemistry during the winter. To establish how changes in climate impact nitrate loading rates over larger spatial scales and longer time periods, we will compare results from this study to the long-term record (since 1983) of nitrate concentrations and streamflow at the outlet of the Arbutus Lake watershed. Interannual variability will reveal how changes in snow depth and duration, melt event timing and characteristics and air temperature interact to influence winter and annual nitrate loading rates.

Progress 08/15/07 to 09/30/07

Outputs
OUTPUTS: This report details the project outputs for the McIntire-Stennis research project entitled "The Impact of Changing Climate on Winter Nitrogen Export from a Forested Watershed of the Adirondack Mountains." This project was initiated on August 15th, 2007, so this report addresses the first six weeks of work. The primary goals for the first weeks of this project were to recruit a qualified graduate student, evaluate existing infrastructure at the field site and install any required new instrumentation. We have hired a very qualified Masters student, with experience in Environmental Science and appropriate field skills, for this winter hydrology project. That student received field training during the month of August to prepare for the winter field season (2007-2008). We also installed several new instruments at the field site, including temperature profile data loggers in the soil and frost tubes (for measuring freezing depth in soils). We performed maintenance on existing soil lysimeters at the field site and purchased equipment for making snow depth and density measurements along snow courses. These installations and purchases have prepared us for future field data collection in the winter months. PARTICIPANTS: Dr. Laura Lautz (PI): Lautz has recruited and hired a Masters student to work on this project. Lautz has coordinated logistics and field work and purchased required equipment. Dr. Myron Mitchell (co-PI): Mitchell has provided support for this project by assisting with coordination of field work and planning for laboratory analysis. Mr. Pat McHale: McHale has provided technical support at the field site. Ms. Lisa Kurian: Kurian is the MS student recruited to work on this project. She has received training in field methods and completed all field work required for his project.

Impacts
Given that the project duration outlined here was only six weeks, the primary impact of our work has been to recruit and train a graduate student at the MS level.

Publications

No publications reported this period