Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Jill S Baron, PhD (Former Employee)

Science and Products

link
USGS 401723105400000 ANDREWS CREEK - LOCH, VALE-Rocky Mountain National Park

Effects of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition, climate change and recreation are rapidly altering high elevation ecosystems. This project will evaluate long-term biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological trends in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the causes and rates of change in alpine and subalpine waters, soils, and vegetation. Resource managers of high-elevation, protected lands can use the...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
link

Effects of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition, climate change and recreation are rapidly altering high elevation ecosystems. This project will evaluate long-term biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological trends in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the causes and rates of change in alpine and subalpine waters, soils, and vegetation. Resource managers of high-elevation, protected lands can use the...
Learn More
link
Glacial fed alpine stream in Glacier National Park.

Interpreting Global Change Impacts on Southern Rocky Mountain Alpine and Subalpine Ecosystems for Effective Resource Management

Project Overview Human fossil fuel use and agricultural practices have increased atmospheric nitrogen deposits (e.g., through snow and rain) to mountain ecosystems. This, along with increasing measurable climate warming is affecting soil and water acidity and altering nutrient balances. In this project, North Central CASC-supported researchers will analyze decades of unexplored data...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Interpreting Global Change Impacts on Southern Rocky Mountain Alpine and Subalpine Ecosystems for Effective Resource Management

Project Overview Human fossil fuel use and agricultural practices have increased atmospheric nitrogen deposits (e.g., through snow and rain) to mountain ecosystems. This, along with increasing measurable climate warming is affecting soil and water acidity and altering nutrient balances. In this project, North Central CASC-supported researchers will analyze decades of unexplored data, including sur
Learn More
link
Sonoran desert spring wildflower display.

Ecological Forecasting Workshop

Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending changes in ecosystem dynamics (that is, the approaching near-term changes in ecosystems). Managers may use the...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
link

Ecological Forecasting Workshop

Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending changes in ecosystem dynamics (that is, the approaching near-term changes in ecosystems). Managers may use the information in f
Learn More
link

Accelerating changes and transformations in western mountain lakes

While research into eutrophication has been a cornerstone of limnology for more than 100 years, only recently has it become a topic for the remote alpine lakes that are icons of protected national parks and wilderness areas. National park lakes in the western U.S. are threatened by global change, specifically air pollution, warming, and their interactions, and the problem is quickly worsening...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program
link

Accelerating changes and transformations in western mountain lakes

While research into eutrophication has been a cornerstone of limnology for more than 100 years, only recently has it become a topic for the remote alpine lakes that are icons of protected national parks and wilderness areas. National park lakes in the western U.S. are threatened by global change, specifically air pollution, warming, and their interactions, and the problem is quickly worsening...
Learn More
link
Southern Rocky Mountains with golden aspen

The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI)

Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a long-term collaboration between FORT, WERC, NOROCK, USFS, NPS, LANL, and universities worldwide to address changes in montane forests and watersheds due to climate change. Current emphases include altered forest disturbance regimes (fire, die-off, insect outbreaks) and hydrology; interactions between plants, water, snow, nutrient cycles, and climate; and...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI)

Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a long-term collaboration between FORT, WERC, NOROCK, USFS, NPS, LANL, and universities worldwide to address changes in montane forests and watersheds due to climate change. Current emphases include altered forest disturbance regimes (fire, die-off, insect outbreaks) and hydrology; interactions between plants, water, snow, nutrient cycles, and climate; and...
Learn More
link
Loch Vale lake in the Summer, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.

Western Mountain Initiative: Central Rocky Mountains

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their responses to global changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and resilience, of Western...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

Western Mountain Initiative: Central Rocky Mountains

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their responses to global changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and resilience, of Western...
Learn More
link
Water in a Mountain Stream in Nelson County Virginia

Western Mountain Initiative: Colorado

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to anticipated climatic changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

Western Mountain Initiative: Colorado

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to anticipated climatic changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and...
Learn More

Field Notebooks from Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, research from 1981 through 2023

These files consist of scanned field notebooks from long-term research and monitoring conducted in the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park from June 17, 1981, through September 19, 2023. There are 72 individual PDF files. They are accompanied by a spreadsheet that serves as a pointer to the contents of each notebook, including the range of years in each, start and end dates...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Paleoecological data from sediment collected in 2020 from Santa Fe Lake, New Mexico

This dataset contains carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, percent carbon and percent nitrogen, algal pigment data, and diatom taxonomy from lake sediment layers dating back to 1749 Common Era (CE) for Santa Fe lake, New Mexico. Subalpine and alpine lakes are typically sensitive indicators of anthropogenically driven global change. Lake sediment records in the western United States...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Microbial nitrification gene data (ammonia monoxygenase, or amoA) from alpine glacial and snow-fed headwater ecosystems

These data describe how microorganisms facilitate the cycling of reactive nitrogen in alpine ecosystems. Samples of water and sediment were collected from a longitudinal study of Loch Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2011 and 2012. Data presented include concentrations of NO3+ and NH4+ of surface waters and the relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria in both the water...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Soil and surface water nitrogen and caffeine data from 2019, and 2019-2020 trail counts of hikers in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

Daily visitor use in Rocky Mountain National Park has increased substantially since 2014, raising questions about the impact of human waste on water quality in popular areas without latrines. Human urine contributes nitrogen, and the ecological and biogeochemical effects of nitrogen from atmospheric deposition have long been the topic of study in Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Field measurements, laboratory, and field experimental data for Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado, nutrient and warming study, 2015-2017

The data include measurements of chlorophyll a and algal stoichiometry from benthic algae collected from Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, in 2015-2017; results of nutrient diffusion experiments in Sky Pond including chlorophyll a and other pigments to identify chlorophytes, bacillariophytes, and myxomycetes, and results of a laboratory incubation using benthic...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Water chemistry and land cover attributes for The Loch and Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park

Water chemistry and land cover attributes for The Loch and Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park. These data were part of a larger survey (data from other sources) used to describe drivers of change to mountain lake productivity.
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Paleoecological data from The Loch and Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park

Diatom taxonomy, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, and algal pigment data from lake sediment layers dating back to 1600 Common Era (CE) for Sky Pond and The Loch in Rocky Mountain National Park.
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Laboratory Incubation results from 2015 for bacterial cell counts, carbon use efficiency, growth efficiency, and dissolved organic matter chemistry from four glacier outflows and four rock glacier outflows in Colorado

Bacterial Data include results of incubations of lakewater bacteria with dissolved organic matter extracted from Colorado glacier or rock glacier outflows in 2015. Cells were counted pre- and post- incubations. The "Counts" tab is the number of cells counted in each view of the microscope using the acridine orange method. "C Calculations" tab is the calculation of carbon as bacterial...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
large, capitalized text written on worn paper A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed
A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed
large, capitalized text written on worn paper

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

Sample field notebook entries from data collection and equipment maintenance for long term monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Screenshots from notebooks released here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P1CXWAVP. 


 

By
Fort Collins Science Center
large, capitalized text written on worn paper

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

Sample field notebook entries from data collection and equipment maintenance for long term monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Screenshots from notebooks released here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P1CXWAVP. 


 

By
Fort Collins Science Center
Image: Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Communications and Publishing
Filter Total Items: 213

Controls on lake pelagic primary productivity: Formalizing the nutrient-color paradigm

Understanding controls on primary productivity is essential for describing ecosystems and their responses to environmental change. Lake primary production is strongly controlled by inputs of nutrients and colored dissolved organic matter. While past studies have developed mathematical models of this nutrient-color paradigm, broad empirical tests of these models are scarce. We used data...
Authors
Isabella Oleksy, Christopher T. Solomon, Stuart E. Jones, Carly Olson, Brittni Bertolet, Rita Adrian, Sheel Bansal, Jill Baron, Soren Brothers, Sudeep Chandra, Hsiu-Mei Chou, William Colom-Montero, Joshua Culpeper, Elvira de Eyto, Matthew Farragher, Sabine Hilt, Kristen T. Holeck, Garabet Kazanjian, Marcus Klaus, Jennifer Klug, Jan Köhler, Alo Laas, Erik Lundin, Alice Parkes, Kevin C. Rose, Lars Rustam, James A. Rusak, Facundo Scordo, Michael J. Vanni, Piet Verburg, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Climatic variability as a principal driver of primary production in the southernmost subalpine Rocky Mountain lake

Mountain lakes are sensitive indicators of anthropogenically driven global change, with lake sediment records documenting increased primary production during the twentieth century. Atmospheric nutrient deposition and warming have been attributed to changes in other Western mountain lakes, however, the intensity of these drivers varies. We analyzed a sediment core representing a 270-year...
Authors
Anna Shampain, Jill Baron, Peter R. Leavitt, Sarah Spaulding
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Proximity to roads does not modify inorganic nitrogen deposition in a topographically complex, high traffic, subalpine forest

Vehicles are an important source for N deposition that may negatively impact roadside ecosystems. While elevated roadside N deposition has been found in many locations, it is not yet known if vehicle emissions cause measurable increases of N deposition in complex, mountainous terrain adjacent to roads. To address this, this study investigated the effect of vehicle N emissions on...
Authors
Katherine S. Rocci, M. Francesca Catrufo, Jill Baron
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Warming-induced changes in benthic redox as a potential driver of increasing benthic algal blooms in high-elevation lakes

Algal blooms appear to be increasing on benthic substrates of naturally nutrient-poor lakes worldwide, yet common drivers across these systems remain elusive. The phenomenon has been notable in high-elevation mountain lakes, which is enigmatic given their relative remoteness from human disturbance. We suggest that warming-induced changes in redox conditions that promote nutrient release...
Authors
Stephanie E. Hampton, Jill Baron, Robert Ladwig, Ryan P. McClure, Michael Frederick Meyer, Isabella Oleksy, Anna Shampain
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program

John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis Newsletter, volume 7, issue 1

The John Wesley Powell Center for Synthesis & Analysis is a USGS initiative that aims to foster innovative thinking in Earth system science through collaborative analysis and synthesis of existing data and information. The Powell Center supports working groups that address some of the most pressing and complex questions facing society, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water...
Authors
Jill Baron, Demi Jasmine Bingham
By
Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Marmots do not drink coffee: Human urine contributions to the nitrogen budget of a popular national park destination

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) concentrations are higher than expected for mountain lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park, and for many years, high Nr concentrations have been attributed to atmospheric Nr deposition from regional and more distant emission sources, including combustion of fossil fuels and agricultural activities. Here, we estimated the contribution from a very local source, that...
Authors
Jill Baron, Timothy Weinmann, Varun Kirk Acharya, Caitlin Charlton, Koren Nydick, Scott Esser
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Quality assurance report for Loch Vale Watershed, 2010–19

The Loch Vale Watershed Research and Monitoring Program collects long-term datasets of ecological and biogeochemical parameters in Rocky Mountain National Park to support both (1) management of this protected area and (2) research into watershed-scale ecosystem processes as those processes respond to atmospheric deposition and climate variability. The program collects data on...
Authors
Timothy Weinmann, Jill S. Baron, Amanda Jayo
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Identifying factors that affect mountain lake sensitivity to atmospheric nitrogen deposition across multiple scales

Increased nitrogen (N) deposition rates over the past century have affected both North American and European mountain lake ecosystems. Ecological sensitivity of mountain lakes to N deposition varies, however, because chemical and biological responses are modulated by local watershed and lake properties. We evaluated predictors of mountain lake sensitivity to atmospheric N deposition...
Authors
Benjamin Burpee, Jasmine Saros, Leora Nanus, Jill S. Baron, Janice Brahney, Kyle Christianson, Taylor Gantz, Andi Heard, Beth Hundey, Karin Koinig, Jiří Kopáček, Katrina Moser, Koren Nydick, Isabella A. Oleksy, Steven Sadro, Ruben Sommaruga, Rolf Vinebrooke, Jason Williams
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Persistent nitrate in alpine waters with changing atmospheric deposition and warming trends

Nitrate concentrations in high-elevation lakes of the Colorado Front Range remain elevated despite declining trends in atmospherically deposited nitrate since 2000. The current source of this elevated nitrate in surface waters remains elusive, given shifts in additional nitrogen sources via glacial inputs and atmospheric ammonium deposition. We present the complete isotopic composition...
Authors
Sydney C. Clark, Rebecca T. Barnes, Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Meredith G. Hastings
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Maintaining momentum for collaborative working groups in a post-pandemic world

Scientific progress depends in part on our ability to synthesize heterogeneous data and ideas into new models and paradigms. In environmental sciences, such synthesis has been particularly effective when conducted by collaborative working groups: diverse groups of researchers and practitioners brought together for a concentrated period of collaboration on key questions. Such work is...
Authors
Diane Srivastava, Marten Winter, Louis Gross, Jena Paul Metzger, Jill S. Baron, Nicolas Mouquet, Thomas Meagher, Ben Halpern, Valerio Pillar
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Blue waters, green bottoms: Benthic filamentous algal blooms are an emerging threat to clear lakes worldwide

Nearshore (littoral) habitats of clear lakes with high water quality are increasingly experiencing unexplained proliferations of filamentous algae that grow on submerged surfaces. These filamentous algal blooms (FABs) are sometimes associated with nutrient pollution in groundwater, but complex changes in climate, nutrient transport, lake hydrodynamics, and food web structure may also...
Authors
Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Marianne V. Moore, Simon D. Stewart, Sudeep Chandra, Karen Atkins, Jill S. Baron, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Soren Brothers, Stephen Francoeur, Laurel Genzoli, Scott N. Higgins, Sabine Hilt, Leon R. Katona, David Kelly, Isabella Oleksy, Ted Ozersky, Mary Powel, Derek Roberts, Oleg Timoshkin, Flavia Tromboni, M. Jake Vander Zanden, Ekaterina Volkova, Sean Waters, Susanna A. Wood, Masumi Yamamuro
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

A more representative community of ecologists

Ecologists play a crucial role in providing solutions to the challenges facing the world. For most of the history of the field, however, the science of ecology has been pursued by white men, and increasingly, by white women. This lack of diversity is untenable today, not only because it is socially unjust, but also because solving environmental problems requires diversity. Ecology as a...
Authors
David S Schimel, Jill S. Baron
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center
Filter Total Items: 25
Explore forty-two years of field notes from the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

Explore forty-two years of field notes from the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

USGS recently released 42 years (1981-2023) of scanned field notebooks from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky...

Read Article
New issue of National Parks magazine spotlights Jill Baron's decades-long research studies of air and water quality in Rocky Mountain National Park

New issue of National Parks magazine spotlights Jill Baron's decades-long research studies of air and water quality in Rocky Mountain National Park

The winter issue of National Parks, the magazine of the National Parks Conservation Association, has an article about Jill Baron written by Senior...

Read Article
Research Ecologist Jill Baron coauthors study finding no effect of road proximity on nitrogen deposition in a complex, mountainous terrain

Research Ecologist Jill Baron coauthors study finding no effect of road proximity on nitrogen deposition in a complex, mountainous terrain

Excess reactive nitrogen from vehicle emissions has the potential to negatively impact ecosystems, through increased soil acidification, biodiversity...

Read Article
Powell Center Working Groups - Class of 2024

Powell Center Working Groups - Class of 2024

The Powell Center is pleased to announce two new working groups beginning in FY24. These projects were ranked by the Science Advisory Board and...

Read Article
Collaborative Research Between FORT Scientist Jill Baron and the Rocky Mountain National Park Featured in the Continental Divide Research Learning Center's September Newsletter

Collaborative Research Between FORT Scientist Jill Baron and the Rocky Mountain National Park Featured in the Continental Divide Research Learning Center's September Newsletter

The Rocky Mountain National Park Continental Divide Learning Center September newsletter has an article titled "Let Me Count the Ways: How Citizen...

Read Article
FORT Scientists Discuss Research at the 2023 Ecological Society of America Meeting

FORT Scientists Discuss Research at the 2023 Ecological Society of America Meeting

FORT researchers will be presenting at the 2023 Ecological Society of America (ESA) Conference in Portland, OR from August 6-11. The theme of this...

Read Article
Marmots do not drink coffee: Human urine contributions to the nitrogen budget of a popular national park destination

Marmots do not drink coffee: Human urine contributions to the nitrogen budget of a popular national park destination

Nitrogen pollution in Rocky Mountain National Park has been monitored and tracked by USGS scientists for decades. Recently, stakeholders in the area...

Read Article
Recording Available for How to Develop Successful Synthesis Proposals for Submission to the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Recording Available for How to Develop Successful Synthesis Proposals for Submission to the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

A recording of the webinar is available by contacting Jill Baron jill_baron@usgs.gov or Demi Bingham dbingham@usgs.gov.

Read Article
Next Generation of Women in Science

Next Generation of Women in Science

As part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Fort Collins Science Center scientists volunteered to pass along personal and professional...

Read Article
Fort Collins Science Center Scientists have strong presence at AGU Fall Meeting 2020

Fort Collins Science Center Scientists have strong presence at AGU Fall Meeting 2020

Fort Collins Science Center scientists had multiple presentations and poster submissions, as well as one award, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU...

Read Article
"How to Submit a Proposal" - Seminar Slides

"How to Submit a Proposal" - Seminar Slides

Dr. Jill Baron, co-Director of the Powell Center, presented a webinar on how to develop a strong proposal for 2022 Working Group consideration on...

Read Article
Seminar Dec 8th at 1 pm ET – Natural Capital Accounting: Results and Lessons Learned from Building Nature’s Value into National and Subnational Economic Accounts

Seminar Dec 8th at 1 pm ET – Natural Capital Accounting: Results and Lessons Learned from Building Nature’s Value into National and Subnational Economic Accounts

When: Tuesday December 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm ET

Who: Ken Bagstad (USGS Geosciences & Environmental Change Science Center), Carl Shapiro (USGS Science &...

Read Article

Science and Products

link
USGS 401723105400000 ANDREWS CREEK - LOCH, VALE-Rocky Mountain National Park

Effects of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition, climate change and recreation are rapidly altering high elevation ecosystems. This project will evaluate long-term biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological trends in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the causes and rates of change in alpine and subalpine waters, soils, and vegetation. Resource managers of high-elevation, protected lands can use the...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Climate Adaptation Science Centers, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
link

Effects of global change on alpine and subalpine ecosystems

Atmospheric nitrogen deposition, climate change and recreation are rapidly altering high elevation ecosystems. This project will evaluate long-term biogeochemical, hydrological, and ecological trends in Rocky Mountain National Park to understand the causes and rates of change in alpine and subalpine waters, soils, and vegetation. Resource managers of high-elevation, protected lands can use the...
Learn More
link
Glacial fed alpine stream in Glacier National Park.

Interpreting Global Change Impacts on Southern Rocky Mountain Alpine and Subalpine Ecosystems for Effective Resource Management

Project Overview Human fossil fuel use and agricultural practices have increased atmospheric nitrogen deposits (e.g., through snow and rain) to mountain ecosystems. This, along with increasing measurable climate warming is affecting soil and water acidity and altering nutrient balances. In this project, North Central CASC-supported researchers will analyze decades of unexplored data...
By
Climate Adaptation Science Centers
link

Interpreting Global Change Impacts on Southern Rocky Mountain Alpine and Subalpine Ecosystems for Effective Resource Management

Project Overview Human fossil fuel use and agricultural practices have increased atmospheric nitrogen deposits (e.g., through snow and rain) to mountain ecosystems. This, along with increasing measurable climate warming is affecting soil and water acidity and altering nutrient balances. In this project, North Central CASC-supported researchers will analyze decades of unexplored data, including sur
Learn More
link
Sonoran desert spring wildflower display.

Ecological Forecasting Workshop

Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending changes in ecosystem dynamics (that is, the approaching near-term changes in ecosystems). Managers may use the...
By
John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis
link

Ecological Forecasting Workshop

Natural resource managers are coping with rapid changes in both environmental conditions and ecosystems. Enabled by recent advances in data collection and assimilation, short-term ecological forecasting may be a powerful tool to help resource managers anticipate impending changes in ecosystem dynamics (that is, the approaching near-term changes in ecosystems). Managers may use the information in f
Learn More
link

Accelerating changes and transformations in western mountain lakes

While research into eutrophication has been a cornerstone of limnology for more than 100 years, only recently has it become a topic for the remote alpine lakes that are icons of protected national parks and wilderness areas. National park lakes in the western U.S. are threatened by global change, specifically air pollution, warming, and their interactions, and the problem is quickly worsening...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program
link

Accelerating changes and transformations in western mountain lakes

While research into eutrophication has been a cornerstone of limnology for more than 100 years, only recently has it become a topic for the remote alpine lakes that are icons of protected national parks and wilderness areas. National park lakes in the western U.S. are threatened by global change, specifically air pollution, warming, and their interactions, and the problem is quickly worsening...
Learn More
link
Southern Rocky Mountains with golden aspen

The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI)

Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a long-term collaboration between FORT, WERC, NOROCK, USFS, NPS, LANL, and universities worldwide to address changes in montane forests and watersheds due to climate change. Current emphases include altered forest disturbance regimes (fire, die-off, insect outbreaks) and hydrology; interactions between plants, water, snow, nutrient cycles, and climate; and...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

The Western Mountain Initiative (WMI)

Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is a long-term collaboration between FORT, WERC, NOROCK, USFS, NPS, LANL, and universities worldwide to address changes in montane forests and watersheds due to climate change. Current emphases include altered forest disturbance regimes (fire, die-off, insect outbreaks) and hydrology; interactions between plants, water, snow, nutrient cycles, and climate; and...
Learn More
link
Loch Vale lake in the Summer, Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.

Western Mountain Initiative: Central Rocky Mountains

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their responses to global changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and resilience, of Western...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

Western Mountain Initiative: Central Rocky Mountains

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their responses to global changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and resilience, of Western...
Learn More
link
Water in a Mountain Stream in Nelson County Virginia

Western Mountain Initiative: Colorado

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to anticipated climatic changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
link

Western Mountain Initiative: Colorado

Mountain ecosystems of the western U.S. provide irreplaceable goods and services such as water, wood, biodiversity, and recreational opportunities, but their potential responses to anticipated climatic changes are poorly understood. The overarching objective of the Western Mountain Initiative (WMI) is to understand and predict the responses, emphasizing sensitivities, thresholds, resistance, and...
Learn More

Field Notebooks from Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park, research from 1981 through 2023

These files consist of scanned field notebooks from long-term research and monitoring conducted in the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park from June 17, 1981, through September 19, 2023. There are 72 individual PDF files. They are accompanied by a spreadsheet that serves as a pointer to the contents of each notebook, including the range of years in each, start and end dates...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Paleoecological data from sediment collected in 2020 from Santa Fe Lake, New Mexico

This dataset contains carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, percent carbon and percent nitrogen, algal pigment data, and diatom taxonomy from lake sediment layers dating back to 1749 Common Era (CE) for Santa Fe lake, New Mexico. Subalpine and alpine lakes are typically sensitive indicators of anthropogenically driven global change. Lake sediment records in the western United States...
By
Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Microbial nitrification gene data (ammonia monoxygenase, or amoA) from alpine glacial and snow-fed headwater ecosystems

These data describe how microorganisms facilitate the cycling of reactive nitrogen in alpine ecosystems. Samples of water and sediment were collected from a longitudinal study of Loch Vale watershed in Rocky Mountain National Park in 2011 and 2012. Data presented include concentrations of NO3+ and NH4+ of surface waters and the relative abundance of nitrifying bacteria in both the water...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Soil and surface water nitrogen and caffeine data from 2019, and 2019-2020 trail counts of hikers in Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

Daily visitor use in Rocky Mountain National Park has increased substantially since 2014, raising questions about the impact of human waste on water quality in popular areas without latrines. Human urine contributes nitrogen, and the ecological and biogeochemical effects of nitrogen from atmospheric deposition have long been the topic of study in Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Field measurements, laboratory, and field experimental data for Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park Colorado, nutrient and warming study, 2015-2017

The data include measurements of chlorophyll a and algal stoichiometry from benthic algae collected from Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, in 2015-2017; results of nutrient diffusion experiments in Sky Pond including chlorophyll a and other pigments to identify chlorophytes, bacillariophytes, and myxomycetes, and results of a laboratory incubation using benthic...
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Water chemistry and land cover attributes for The Loch and Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park

Water chemistry and land cover attributes for The Loch and Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park. These data were part of a larger survey (data from other sources) used to describe drivers of change to mountain lake productivity.
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Paleoecological data from The Loch and Sky Pond, Rocky Mountain National Park

Diatom taxonomy, carbon and nitrogen stable isotope values, and algal pigment data from lake sediment layers dating back to 1600 Common Era (CE) for Sky Pond and The Loch in Rocky Mountain National Park.
By
Fort Collins Science Center

Laboratory Incubation results from 2015 for bacterial cell counts, carbon use efficiency, growth efficiency, and dissolved organic matter chemistry from four glacier outflows and four rock glacier outflows in Colorado

Bacterial Data include results of incubations of lakewater bacteria with dissolved organic matter extracted from Colorado glacier or rock glacier outflows in 2015. Cells were counted pre- and post- incubations. The "Counts" tab is the number of cells counted in each view of the microscope using the acridine orange method. "C Calculations" tab is the calculation of carbon as bacterial...
By
Fort Collins Science Center
large, capitalized text written on worn paper A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed
A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed
large, capitalized text written on worn paper

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

Sample field notebook entries from data collection and equipment maintenance for long term monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Screenshots from notebooks released here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P1CXWAVP. 


 

By
Fort Collins Science Center
large, capitalized text written on worn paper

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

A sample of field notebook entries from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed

Sample field notebook entries from data collection and equipment maintenance for long term monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park. Screenshots from notebooks released here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P1CXWAVP. 


 

By
Fort Collins Science Center
Image: Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Loch Vale Watershed
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Communications and Publishing
Image: Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed

Loch Vale Watershed in the Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

By
Water Resources Mission Area, Communications and Publishing
Filter Total Items: 213

Controls on lake pelagic primary productivity: Formalizing the nutrient-color paradigm

Understanding controls on primary productivity is essential for describing ecosystems and their responses to environmental change. Lake primary production is strongly controlled by inputs of nutrients and colored dissolved organic matter. While past studies have developed mathematical models of this nutrient-color paradigm, broad empirical tests of these models are scarce. We used data...
Authors
Isabella Oleksy, Christopher T. Solomon, Stuart E. Jones, Carly Olson, Brittni Bertolet, Rita Adrian, Sheel Bansal, Jill Baron, Soren Brothers, Sudeep Chandra, Hsiu-Mei Chou, William Colom-Montero, Joshua Culpeper, Elvira de Eyto, Matthew Farragher, Sabine Hilt, Kristen T. Holeck, Garabet Kazanjian, Marcus Klaus, Jennifer Klug, Jan Köhler, Alo Laas, Erik Lundin, Alice Parkes, Kevin C. Rose, Lars Rustam, James A. Rusak, Facundo Scordo, Michael J. Vanni, Piet Verburg, Gesa A. Weyhenmeyer
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Climatic variability as a principal driver of primary production in the southernmost subalpine Rocky Mountain lake

Mountain lakes are sensitive indicators of anthropogenically driven global change, with lake sediment records documenting increased primary production during the twentieth century. Atmospheric nutrient deposition and warming have been attributed to changes in other Western mountain lakes, however, the intensity of these drivers varies. We analyzed a sediment core representing a 270-year...
Authors
Anna Shampain, Jill Baron, Peter R. Leavitt, Sarah Spaulding
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Proximity to roads does not modify inorganic nitrogen deposition in a topographically complex, high traffic, subalpine forest

Vehicles are an important source for N deposition that may negatively impact roadside ecosystems. While elevated roadside N deposition has been found in many locations, it is not yet known if vehicle emissions cause measurable increases of N deposition in complex, mountainous terrain adjacent to roads. To address this, this study investigated the effect of vehicle N emissions on...
Authors
Katherine S. Rocci, M. Francesca Catrufo, Jill Baron
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Warming-induced changes in benthic redox as a potential driver of increasing benthic algal blooms in high-elevation lakes

Algal blooms appear to be increasing on benthic substrates of naturally nutrient-poor lakes worldwide, yet common drivers across these systems remain elusive. The phenomenon has been notable in high-elevation mountain lakes, which is enigmatic given their relative remoteness from human disturbance. We suggest that warming-induced changes in redox conditions that promote nutrient release...
Authors
Stephanie E. Hampton, Jill Baron, Robert Ladwig, Ryan P. McClure, Michael Frederick Meyer, Isabella Oleksy, Anna Shampain
By
Water Resources Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program

John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis Newsletter, volume 7, issue 1

The John Wesley Powell Center for Synthesis & Analysis is a USGS initiative that aims to foster innovative thinking in Earth system science through collaborative analysis and synthesis of existing data and information. The Powell Center supports working groups that address some of the most pressing and complex questions facing society, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, water...
Authors
Jill Baron, Demi Jasmine Bingham
By
Science Synthesis, Analysis and Research Program, Science Analytics and Synthesis (SAS) Program, John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Marmots do not drink coffee: Human urine contributions to the nitrogen budget of a popular national park destination

Reactive nitrogen (Nr) concentrations are higher than expected for mountain lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park, and for many years, high Nr concentrations have been attributed to atmospheric Nr deposition from regional and more distant emission sources, including combustion of fossil fuels and agricultural activities. Here, we estimated the contribution from a very local source, that...
Authors
Jill Baron, Timothy Weinmann, Varun Kirk Acharya, Caitlin Charlton, Koren Nydick, Scott Esser
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Quality assurance report for Loch Vale Watershed, 2010–19

The Loch Vale Watershed Research and Monitoring Program collects long-term datasets of ecological and biogeochemical parameters in Rocky Mountain National Park to support both (1) management of this protected area and (2) research into watershed-scale ecosystem processes as those processes respond to atmospheric deposition and climate variability. The program collects data on...
Authors
Timothy Weinmann, Jill S. Baron, Amanda Jayo
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Identifying factors that affect mountain lake sensitivity to atmospheric nitrogen deposition across multiple scales

Increased nitrogen (N) deposition rates over the past century have affected both North American and European mountain lake ecosystems. Ecological sensitivity of mountain lakes to N deposition varies, however, because chemical and biological responses are modulated by local watershed and lake properties. We evaluated predictors of mountain lake sensitivity to atmospheric N deposition...
Authors
Benjamin Burpee, Jasmine Saros, Leora Nanus, Jill S. Baron, Janice Brahney, Kyle Christianson, Taylor Gantz, Andi Heard, Beth Hundey, Karin Koinig, Jiří Kopáček, Katrina Moser, Koren Nydick, Isabella A. Oleksy, Steven Sadro, Ruben Sommaruga, Rolf Vinebrooke, Jason Williams
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Ecosystems Land Change Science Program, Fort Collins Science Center

Persistent nitrate in alpine waters with changing atmospheric deposition and warming trends

Nitrate concentrations in high-elevation lakes of the Colorado Front Range remain elevated despite declining trends in atmospherically deposited nitrate since 2000. The current source of this elevated nitrate in surface waters remains elusive, given shifts in additional nitrogen sources via glacial inputs and atmospheric ammonium deposition. We present the complete isotopic composition...
Authors
Sydney C. Clark, Rebecca T. Barnes, Isabella A. Oleksy, Jill S. Baron, Meredith G. Hastings
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Maintaining momentum for collaborative working groups in a post-pandemic world

Scientific progress depends in part on our ability to synthesize heterogeneous data and ideas into new models and paradigms. In environmental sciences, such synthesis has been particularly effective when conducted by collaborative working groups: diverse groups of researchers and practitioners brought together for a concentrated period of collaboration on key questions. Such work is...
Authors
Diane Srivastava, Marten Winter, Louis Gross, Jena Paul Metzger, Jill S. Baron, Nicolas Mouquet, Thomas Meagher, Ben Halpern, Valerio Pillar
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

Blue waters, green bottoms: Benthic filamentous algal blooms are an emerging threat to clear lakes worldwide

Nearshore (littoral) habitats of clear lakes with high water quality are increasingly experiencing unexplained proliferations of filamentous algae that grow on submerged surfaces. These filamentous algal blooms (FABs) are sometimes associated with nutrient pollution in groundwater, but complex changes in climate, nutrient transport, lake hydrodynamics, and food web structure may also...
Authors
Yvonne Vadeboncoeur, Marianne V. Moore, Simon D. Stewart, Sudeep Chandra, Karen Atkins, Jill S. Baron, Keith Bouma-Gregson, Soren Brothers, Stephen Francoeur, Laurel Genzoli, Scott N. Higgins, Sabine Hilt, Leon R. Katona, David Kelly, Isabella Oleksy, Ted Ozersky, Mary Powel, Derek Roberts, Oleg Timoshkin, Flavia Tromboni, M. Jake Vander Zanden, Ekaterina Volkova, Sean Waters, Susanna A. Wood, Masumi Yamamuro
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center

A more representative community of ecologists

Ecologists play a crucial role in providing solutions to the challenges facing the world. For most of the history of the field, however, the science of ecology has been pursued by white men, and increasingly, by white women. This lack of diversity is untenable today, not only because it is socially unjust, but also because solving environmental problems requires diversity. Ecology as a...
Authors
David S Schimel, Jill S. Baron
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Fort Collins Science Center
Filter Total Items: 25
Explore forty-two years of field notes from the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

Explore forty-two years of field notes from the Loch Vale watershed, Rocky Mountain National Park

USGS recently released 42 years (1981-2023) of scanned field notebooks from long-term research and monitoring in the Loch Vale Watershed, Rocky...

Read Article
New issue of National Parks magazine spotlights Jill Baron's decades-long research studies of air and water quality in Rocky Mountain National Park

New issue of National Parks magazine spotlights Jill Baron's decades-long research studies of air and water quality in Rocky Mountain National Park

The winter issue of National Parks, the magazine of the National Parks Conservation Association, has an article about Jill Baron written by Senior...

Read Article
Research Ecologist Jill Baron coauthors study finding no effect of road proximity on nitrogen deposition in a complex, mountainous terrain

Research Ecologist Jill Baron coauthors study finding no effect of road proximity on nitrogen deposition in a complex, mountainous terrain

Excess reactive nitrogen from vehicle emissions has the potential to negatively impact ecosystems, through increased soil acidification, biodiversity...

Read Article
Powell Center Working Groups - Class of 2024

Powell Center Working Groups - Class of 2024

The Powell Center is pleased to announce two new working groups beginning in FY24. These projects were ranked by the Science Advisory Board and...

Read Article
Collaborative Research Between FORT Scientist Jill Baron and the Rocky Mountain National Park Featured in the Continental Divide Research Learning Center's September Newsletter

Collaborative Research Between FORT Scientist Jill Baron and the Rocky Mountain National Park Featured in the Continental Divide Research Learning Center's September Newsletter

The Rocky Mountain National Park Continental Divide Learning Center September newsletter has an article titled "Let Me Count the Ways: How Citizen...

Read Article
FORT Scientists Discuss Research at the 2023 Ecological Society of America Meeting

FORT Scientists Discuss Research at the 2023 Ecological Society of America Meeting

FORT researchers will be presenting at the 2023 Ecological Society of America (ESA) Conference in Portland, OR from August 6-11. The theme of this...

Read Article
Marmots do not drink coffee: Human urine contributions to the nitrogen budget of a popular national park destination

Marmots do not drink coffee: Human urine contributions to the nitrogen budget of a popular national park destination

Nitrogen pollution in Rocky Mountain National Park has been monitored and tracked by USGS scientists for decades. Recently, stakeholders in the area...

Read Article
Recording Available for How to Develop Successful Synthesis Proposals for Submission to the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

Recording Available for How to Develop Successful Synthesis Proposals for Submission to the John Wesley Powell Center for Analysis and Synthesis

A recording of the webinar is available by contacting Jill Baron jill_baron@usgs.gov or Demi Bingham dbingham@usgs.gov.

Read Article
Next Generation of Women in Science

Next Generation of Women in Science

As part of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, Fort Collins Science Center scientists volunteered to pass along personal and professional...

Read Article
Fort Collins Science Center Scientists have strong presence at AGU Fall Meeting 2020

Fort Collins Science Center Scientists have strong presence at AGU Fall Meeting 2020

Fort Collins Science Center scientists had multiple presentations and poster submissions, as well as one award, at the American Geophysical Union (AGU...

Read Article
"How to Submit a Proposal" - Seminar Slides

"How to Submit a Proposal" - Seminar Slides

Dr. Jill Baron, co-Director of the Powell Center, presented a webinar on how to develop a strong proposal for 2022 Working Group consideration on...

Read Article
Seminar Dec 8th at 1 pm ET – Natural Capital Accounting: Results and Lessons Learned from Building Nature’s Value into National and Subnational Economic Accounts

Seminar Dec 8th at 1 pm ET – Natural Capital Accounting: Results and Lessons Learned from Building Nature’s Value into National and Subnational Economic Accounts

When: Tuesday December 8, 2020 at 1:00 pm ET

Who: Ken Bagstad (USGS Geosciences & Environmental Change Science Center), Carl Shapiro (USGS Science &...

Read Article

*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government

Was this page helpful?