Hindcasting nitrogen deposition to determine an ecological critical load
Baron JS. 2006. Hindcasting nitrogen deposition to determine an ecological critical load. Ecological Applications. 16(2):433–439
The researcher reconstructed an N-deposition history at Loch Vale (Colorado, USA; NADP site CO98) using exponential equations that correlated well with EPA-reported NO, emissions from Colorado and from the sum of emissions of 11 western states, using an estimated background nitrogen (N) deposition value of 0.5 kg N(.)ha(-1.)yr(-1) in 1900, and a 19-year record of measured values. The mean wet N-deposition values for the period 1950-1964 was similar to 1.5 kg N(.)ha(-1.)yr(-1), corresponding to the reported time of alteration of diatom assemblages attributed to N deposition in alpine lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park (USA). This value becomes the critical load defining the threshold for ecological change from eutrophication. According to the investigator, if an N-deposition threshold for ecological change can be identified, and the date at which that threshold was crossed is known, hindcasting can derive the amount of atmospheric deposition at the time of change, at least for alpine lakes.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Baron, Jill
- Units
- ARD , ROMO
- Keywords
- alpine lakes, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, critical loads, Deposition, hindcasting, Loch Vale, Nitrogen