Measuring Soil Moisture and Climate Across an Elevational Gradient in a Catchement the Colorado Rocky Mountains

Abstract:

Recognizing existing gaps in monitoring of mountain systems, in 2012 Aspen Global Change Institute (AGCI) collaborated with local communities of the Roaring Fork Valley in the Colorado Rocky Mountains to envision a watershed-wide, long-term research network that would collect observations across the diverse elevations of the basin. The first station in the network was installed in 2012. Since then, the network has grown to include 10 stations, with the most recent station coming online in the summer of 2020. The goal of this network is to improve scientific understanding of hydrologic, ecologic, and climate feedbacks in mountain environments while informing local community stakeholders about potential impacts of climate change on local water supplies and ecosystems.

This watershed-wide network, iRON, spans from ~1,890m in elevation to ~3,680m in elevation and includes shrubland, montane, sub-alpine, and alpine environments. Each station measures soil moisture (5cm, 20cm, 50cm depths), soil temperature (20cm depth), air temperature, relative humidity, and rain, and selective stations also include measurements of snow depth, wind speed/direction, and radiative balance. Stations take measurements at intervals of either every 20, 60, or 90 minutes and all data are transmitted to online databases via either cellphone or satellite connections several times each day, allowing for near-real time data sharing. In addition to ongoing data collection carried out by the stations, the program also includes periodic collection of relevant ecological observations, including surveys of tree health and vegetation diversity and abundance.

This presentation will discuss the heterogeneity found in soil and weather conditions across an elevational gradient of this size, potential applications of the dataset for partnered research (e.g. ground-truthing remotely sensed data, improved hydrologic modeling, or ecological drought-response), and opportunities for applying these data to community concerns such as seasonal fire risk, seasonal drought, or climate change-driven ecosystem shifts.