Inorganic nitrogen storage in alpine snow pack in the Central Alps (Switzerland)

Hiltbrunner, Erika; Schwikowski, Margit; Körner, Christian

doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.12.037

Cited by 73 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Intensive and long-term research on N cycling in alpine ecosystems have been carried out in the United States (Brooks and Williams, 1999;Williams et al, 2011), but to date only few studies are available from high-elevation areas in the European Alps (Psenner, 1989;Tockner et al, 2002;Kopacek et al, 2005). Most of them provide N concentrations in snowpack (Hiltbrunner et al, 2005;Kuhn et al, 1998) or from ice cores drilled in glaciers (Schwikowski et al, 1999).…”

Section: R Balestrini Et Al: Catchment Features Controlling Nitrogementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fluxes reported for European Alpine sites at elevation above 2000 m a.s.l. are between 0.5-3 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , but at lower altitude sites these rates greatly increase (Hiltbrunner et al, 2005;Rogora et al, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most alpine regions, both in Europe and in the United States, receive N deposition rates exceeding 0.5 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , the expected level for ecosystems in the absence of human influence (Burns, 2003;Fenn et al, 2003;Hiltbrunner et al, 2005;Balestrini et al, 2006). Historically, N limited, high-elevation ecosystems show symptoms of N saturation at relatively low N deposition rates (2-4 kg N ha −1 yr −1 ), as in the case of the Rocky Mountains (Williams et al, 1996).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Catchment features controlling nitrogen dynamics in running waters above the tree line (central Italian Alps)

Balestrini

Arese

Freppaz

et al. 2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. The study of nitrogen cycling in mountain areas has a long tradition, as it was applied to better understand and describe ecosystem functioning, as well as to quantify long-distance effects of human activities on remote environments. Nonetheless, very few studies, especially in Europe, have considered catchment features controlling nitrogen dynamics above the tree line with focus on running waters.In this study, relationships between some water chemistry descriptors -including nitrogen species and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) -and catchment characteristics were evaluated for a range of sites located above the tree line (1950-2650 m a.s.l.) at Val Masino, in the central Italian Alps. Land cover categories as well as elevation and slope were assessed at each site. Water samples were collected during the 2007 and 2008 snow free periods, with a nearly monthly frequency. In contrast to dissolved organic nitrogen, nitrate concentrations in running waters showed a spatial pattern strictly connected to the fractional extension of tundra and talus in each basin. Exponential models significantly described the relationships between maximum NO 3 and the fraction of vegetated soil cover (negative relation) and talus (positive relation), explaining almost 90 % of nitrate variation in running waters. Similarly to nitrate but with an opposite behavior, DOC was positively correlated with vegetated soil cover and negatively correlated with talus. Therefore, land cover can be considered one of the most important factors affecting water quality in high-elevation catchments with contrasting effects on N and C pools.

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Section: R Balestrini Et Al: Catchment Features Controlling Nitrogementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Catchment features controlling nitrogen dynamics in running waters above the tree line (central Italian Alps)

Balestrini

Arese

Freppaz

et al. 2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…For instance, atmospheric deposition is a primary contributor of nitrogen (N) into these systems (Hiltbrunner et al 2005). As deposition levels increase and N release is strongly coupled to snow storage, an elevated but less seasonally pronounced N input can be expected (Burns 2003;Hiltbrunner et al 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of lotic microbial communities to altered water source and nutritional state in a glaciated alpine floodplain

Freimann

Bürgmann

Findlay

et al. 2013

Limnology & Oceanography

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Factors driving bacterial community composition (BCC) and linkages to ecosystem function (EF) are a fundamental interest in microbial ecology. Climate warming is expected to cause a shift from glacial-to groundwater-dominated water sources in alpine catchments due to receding glaciers, which is likely accompanied by a shift in BCC and EF. In this context, we performed a reciprocal transplant experiment of hyporheic sediments within a Swiss alpine floodplain. We assessed the influence of water source (groundwater 5 krenal, glacial water 5 kryal) and nutritional state (C, N, and P) on BCC and EF. Experimental response was tested using automated ribosomal intergenic spacer amplification and potential activities of eight different enzymes. BCC from both kryal and krenal systems was highly resistant to changes in water source, yet exhibited pronounced EF flexibility. Major factors determining BCC and EF response were sediment origin followed by seasonal variation in BCC. The gradient in seasonal change in BCC showed different strengths in the two water systems. Krenal BCC was more seasonally stable compared with kryal BCC, although functional plasticity showed the same extent in both. This difference in connectivity between BCC and EF suggests that krenal BCC was dominated by generalists, whereas kryal BCC was dominated by specialists. The weak effect of altered nutritional state on BCC and EF indicates a complex but hierarchically structured relationship among these factors. We conclude that microbial communities in alpine catchments are able to rapidly buffer the effect of shifts in water source on ecosystem functioning.

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“…The great importance of snow precipitation on nutrient dynamics and also the effects of snow thickness on microbial community and SOM dynamics are well known facts (Hiltbrunner et al 2005;Tan et al 2014). For these reasons, it should be necessary to consider all the factors which could influence the climate of Alpine environments.…”

Section: Soil Organic Matter (Som) and Nutrient Dynamicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Climate change impacts on the Alpine ecosystem: an overview with focus on the soil

Chersich¹,

Rejšek²,

Vranová³

et al. 2015

J. For. Sci.

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ABSTRACT:The Alpine ecosystem is very sensitive to climatic changes, which have an influence on glaciers, snow, vegetation and soils. The aim of this review is to illustrate the effects of global change on the Alpine soil ecosystem, which is an optimal marker to record them. The manuscript enhances our understanding of the global change effect on the Alpine environment: on morphology, on ice, on vegetation and points out how the cycles of soil nutrients equilibrium have been changed with a direct effect on soils that support plant species. The changes in cryosphere, glacier reduction and periglacial environment as glaciers retreat, decrease in the snow cover extent and earlier snowmelt, determine an effect on soils (on the structure, organic matter and humus forms, soil processes and soil types) from the top of the Alpine horizon to the bottom. The processes induced by climate change (such as erosion and tree line shifting) have a direct effect on water balance that can be observed on soil profile characters with an effect on upward migration, change in phenology, extensive losses of species. The equilibrium of the biogeochemical cycles has been changed and this has a direct effect on soils that support plant species.

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Inorganic nitrogen storage in alpine snow pack in the Central Alps (Switzerland)

Cited by 73 publications

References 43 publications

Catchment features controlling nitrogen dynamics in running waters above the tree line (central Italian Alps)

Catchment features controlling nitrogen dynamics in running waters above the tree line (central Italian Alps)

Response of lotic microbial communities to altered water source and nutritional state in a glaciated alpine floodplain

Climate change impacts on the Alpine ecosystem: an overview with focus on the soil

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