Local climate influences on precipitation, cloud water, and dry deposition to an Adirondack subalpine forest: Insights from observations 1986--1996

Journal Article · · Journal of Environmental Quality

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq1999.00472425002800010033x· OSTI ID:6407825

Miller, E K; Friedland, A J ^[1]

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1. Dartmouth Coll., Hanover, NH (United States). Environmental Studies Program

Few studies of total atmospheric deposition of major elements (S, N, Ca, Mg, and K) have been conducted in high-elevation forests. This paper presents the results of the first long-term observations (1986--1996) of total atmospheric deposition (wet + dry + cloud water) to a subalpine forest in the northeastern USA. Total atmospheric deposition of N to a forest at 1050 m elevation on Whiteface Mountain, NY, averaged 17.2 kg ha[sup [minus]1] yr[sup [minus]1], with 6.5 kg ha[sup [minus]1] yr[sup [minus]1] deposited as NH[sub 4] and 10.8 kg ha[sup [minus]1] yr[sup [minus]1] as NO[sub 3]. Total S deposition averaged 18.3 kg ha[sup [minus]1] yr[sup [minus]1]. Orographic effects both enhanced rainfall and increased interannual variance of ion concentrations and wet deposition compared to nearby low-elevation monitoring stations. Cloud droplet capture by the forest canopy varied substantially from year-to-year in response to changing meteorological conditions, contributing between 6 and 31% of total annual water inputs, which averaged 156.1 cm yr[sup [minus]1]. Cloud water deposition was responsible for approximately 50%, and dry deposition approximately 10% of total annual N and S deposition. The signal from known decadal trends in atmospheric concentrations and fluxes of S in the northeastern USA was partially masked by high-frequency (intra- and inter-annual) variance associated with local climatic effects on precipitation and cloud water fluxes at this high-elevation site. These observations suggest that atmospheric deposition rates to high-elevation forests may be more responsive to climatic fluctuations and less responsive to recent and expected changes in atmospheric chemical burdens than in surrounding low-elevation ecosystems.

• OSTI ID: 6407825
• Journal Information: Journal of Environmental Quality, Journal Name: Journal of Environmental Quality Vol. 28:1; ISSN JEVQAA; ISSN 0047-2425
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
540220 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS
AIR POLLUTION
AIR-BIOSPHERE INTERACTIONS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
AMMONIUM COMPOUNDS
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
CALCIUM
CLIMATES
CLOUDS
DEPOSITION
ELEMENTS
FORESTS
MAGNESIUM
METALS
MOUNTAINS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS