We found a match
Your institution may have access to this item. Find your institution then sign in to continue.
- Title
Organic and inorganic nitrogen pools in talus fields and subtalus water, Green Lakes Valley, Colorado Front Range
- Authors
Brooks, P. D.; Davinroy, T.; Williams, M. W.
- Abstract
Organic and inorganic pools of nitrogen (N) were measured in talus fines or soils and subtalus water during the summer of 1995 in the alpine Green Lakes Valley catchment of the Colorado Front Range. Nineteen talus soil samples were divided into four classes: subtalus dry, subtalus wet, surface vegetated and surface bare. The size of the individual talus soil patches ranged from 075 to 1270 m2 in area, with bulk density ranging from 0798 to 1771 kg m-3 and soil texture ranging from sandy gravel in the subsurface talus to a loam in the vegetated surface. All samples contained KCl-extractable NH+4 and NO-3, organic N and carbon (C), and 17 of 19 samples contained microbial biomass. The mean subtalus values for KCl-extractable NH-4, of 372 mg N kg-1, and NO-3, of 170 mg N kg-1, were comparable with developed alpine soils on Niwot Ridge. Average microbial biomass in subtalus soils of 574 mg N kg-1 and total N of 1000 mg N kg-1 were about anorder of magnitude lower than alpine tundra soils, reflecting the reduced amount of vegetation in talus areas. However, these measurements in surface-vegetated patches of talus were comparable with the well-developed soils on Niwot Ridge. These measurements in talus of microbial biomass, total N and KCl-extractable NH+4 and NO-3, show that there is sufficient biotically conditioned 'soil' within talus fields to influence the solute content of interstitial waters. Mean NO-3 concentrations of 20 mueq l-1 from 29 samples of subtalus water were significantly higher than the 677 mueq l-1 in snow, while NH+4 concentrations in subtalus water of 077 mueq l-1 was significantly lower than in snow at 572 mueq l-1 (p = 07001). Nitrate concentrations in subtalus water
- Subjects
HYDROLOGY; CHEMISTRY
- Publication
Hydrological Processes, 1997, Vol 11, Issue 13, p1747
- ISSN
0885-6087
- Publication type
Article