Trends in Wet Deposition of Organic Nitrogen in the Rocky Mountains

Katherine Benedict1, Bret A. Schichtel2 and Jeffrey L. Collett Jr3

The ionic composition of wet deposition is regularly characterized at sites across the world.  However, the importance of other species, in particular, organic nitrogen is often overlooked. Organic nitrogen compounds are of interest particularly in areas where excess nitrogen deposition is occurring.  While an increasing number of studies are including measurements of organic nitrogen, techniques for measurement of total organic nitrogen vary and are not always interchangeable.  For this reason characterization of the spatial and temporal variability of organic nitrogen is limited.  In this work we look at seasonal and annual variations of organic nitrogen at Rocky Mountain National Park from measurements made between March to October from 2008 to 2019.  This record of data using the sample measurement and collection techniques provides a unique look at wet organic nitrogen deposition. 

 

1Colorado State University, Katherine.Benedict@colostate.edu
2National Park Service, Ari Resources Division, Fort Collins, CO 80523, bret_schichtel@nps.gov
3Colorado State University, Fort Collins CO 80523, Jeffrey.Collett@colostate.edu