James Sickman
Danuta Bennett
Annie Esperanza
Andi Heard
Leland Tarnay
Delores Lucero
Mark Brenner
– Environmental Sciences, University of California Riverside
- Environmental Sciences, University of California Riverside
– National Park Service, Sequoia and Kings Canyon
- Environmental Sciences, University of California Riverside
– National Park Service, Yosemite
– Environmental Sciences, University of California Riverside
– Geological Sciences, University of Florida
Presented at:
USFS Western Lakes Monitoring Workshop
March 2-4
Stevenson WA



Examine trends in water quality, deposition
and lake changes in the West
Evaluate Diatom as potential indicators of
deposition effects
Describe ongoing work in the Sierra Nevada
incorporating diatoms to establish N critical
loads and nutrient criteria
NASA
ANC Trends 1983-2009
ANC (microequivalents per liter)
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
Sulfate Trends 1983-2009
Sulfate (microequivalents per liter)
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
Nitrate Trends 1983-2009
Nitrate (microequivalents per liter)
16
14
Wet
Wet
Dry
Dry
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
1983
1986
1989
1992
1995
1998
2001
2004
2007
20
20
20
20
20
20
19
19
19
19
19
19
05
04
03
02
01
00
99
98
97
96
95
94
93
92
91
90
89
Non-Winter Dry
Non-Winter Wet
Winter
19
19
19
19
19
88
87
86
85
6
19
19
19
19
DIN Loading (kg/ha/yr)
7
Organic N: Mean = 0.7 kg/ha/yr
5
4
3
2
1
0
Temporal Patterns:
Loch Vale, Colorado
Baron 2006:
Ecological Applications
N deposition
over past
20-25 yrs
stable
N deposition ++
over past 100+ yrs
‘‘anchor’’
deposition
N
saturation of alpine watersheds in the
Sierra Nevada
 Eutrophication
of Emerald Lake
45
25
High Lake Watershed
Sierra Nevada
20
Nitrate (µmol L-1)
35
30
15
25
Nitrate
Runoff
20
10
15
10
Daily Runoff (mm)
40
5
5
0
6/1
High Lake
Low Lake
Mills
Treasure
7/1
8/1
Elevation Mean NO3
(m)
(µM)
3603
13
3444
9.6
3554
9.3
3420
8.9
9/1
-
0
10/1
Catchment
N% DIN
Saturation
Retention
Stage
-24%
3
-7%
3
0%
2
27%
2
Stage 2: Elevated nitrate concentration in growing season
Stage 3: Catchment net source for N
Sickman et al. 2002
Particulate P (µM)
0.4
0.3
Slope 0 test: t = 10.2, p < 0.0001, n = 91
Kendall Tau: r = 0.43, p < 0.001
Trends detected at Emerald
Lake:
0.2
 TP and PP increase
0.1
0
1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999
120
Particulate C (µM)
100
 Increased phytoplankton
biomass
Trends suggest affects of
both N and P deposition
Slope 0 test: t = 8.0, p< 0.0001, n = 99
Kendall Tau: r = 0.224, p = 0.001
80
60
40
20
0
1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995
1997 1999
Sickman et al. 2003

Background

Case Studies in high elevation lakes:

Diatom proxies of pH
 Emerald

Lake (Holmes et al. 1985)
Diatom proxies of N deposition:
 RM
National Park (Baron et al. 2000 Wolfe et al.
2001)
 Wyoming
Lakes (Saros et al. 2003)
Diatoms are excellent indicators




High species diversity (pelagic & benthic types in lakes)
Well-defined ecological requirements
Respond quickly to environmental change
Cell walls composed of silica are well preserved in
sediments
Case Study 1
Holmes et al. (1989)
Study of
Emerald Lake to
reconstruct
pH and ANC history
from sediment
diatoms
A calibration set
of 27 lakes was
used to develop
diatom predictive
models
Predictive model
based on a ratio of pH
preference categories
Holmes
et al.
1989
ANC predictive
model based on
multiple regression
of 4 new ANC
preference categories
for diatoms
pH predictive
model based on
multiple regression
Of pH preference
categories
pH inferences for Emerald Lake
Holmes et al.
1989
Study demonstrated no pH changes from acid deposition
Case Study 2
Baron et al. (2000)
Wolfe et al. (2001)
Diatoms used to assess
lake responses to N
Deposition in the
Colorado Front Range
Diatom analyses in Sky Pond
and Lake Louise
Diatoms and
210Pb
dates from 2 sediment cores
Sky
Pond
Baron et al. (2000)
Wolfe et al. (2001)
Lake
Louise
Shift from oligotrophic to mesotrophic diatom species
c. 1950-1970 suggests a trophic shift occurred in the lakes
Baron et al. (2000)
Wolfe et al. (2001)
Change in
15N signatures
suggest a new
source of N
Increase in diatom
productivity suggests
greater nutrient input
Linkages to N
deposition
An increase occurred
in the volume of
diatoms deposited
in sediments
Recent diatom
communities
changed more
rapidly than at
any time in past
Case Study 3
Saros et al. (2003)
Study examined
sediment and diatom
records in four lakes in
the Beartooth Mountains
NADP data indicate the
study area receives N
deposition <1.5 kg/ha/yr
Diatoms and
210Pb
dates from Beartooth Lake
Saros et al.
(2003)
Diatom record indicates a community shift occurred within last
two decades
Current Research in Sierra Nevada
Selected for large variation in
nitrate concentrations
Selected for low variation in
pH, ANC
NASA’s Earth Observatory
Environmental variables (CCA)
Fragilaria crotonensis Kitton
Asterionella formosa Hassall
RM Indicator Species: More Abundant in Low N Lakes
1.
2.
3.
High elevation regions receive
elevated atmospheric deposition
relative to 100+ years ago
Aquatic ecosystems are very
nutrient deficient and are
responding to deposition of N and P
But responses are different in
Rocky Mountains and Sierra
Nevada……
Nutrient Limitation
Sickman, 2001
HOW DIATOM RESPOND TO ELEVATED ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION
ROCKY MOUNTAINS
Diatom communities in lakes
may be more responding to
elevated N deposition, due to
their initial N limitation (Saros
et al.2003).
SIERRA NEVADA
Diatom communities respond
to both higher rates of N and
P deposition, but the P
deposition has strongest
impact, because lakes were
predominantly P limited .
N:P ratio
High N
Low P
NITROGEN
N
N
PHOSPHOROUS
N
P
P
N
P
P
CAN WE USE DIATOMS AS INDICATOR OF ATMOSPHERIC DEPOSITION?
1 acknowledge differences between systems (source and type of deposition)
2 incorporate differences between types of initial nutrient limitations through time
3 interpret species tolerances in relation to broad environmental gradients
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Baron, J. S., H. M. Rueth, A. M. Wolfe, K. R. Nydick, E. J. Allstott, J. T. Minear and B. Moraska, Ecosystem responses to nitrogen
deposition in the Colorado Front Range, Ecosystems, 3(4), 352-368, 2000.
Baron, J. S., Hindcasting nitrogen deposition to determine an ecological critical load, Ecological Applications, 16(2), 433-439, 2006.
Bloom, A. M., K. A. Moser, D. F. Porinchu and G. M. MacDonald, Diatom-inference models for surface-water temperature and salinity
developed from a 57-lake calibration set from the Sierra Nevada, California, USA, Journal of Paleolimnology, 29(2), 235-255, 2003.
Clow, D. W., J. O. Sickman, R. G. Striegl, D. P. Krabbenhoft, J. G. Elliot, M. Dornblaser, D. A. Roth, and D. H. Campbell. 2003. Changes
in the chemistry of lakes and precipitation in high elevation national parks in the Western United States, 1985–1999. Water Resources
Research 39: 1171 [doi:10.1029/2002WR001533].
Fenn, M. E., J. S. Baron, E. B. Allen, H. M. Rueth, K. R. Nydick, L. Geiser, W. D. Bowman, J. O. Sickman, T. Meixner, and D. W.
Johnson. 2003a. Ecological effects of nitrogen deposition in the Western United States. BioScience 53:404–420.
Fenn, M. E., R. Haeuber, G. S. Tonnesen, J. S. Baron, S. Grossman-Clarke, D. Hope, S. Jaffe, S. Copeland, L. Geiser, H. M. Rueth, and J.
O. Sickman. 2003b. Nitrogen emissions, deposition and monitoring in the Western United States. BioScience 53:391–403.
Holmes, R. W., M. C. Whiting and J. L. Stoddard, Changes in Diatom-Inferred Ph and Acid Neutralizing Capacity in A Dilute, High
Elevation, Sierra-Nevada Lake Since Ad 1825, Freshwater Biology, 21(2), 295-310, 1989.
Nanus, L, D. H. Campbell, G. P. Ingersoll, D. W. Clow, and M. A. Mast. 2003. Atmospheric deposition maps for the Rocky Mountains.
Atmospheric Environment 37:4881–4892.
Saros, J. E., S. J. Interlandi, A. P. Wolfe, and D. R. Engstrom. 2003. Recent changes in the diatom community structure of lakes in the
Beartooth Mountain range, USA. Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research 35:18–23.
Sickman, J. O, J. M. Melack, and J. S. Stoddard. 2002. Regional analysis of inorganic nitrogen yield and retention in high-elevation
ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Biogeochemistry 57:341–374.
Sickman, J. O., J. M. Melack and D. W. Clow, Evidence for nutrient enrichment of high-elevation lakes in the Sierra Nevada, California,
Limnology and Oceanography, 48(5), 1885-1892, 2003.
Tonnesen GS,Wang ZS,Omary M, Chien CJ,Wang B. 2003. Formulation and application of regional air quality modeling for integrated
assessments of urban and wildland pollution. In Bytnerowicz A,Arbaugh MJ,Alonso R, eds. Ozone Air Pollution in the Sierra Nevada:
Distribution and Effects on Forests, Vol. 2: Developments in Environmental Sciences. Amsterdam (Netherlands): Elsevier.
Wolfe, A. P., A. C. Van Gorp, and J. S. Baron. 2003. Recent ecological and biogeochemical changes in alpine lakes of Rocky Mountain
National Park (Colorado, U.S.A.): a response to anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. Geobiology 1:153–168.
Q
U
E
S
T
I
O
N
S
?
Questions to answer:
Has the trophic status of lakes in the Sierra
Nevada changed?
If so, is there a dose-response relationship
between atmospheric deposition and trophic
status?
If yes, is there a threshold for depositional
effects on aquatic ecosystems?
Examples !!!
Step 2:
40
40
Percent of assemblage
50
30
Percent of
Quantify
relationships between
diatoms &
environmental
variables
Navicula radiosa parva
Frustrulia rhomboides capitata
50
20
10
0
0
500
1000
1500
2000
30
20
10
0
0
Limnetic total N (ug/L)
500
1000
1500
2000
Limnetic total N (ug/L)
optimum and tolerance of each species
is calculated in a regression step
Optima are
calculated
for each species
based on their
occurrence
in calibration lakes
Navicula radiosa parva
Frustrulia rhomboides capitata
optimum = 510
0
500
1000
optimum = 1270
1500
Limnetic total N (ug/L)
2000
0
500
1000
1500
Limnetic total N (ug/L)
2000
Step 3: Develop Trophic Index Models (TIMs)
Reconstruct trophic conditions of the lakes using weightedaverage approach
Sediment sample #1
Sediment sample #1
yields a
weighted-average
estimate for
the sample
Abundance
Past water quality?
SP3
calculated as
the average of
the species' optima
weighted by each
species' abundance
SP1
SP4
SP2
SP5
0
500
1000
1500
2000
past total N
= 620 ug/L
0
500
1000
1500
Optimum total N (ug/L)
for species
Estimated total N (ug/L)
for sample
Optimum total P (ug/L
Estimated total P (ug/L
Examples !!!
2000
Step 4: Apply SN-TIMs to Long Cores
0
2
4
Sediment Depth (cm)
6
8
10 12 14
16
18
20
2000
Year
1950
Arctic Lake (SEKI)
Hamiliton Lake (SEKI)
Moat Lake (Hoover Wilderness)
Maclure Lake (YOSE)
1900
1850
Actual dates
1800
22
Examples !!!
Step 5: Estimate the
Critical Nitrogen Load
4
3
2
1
Trophic Shift
N Loading (kg/ha/yr)
5
0
8.0
7.0
6.0
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
?
Trophic Shift
‘‘anchor’’ deposition?
6
Emerald Lake
19
8
19 5
8
19 6
8
19 7
8
19 8
8
19 9
9
19 0
9
19 1
9
19 2
9
19 3
9
19 4
9
19 5
9
19 6
9
19 7
9
19 8
9
20 9
0
20 0
0
20 1
0
20 2
0
20 3
0
20 4
05
If shifts are
observed >25 years
ago, use the
hindcasting method of
Baron 2006 and
demographic/emission
data from California
7
N Deposition (kg/ha/yr)
If trophic shifts are
observed in last 25
years, estimate
deposition from
instrument records
8
1.0
0.0
1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000
Moat and Hamilton
Lakes (N-limited & Plimited)
Logistics modeling to
identify “DoseResponse” and
nutrient criteria

Gradient of nutrient
additions (0-50 µM N, 010 µM P)

0.25
Lyngbya Response to NO3
0.20
Growth Rate
Relative
LDMRGR

0.15
Estimated effective doses
Estimate
Std. Error
10%
15.6
6.5
50%
41.5
8.4
90% 110.6
46.3
0.10
0.05
5
20
100
500
NO3
Nitrate Concentration
(µg/L)
2000