Catchment‐scale observations at the Niwot Ridge long‐term ecological research site

The Niwot Ridge and Green Lakes Valley (NWT) long‐term ecological research (LTER) site collects environmental observations spanning both alpine and subalpine regimes. The first observations began in 1952 and have since expanded to nearly 300 available datasets over an area of 99 km2 within the north‐central Colorado Rocky Mountains that include hydrological (n = 101), biological (n = 79), biogeochemical (n = 62), and geographical (n = 56) observations. The NWT LTER database is well suited to support hydrologic investigations that require long‐term and interdisciplinary data sets. Experimentation and data collection at the NWT LTER are designed to characterize ecological responses of high‐mountain environments to changes in climate, nutrients, and water availability. In addition to the continuation of the many legacy NWT datasets, expansion of the breadth and utility of the NWT LTER database is driven by new initiatives including (a) a catchment‐scale sensor network of soil moisture, temperature, humidity, and snow‐depth observations to understand hydrologic connectivity and (b) snow‐albedo alteration experiments using black sand to evaluate the effects of snow‐disappearance on ecosystems. Together, these observational and experimental datasets provide a substantial foundation for hydrologic studies seeking to understand and predict changes to catchment and local‐scale process interactions.

[1]  N. Molotch,et al.  From Patch to Catchment: A Statistical Framework to Identify and Map Soil Moisture Patterns Across Complex Alpine Terrain , 2020, Frontiers in Water.

[2]  B. Livneh,et al.  Drought less predictable under declining future snowpack , 2020, Nature Climate Change.

[3]  J. Vano.  Implications of losing snowpack , 2020, Nature Climate Change.

[4]  P. Mote,et al.  Dramatic declines in snowpack in the western US , 2018, npj Climate and Atmospheric Science.

[5]  G. Liston,et al.  Snow Sublimation in Mountain Environments and Its Sensitivity to Forest Disturbance and Climate Warming , 2018 .

[6]  P. Blanken,et al.  Fluxes of energy, water, and carbon dioxide from mountain ecosystems at Niwot Ridge, Colorado , 2015 .

[7]  N. Molotch,et al.  The ‘teflon basin’ myth: hydrology and hydrochemistry of a seasonally snow-covered catchment , 2015 .

[8]  Ben Livneh,et al.  Catchment response to bark beetle outbreak and dust-on-snow in the Colorado Rocky Mountains , 2015 .

[9]  Jason A. Hubbart,et al.  Validation and sensitivity test of the distributed hydrology soil‐vegetation model (DHSVM) in a forested mountain watershed , 2014 .

[10]  N. Caine,et al.  Thawing glacial and permafrost features contribute to nitrogen export from Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, USA , 2014, Biogeochemistry.

[11]  M. Meadows,et al.  Snowmelt timing alters shallow but not deep soil moisture in the Sierra Nevada , 2014 .

[12]  T. Painter,et al.  Combined impacts of current and future dust deposition and regional warming on Colorado River Basin snow dynamics and hydrology , 2013 .

[13]  S. Glaser,et al.  Design and performance of a wireless sensor network for catchment‐scale snow and soil moisture measurements , 2012 .

[14]  S. Boon,et al.  Comparison of the SnowHydro snow sampler with existing snow tube designs , 2012 .

[15]  T. Painter,et al.  Dust radiative forcing in snow of the Upper Colorado River Basin: 2. Interannual variability in radiative forcing and snowmelt rates , 2012 .

[16]  S. Carey,et al.  Snow surface energy exchanges and snowmelt in a shrub‐covered bog in eastern Ontario, Canada , 2012 .

[17]  D. Dethier,et al.  Internal structure of the Green Lake 5 rock glacier, Colorado Front Range, USA , 2011 .

[18]  T. Painter,et al.  Response of Colorado River runoff to dust radiative forcing in snow , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[19]  D. Clow,et al.  Changes in the timing of snowmelt and streamflow in Colorado: a response to recent warming , 2010 .

[20]  P. Blanken,et al.  White on green: under-snow microbial processes and trace gas fluxes through snow, Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range , 2009 .

[21]  P. Blanken,et al.  A comparison of water and carbon dioxide exchange at a windy alpine tundra and subalpine forest site near Niwot Ridge, Colorado , 2009 .

[22]  N. Molotch,et al.  Estimating stream chemistry during the snowmelt pulse using a spatially distributed, coupled snowmelt and hydrochemical modeling approach , 2008 .

[23]  T. Raab,et al.  Using Geophysical Methods to Study the Shallow Subsurface of a Sensitive Alpine Environment, Niwot Ridge, Colorado Front Range, U.S.A , 2008 .

[24]  T. Seastedt,et al.  Topographic controls on snow distribution, soil moisture, and species diversity of herbaceous alpine vegetation, Niwot Ridge, Colorado , 2008 .

[25]  J. Overpeck,et al.  Increasing Eolian Dust Deposition in the Western United States Linked to Human Activity , 2008 .

[26]  P. Mote.  Climate-Driven Variability and Trends in Mountain Snowpack in Western North America* , 2006 .

[27]  T. Barnett,et al.  Potential impacts of a warming climate on water availability in snow-dominated regions , 2005, Nature.

[28]  N. Caine,et al.  Source waters and flow paths in an alpine catchment, Colorado Front Range, United States , 2004 .

[29]  Günter Blöschl,et al.  Spatial correlation of soil moisture in small catchments and its relationship to dominant spatial hydrological processes , 2004 .

[30]  N. Pepin,et al.  Climate change in the Colorado Rocky Mountains: free air versus surface temperature trends , 2002 .

[31]  H. Marchant.  Snow Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Examination of Snow-Covered Ecosystems , 2001 .

[32]  Günter Blöschl,et al.  Preferred states in spatial soil moisture patterns: Local and nonlocal controls , 1997 .

[33]  D. Cline.  Snow surface energy exchanges and snowmelt at a continental, midlatitude Alpine site , 1997 .

[34]  Daniel R. Cayan,et al.  Interannual Climate Variability and Snowpack in the Western United States , 1996 .

[35]  N. Caine.  Temporal trends in the quality of streamwater in an alpine environment : Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range, U.S.A. , 1995 .

[36]  D. Greenland.  The Climate of Niwot Ridge, Front Range, Colorado, U.S.A. , 1989, Arctic and Alpine Research.

[37]  N. Berg.  Blowing Snow at a Colorado Alpine Site: Measurements and Implications , 1986 .

[38]  P. Blanken.  AmeriFlux US-NR1 Niwot Ridge Forest (LTER NWT1) , 2016 .

[39]  Gabriele Freni,et al.  Validation of hydrological models: conceptual basis, methodological approaches and a proposal for a code of practice , 2010 .

[40]  M. Sturm.  Jones, H. G., J. W. Pomeroy, D. A. Walker and R. W. Hoham (eds.), 2001. Snow ecology: an interdisciplinary examination of snow-covered ecosystems , 2001, Journal of Glaciology.