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Rocky Mountain Snowpack Chemistry at Selected Sites, 1993-2010

Entry ID: USGS_CO53100

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Summary

Abstract: Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring Study Area: High-elevation sites near the Continental Divide in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, 1993 to present

Study Area: Continental Divide in Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and New Mexico
Period of Project: 1993 to present
Project Number: CO53100
Project Chief: George Ingersoll
Cooperator: National Park ... Service; U.S.D.A. Forest Service; Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment; Teton County, Wyoming

BACKGROUND:

Snowpacks collect atmospheric deposition throughout the snowfall season and offer a unique opportunity to obtain a composite sample of the chemistry of most (roughly November through April) of the annual precipitation at high elevations (> 1800 meters). This project was created to sample the full snowpack at selected sites to determine sources of acid deposition to sensitive mountain watersheds. Since 1993, the project has become the most expansive and comprehensive snowpack-chemical monitoring network of its kind. Beginning with sampling fewer than 20 sites in Colorado in 1993, the network has expanded to greater than 50 locations along the Continental Divide that have been sampled each year since 1993. In the process, techniques have been developed that use robust tracers to separate and quantify local and regional sources of atmospheric deposition of airborne pollutants. Through this program, long-term trends (>19 years, generally) are being developed in snowpack chemistry that enable estimation of normal or background levels, and identification of elevated chemical concentrations at a variety of locations where atmospheric deposition of acidic compounds is a concern. The project primarily monitors federally-managed lands in the Rocky Mountain region including several protected wilderness areas in National Forests and Parks. Applications of this regional snow-chemistry work include identifying regional trends in chemical concentration and deposition as well as monitoring subregional or local effects including power-plant emissions in Colorado or snowmobile usage in Yellowstone and other areas.

OBJECTIVES:

To develop methods to accurately represent seasonal snowpack chemistry of a variety of compounds in single, annual samples where repeated sampling is possible in subsequent years.
To maintain year-to-year sampling of a core group of 50 sampling locations to develop long-term trends in atmospheric deposition throughout the region.
To establish background concentrations of major ions, trace metals, and isotopes of nitrogen and sulfur in atmospheric deposition; identify areas of elevated concentrations relative to background levels.
To identify probable sources of elevated atmospheric deposition to snowpacks, and identify trends in chemistry as emissions change from year-to-year. Distinguish local from regional sources.
To support ongoing investigations of process-level studies of effects on sensitive ecosystems of elevated concentrations of acids and other chemicals in atmospheric deposition.
To provide data for future management decisions regarding permitting new emissions sources or planning reduction of existing emissions.

[Summary provided by the USGS.]

Related URL

Link: GET DATA

Description: Data files and reports

Link: VIEW PROJECT HOME PAGE

Description: Rocky Mountain Regional Snowpack Chemistry Monitoring Project page

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Access the Rocky Mountain Snowpack Chemistry at Selected Sites, 2002 report.

Link: VIEW RELATED INFORMATION

Description: Rocky Mountain Snowpack Chemistry at Selected Sites, 2002

Geographic Coverage

(Click for Interactive Map)

Spatial coordinates

N: 51.0

S: 32.0

E: -106.0

W: -124.0

Data Set Citation

Dataset Originator/Creator: Gerhard Herndl

Dataset Title: Pelagic Archaea Coastal Arctic (PACCA)

Dataset Series Name: Pelagic Archaea Coastal Arctic (PACCA)

Dataset Release Place: The Netherlands

Dataset Publisher: NIOZ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research

Temporal Coverage

Start Date: 2007-08-01

Stop Date: 2007-08-13

Start Date: 2008-06-11

Stop Date: 2008-07-02

Location Keywords

OCEAN > ATLANTIC OCEAN > NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN > SVALBARD AND JAN MAYEN

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > ARCTIC

CONTINENT > EUROPE > NORTHERN EUROPE

GEOGRAPHIC REGION > POLAR

Science Keywords

OCEANS > COASTAL PROCESSES > FJORDS

OCEANS > OCEAN CHEMISTRY > AMMONIA

ISO Topic Category

CLIMATOLOGY/METEOROLOGY/ATMOSPHERE

Platform

GROUND-BASED OBSERVATIONS

Instrument

CTD > Conductivity, Temperature, Depth

MASS SPECTROMETERS

Project

ARCSS > Arctic System Science

NSF/OPP > Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation

ARCSS/NPEO > Arctic System Science/North Pole Environmental Observatory

Quality Please see the investigator-provided documentation for each deployment.

Ancillary Keywords

ADCC

ARCSS095

Data Set Progress

COMPLETE

Originating Center

NSIDC_ARCSS

Data Center

National Snow and Ice Data Center

Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org
Dataset ID: ARCSS095

Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC USER SERVICES Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199 Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468 Email: nsidc at nsidc.org Contact Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center CIRES, 449 UCB University of Colorado City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80309-0449 Country: USA

Arctic System Science Data Coordination Center

Data Center URL: http://nsidc.org/arcss/
Dataset ID: ARCSS095

Data Center Personnel
Name: NSIDC ARCSS USER SERVICES Phone: +1 (303) 492-6199 Fax: +1 (303) 492-2468 Email: nsidc at nsidc.org Contact Address: National Snow and Ice Data Center CIRES, 449 UCB University of Colorado City: Boulder Province or State: CO Postal Code: 80309-0449 Country: USA