Nitrogen fluxes in a high elevation Colorado Rocky Mountain basin
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Abstract
Measured, calculated and simulated values were combined to develop an annual nitrogen budget for Loch Vale Watershed (LVWS) in the Colorado Front Range. Nine-year average wet nitrogen deposition values were 1·6 (s=0·36) kg NO3-N ha−1, and 1·0 (s=0·3) kg NH4-N ha−1. Assuming dry nitrogen deposition to be half that of measured wet deposition, this high elevation watershed receives 3·9 kg N ha−1. Although deposition values fluctuated with precipitation, measured stream nitrogen outputs were less variable. Of the total N input to the watershed (3·9 kg N ha−1 wet plus dry deposition), 49% of the total N input was immobilized. Stream losses were 2·0 kg N ha−1 (1125 kg measured dissolved inorganic N in 1992, 1–2 kg calculated dissolved organic N, plus an average of 203 kg algal N from the entire 660 ha watershed). Tundra and aquatic algae were the largest reservoirs for incoming N, at approximately 18% and 15% of the total 2574 kg N deposition, respectively. Rocky areas and forest stored the remaining 11% and 5%, respectively. Fully 80% of N losses from the watershed came from the 68% of LVWS that is alpine. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Nitrogen fluxes in a high elevation Colorado Rocky Mountain basin |
| Series title | Hydrological Processes |
| DOI | 10.1002/(SICI)1099-1085(199706)11:7<783::AID-HYP519>3.0.CO;2-U |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 7 |
| Year Published | 1997 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Description | 17 p. |
| First page | 783 |
| Last page | 799 |