Geology topics

K.A. Tonnessen

Publications and source records attributed to K.A. Tonnessen.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2009

Assessment of lake sensitivity to acidic deposition in national parks of the Rocky Mountains

The sensitivity of high-elevation lakes to acidic deposition was evaluated in five national parks of the Rocky Mountains based on statistical relations between lake acid-neutralizing capacity concentrations and basin characteristics. Acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) of 151 lakes sampled during synoptic surveys and basin-characteristic information derived from geographic information system (GIS) data sets were used to calibrate the statistical models. The explanatory basin variables that were considered included topographic parameters, bedrock type, and vegetation type. A logistic regression model was developed, and modeling results were cross-validated through lake sampling during fall 2004 at 58 lakes. The model was applied to lake basins greater than 1 ha in area in Glacier National Park ( n = 244 lakes), Grand Teton National Park ( n = 106 lakes), Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve ( n = 11 lakes), Rocky Mountain National Park ( n = 114 lakes), and Yellowstone National Park ( n = 294 lakes). Lakes that had a high probability of having an ANC concentration <100 μeq/L, and therefore sensitive to acidic deposition, are located in basins with elevations >3000 m, with <30% of the catchment having northeast aspect and with >80% of the catchment bedrock having low buffering capacity. The modeling results indicate that the most sensitive lakes are located in Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Teton National Park. This technique for evaluating the lake sensitivity to acidic deposition is useful for designing long-term monitoring plans and is potentially transferable to other remote mountain areas of the United States and the world.

Colorado;Idaho;Montana;Wyoming↗

USGS2005

Surface water acidification responses and critical loads of sulfur and nitrogen deposition in Loch Vale watershed, Colorado

We evaluated the sensitivity of The Loch, a subalpine lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, to acidification in response to increased atmospheric loading of sulfur (S) and nitrogen (N) using the Model of Acidification of Groundwater in Catchments (MAGIC). Lake water acid‐base chemistry was moderately sensitive to changes in both S and N deposition. However, the loads of S deposition that would drive chronic lake water acid neutralizing capacity (ANC) to below 0 or 20 μeq L −1 were estimated to be 11 and 8 kg S ha −1 yr −1 , respectively, assuming constant future N deposition at current levels. Comparable loads for N deposition, assuming constant future S deposition, were estimated to be 21 and 12 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , respectively. Modeling results for Andrews Creek, an alpine tributary to The Loch, suggested critical loads for surface water acidification that averaged about one third lower. Surface water ANC = 50 μeq L −1 was projected to occur in 50 years in The Loch if S or N deposition increased by a moderate amount (<40%) but could not be achieved in Andrews Creek by reducing either S or N deposition to zero. On the basis of the results of synoptic surveys of lake water chemistry, about one fifth of the wilderness lakes in the Colorado Front Range are more acid‐sensitive than The Loch. This modeling exercise suggests the need for a regional analysis of critical loads for the larger population of acid‐sensitive aquatic resources in order to provide part of the scientific foundation for federally mandated land management decisions.

Water Resources Research↗

USGS2001

Major-ion chemistry of the Rocky Mountain snowpack, USA

During 1993-97, samples of the full depth of the Rocky Mountain snowpack were collected at 52 sites from northern New Mexico to Montana and analyzed for major-ion concentrations. Concentrations of acidity, sulfate, nitrate, and calcium increased from north to south along the mountain range. In the northern part of the study area, acidity was most correlated (negatively) with calcium. Acidity was strongly correlated (positively) with nitrate and sulfate in the southern part and for the entire network. Acidity in the south exceeded the maximum acidity measured in snowpack of the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. Principal component analysis indicates three solute associations we characterize as: (1) acid (acidity, sulfate, and nitrate), (2) soil (calcium, magnesium, and potassium), and (3) salt (sodium, chloride, and ammonium). Concentrations of acid solutes in the snowpack are similar to concentrations in nearby wetfall collectors, whereas, concentrations of soil solutes are much higher in the snowpack than in wetfall. Thus, dryfall of acid solutes during the snow season is negligible, as is gypsum from soils. Snowpack sampling offers a cost-effective complement to sampling of wetfall in areas where wetfall is difficult to sample and where the snowpack accumulates throughout the winter. Copyright ?? 2001 .

Atmospheric Environment↗

USGS2001

Effect of storm trajectories on snowfall chemistry in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado

Snowfall samples from snowstorms lasting 1 to 4 days were collected near the Bear Lake snow telemetry (SnoTel) site in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado (ROMO), during the 1998-99 snowfall season to determine if storms moving in from different directions affect the chemistry of precipitation in the park. Storm pathways to Bear Lake during snowfall events were estimated using the HYSPLIT4 backward-trajectory model developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Deposition of acidic ions of nitrate and sulfate in snowfall during the study varied substantially (two- to threefold) depending on storm trajectory because air masses traversing the park originated from different surrounding areas, including some having large sources of emissions of nitrate and sulfate. Concentrations of nitrate and sulfate in samples were lowest when storms reached ROMO from north and east of the park and were elevated when air masses traveled from the west where a number of power plants are located. Concentrations were highest in storms reaching ROMO from the south, a region with urban areas including Metropolitan Denver.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2000

Comparison of precipitation chemistry in the Central Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA

Volume-weighted mean concentrations of nitrate (NO3-), ammonium (NH4+), and sulfate (SO42-) in precipitation were compared at high-elevation sites in Colorado from 1992 to 1997 to evaluate emission source areas to the east and west of the Rocky Mountains. Precipitation chemistry was measured by two sampling methods, the National Atmospheric Deposition Program/National Trends Network (NADP/NTN) and snowpack surveys at maximum accumulation. Concentrations of NO3- and SO42- in winter precipitation were greater on the western slope of the Rockies, and concentrations of NO3- and NH4+ in summer precipitation were greater on the eastern slope. Summer concentrations in general were almost twice as high as winter concentrations. Seasonal weather patterns in combination with emission source areas help to explain these differences. This comparison shows that high-elevation ecosystems in Colorado are influenced by air pollution emission sources located on both sides of the Continental Divide. It also suggests that sources of nitrogen and sulfur located east of the Divide have a greater influence on precipitation chemistry in the Colorado Rockies. Copyright (C) 2000.

Atmospheric Environment↗