Cooperative Agreement for CESU-affiliated Partner with Rocky Mountain Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit

U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Powell Center is offering a funding opportunity to a CESU Partner for research on “Interpreting the impact of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems – synthesizing a data legacy to provide scientific and management insight for Rocky Mountain National Park and beyond.” This research will increase understanding and quantification of global change effects on high-elevation ecosystems to 1) explore trends and causes of 40+ years of high elevation stream and lake chemistry; 2) evaluate and model the importance of soil moisture in controlling solute flux from old-growth subalpine forests to freshwater lakes and streams; 3) quantify the effects of interannual variability in lake ice phenology and snow hydrology on lake ecosystem processes; and 4) identify causes and consequences of the interactive effects of climate change and nutrient deposition on lake primary productivity. Outcomes of this research will be shared widely with managers of high elevation public lands and used to develop guidelines for management of natural resources under continuing global change.