Sensitivity of a high-elevation Rocky Mountain watershed to altered climate and CO2
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Abstract
We explored the hydrologic and ecological responses of a headwater mountain catchment, Loch Vale watershed, to climate change and doubling of atmospheric CO2 scenarios using the Regional Hydro-Ecological Simulation System (RHESSys). A slight (2°C) cooling, comparable to conditions observed over the past 40 years, led to greater snowpack and slightly less runoff, evaporation, transpiration, and plant productivity. An increase of 2°C yielded the opposite response, but model output for an increase of 4°C showed dramatic changes in timing of hydrologic responses. The snowpack was reduced by 50%, and runoff and soil water increased and occurred 4–5 weeks earlier with 4°C warming. Alpine tundra photosynthetic rates responded more to warmer and wetter conditions than subalpine forest, but subalpine forest showed a greater response to doubling of atmospheric CO2 than tundra. Even though water use efficiency increased with the double CO2 scenario, this had little effect on basin-wide runoff because the catchment is largely unvegetated. Changes in winter and spring climate conditions were more important to hydrologic and vegetation dynamics than changes that occurred during summer.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Sensitivity of a high-elevation Rocky Mountain watershed to altered climate and CO2 |
| Series title | Water Resources Research |
| DOI | 10.1029/1999WR900263 |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 2000 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Geophysical Union |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 11 p. |
| First page | 89 |
| Last page | 99 |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |