Alpine Vegetation of the Indian Peaks Area: Front Range, Colorado Rocky Mountains. Flora et Vegetatio Mundi, Band VII.Vera Komarkova

1979 ◽  
Vol 54 (4) ◽  
pp. 461-461
Author(s):  
R. H. Whittaker
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Alpine Vegetation ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

scholarly journals New particle formation in the front range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

2007 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 15581-15617 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Boy ◽  
T. Karl ◽  
A. Turnipseed ◽  
R. L. Mauldin ◽  
E. Kosciuch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Particle Growth ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Front Range ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Particle Measurement ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

Abstract. New particle formation is of interest because of its influence on the properties of aerosol population, and due to the possible contribution of newly formed particles to cloud condensation nuclei. Currently no conclusive evidence exists as to the mechanism or mechanisms of nucleation and subsequent particle growth. However, nucleation rates exhibit a clear dependence on ambient sulphuric acid concentrations and particle growth is often attributed to the condensation of organic vapours. A detailed study of new particle formation in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is presented here. Gas and particle measurement data for 32 days was analyzed to identify event days, possible event days, and non-event days. A detailed analysis of nucleation and growth is provided for four days on which new particle formation was clearly observed. Evidence for the role of sesquiterpenes in new particle formation is presented.

scholarly journals Permafrost Occurrence in the Front Range, Colorado Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.

1971 ◽  
Vol 10 (58) ◽  
pp. 105-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack D. Ives ◽  
Barry D. Fahey
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Temperature Observation ◽  
North American Arctic ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

In contrast to the extensive and rapidly growing body of knowledge on permafrost in the Eurasian and North American Arctic and sub-Arctic, little is known about permafrost occurrence in the high mountain regions of the world. Preliminary results of permafrost studies from the Colorado Rocky Mountains are presented.Above tree line (about 3 500 m) in the Front Range, scattered patches of permafrost begin to occur under wet sites blown free of snow in winter with a mean annual air temperature of about — 1.0°C. At greater elevations, with correspondingly lower mean annual air temperatures (extreme case — 9.0°C and 4400 m), permafrost becomes more extensive and probably exceeds 60 m in thickness. These initial results are derived from a skeleton ground-temperature observation program supplemented by indirect evidence and by data gathered from engineering and mining operations in the high country. It is probable that under the higher summits and ridge crests the alpine equivalent of the continuous zone of Arctic permafrost can be anticipated.

Effects of ozone and climate on ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa) growth in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (9) ◽  
pp. 1750-1759 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Peterson ◽  
Michael J. Arbaugh ◽  
Lindsay J. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Growth Trends ◽  
Second Growth ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains ◽  
Highly Correlated

Long-term radial growth trends of ponderosa pine (Pinusponderosa var. scopulorum) were studied in second-growth stands in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains to determine if there has been any impact from oxidant air pollution. Although ozone concentrations are relatively high at some locations, visible pollutant injury was not found in any trees. Time series of basal area increments are generally homogeneous within stands. Concurrent periods of increasing and decreasing growth can be found in stands throughout the Front Range, which indicates that there are temporal growth trends at the regional level. Most of these trends appear to be related to the effects of stand dynamics and climate. Correlation analysis with climatic variables indicates that soil moisture supply is the dominant factor controlling interannual variation of basal area growth. Palmer hydrological drought index is highly correlated (positively) with growth during the summer months; total precipitation in spring is positively correlated with growth, and mean temperature in spring is negatively correlated with growth. There are no recent changes in growth trends that might be associated with elevated levels of ambient ozone in the Front Range.

scholarly journals New particle formation in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 1577-1590 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Boy ◽  
T. Karl ◽  
A. Turnipseed ◽  
R. L. Mauldin ◽  
E. Kosciuch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Cloud Condensation Nuclei ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
Particle Growth ◽  
Particle Formation ◽  
Conclusive Evidence ◽  
Front Range ◽  
New Particle Formation ◽  
Particle Measurement ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

Abstract. New particle formation is of interest because of its influence on the properties of aerosol population, and due to the possible contribution of newly formed particles to cloud condensation nuclei. Currently no conclusive evidence exists as to the mechanism or mechanisms of nucleation and subsequent particle growth. However, nucleation rates exhibit a clear dependence on ambient sulphuric acid concentrations and particle growth is often attributed to the condensation of organic vapours. A detailed study of new particle formation in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains is presented here. Gas and particle measurement data for 32 days was analyzed to identify event days, possible event days, and non-event days. A detailed analysis of nucleation and growth is provided for four days on which new particle formation was clearly observed. Evidence for the role of sesquiterpenes in new particle formation is presented.

Introduction: Historical Perspective and Significance of Alpine Ecosystem Studies

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
William D. Bowman
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Extreme Environments ◽  
Ecosystem Processes ◽  
Alpine Tundra ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Niwot Ridge ◽  
Alpine Ecosystem ◽  
Ecosystem Studies ◽  
Central Rocky Mountains ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

Alpine tundra is an intriguing ecosystem—for its beauty as well as for the harsh climate in which it exists. Contrasted against jagged rock precipices and snow and ice and subjected to rapid changes in weather, the tundra, with its proliferation of diminutive flowers, appears deceptively fragile. John Muir, in detailing the alpine of the Sierra Nevada, was at a loss to adequately describe “the exquisite beauty of these mountain carpets as they lie smoothly outspread in the savage wilderness” (Muir 1894). Despite this aesthetic fascination for the alpine, it is one of the least studied ecosystems in the world. Significant effort has been expended to describe the physiological ecology of alpine organisms (e.g., Bliss 1985; Carey 1993; Körner 1999) and community patterns (Komárková 1979; Billings 1988), but there have been no syntheses detailing alpine ecosystem processes and patterns to the degree that they have been described in the arctic (e.g., Chapin 1992) and forest (e.g., Likens and Bormann 1995) ecosystems. The goal of this book is to provide a description of the Niwot Ridge/Green Lakes Valley alpine ecosystem of the Front Range in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, including the spatial and temporal patterns of animals, plants, and microorganisms and the associated ecosystem processes. The book focuses on the strengths of the research carried out on Niwot Ridge during the past four decades, particularly physical factors influencing alpine ecology (climate and geomorphology), patterns and functions of the vegetation, and N biogeochemistry. While the book focuses on a particular site, the results can be extrapolated to much of the southern and central Rocky Mountains, and thus it pertains to a broader geographic and scientific scope and will be of direct interest to ecologists in general as well as to those interested in ecosystems in extreme environments. There are numerous justifications for a synthesis of alpine ecosystem studies. While alpine tundra occupies only about 3% of the global land surface (Körner 1995) and thus has little impact on atmosphere-biosphere exchange, its presence at the extreme climatic tolerance for many organisms and its presence on every continent make it a good “indicator” system for regional environmental change.

STUDIES ON SNOW ALGAE AND FUNGI FROM THE FRONT RANGE OF COLORADO

1967 ◽  
Vol 45 (11) ◽  
pp. 2033-2045 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet R. Stein ◽  
Clifford C. Amundsen
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Carotenoid Pigments ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Snow Algae ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains ◽  
Effect Of Light

The algae and fungi occurring in snowbanks in the Front Range of the Colorado Rocky Mountains are described and discussed. Whenever possible, details of the life cycle are given and correlated with reports in the literature. The effect of light on presence of carotenoid pigments is discussed for several species. The following organisms are reported: Carteria nivale; Chlamydomonas nivalis, Chlamydomonas spp.; Chodatella brevispina, Chodatella granulosa; Scotiella cryophila, S. nivalis, S. polyptera; Koliella nivalis; Rhizophydium sp.; Chionaster nivalis.

scholarly journals The Simulated Impact of the Snow Albedo Feedback on the Large-Scale Mountain–Plain Circulation East of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (3) ◽  
pp. 755-774 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodore W. Letcher ◽  
Justin R. Minder
Keyword(s):  
Interannual Variability ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Albedo Feedback ◽  
Snow Albedo ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

Abstract The Front Range mountain–plain circulation (FRMC) is a large-scale diurnally driven wind system that occurs east of the Colorado Rocky Mountains in the United States and affects the weather both in the Rocky Mountains and Great Plains. As the climate warms, the snow albedo feedback will amplify the warming response in the Rocky Mountains during the spring, increasing the thermal contrast that drives the FRMC. In this study, the authors perform a 7-yr pseudo–global warming (PGW) regional climate change experiment along with an idealized PGW “fixed albedo” experiment to test the sensitivity of the FRMC to the snow albedo feedback (SAF). The authors find a mean increase in the springtime FRMC strength in the PGW experiment that is primarily driven by the snow albedo feedback. Furthermore, interannual variability of changes in FRMC strength is strongly influenced by interannual variability in the SAF. An additional case study experiment configured with a much higher resolution is performed to examine the finescale details of how the SAF and the FRMC interact. This experiment includes a passive tracer to investigate subsequent impacts on pollution transport. The case study reveals that loss of snow cover causes an increase in the strength of the FRMC. Advection by the strengthened FRMC increases the concentration of tracers emitted over the Great Plains in the boundary layer over the Front Range mountains.

scholarly journals Permafrost Occurrence in the Front Range, Colorado Rocky Mountains, U.S.A.

1971 ◽  
Vol 10 (58) ◽  
pp. 105-111
Author(s):  
Jack D. Ives ◽  
Barry D. Fahey
Keyword(s):  
Rocky Mountains ◽  
Indirect Evidence ◽  
Extreme Case ◽  
High Mountain ◽  
Front Range ◽  
Mining Operations ◽  
Air Temperatures ◽  
Temperature Observation ◽  
North American Arctic ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

AbstractIn contrast to the extensive and rapidly growing body of knowledge on permafrost in the Eurasian and North American Arctic and sub-Arctic, little is known about permafrost occurrence in the high mountain regions of the world. Preliminary results of permafrost studies from the Colorado Rocky Mountains are presented.Above tree line (about 3 500 m) in the Front Range, scattered patches of permafrost begin to occur under wet sites blown free of snow in winter with a mean annual air temperature of about — 1.0°C. At greater elevations, with correspondingly lower mean annual air temperatures (extreme case — 9.0°C and 4400 m), permafrost becomes more extensive and probably exceeds 60 m in thickness. These initial results are derived from a skeleton ground-temperature observation program supplemented by indirect evidence and by data gathered from engineering and mining operations in the high country. It is probable that under the higher summits and ridge crests the alpine equivalent of the continuous zone of Arctic permafrost can be anticipated.

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