EAR-PF: Critical Zone Controls on Hydrology and the Fate of Nitrogen in Montane Forests of the Colorado Front Range, U.S.

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Dr. Eve-Lyn S. Hinckley is awarded an NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship to develop an integrated program of research and education at the University of Colorado, Boulder. This project addresses the major gaps in the process-level understanding of the interactions between hydrology and nitrogen biogeochemistry. Through directed field efforts, these interactions will be studied at the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory (BcCZO), in Boulder, CO. Three sub-catchments in the BcCZO represent a range of developmental states - from recently glaciated bedrock to deep soil profiles - and ecological zones - from montane to alpine - leading to variation in hydrologic response, nutrient status, and vegetation communities. This two-part study will focus on the two montane sub-catchments to: (1) Investigate how flow paths vary along a hillslope and affect the fate and transport of N species within a sub-catchment; and (2) Evaluate how differences in critical zone development between two sub-catchments affect hydrologic-biogeochemical coupling. To address these unknowns, dual isotopic tracers (15N and deuterium) will be applied during winter snowfall and simulated summer storms to track the fates and transformations of nitrogen in soil, water, and microbial pools under these different hydrologic conditions. This knowledge is relevant for understanding soil and water quality, nutrient supply to vegetation, and mineral weathering - the basic processes of functioning ecosystems that support life. In conjunction with the research activities, a series of lectures will be developed for a graduate-level course on Critical Zone Science to be taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder. In addition, this information will be distilled into talks and activities appropriate for elementary-aged children that participate in the K-12 Science Discovery Program run by the University.