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Monitoring Changing Winters

Project Abstract: 
Climate change and changing winters significantly impact ecosystem services, which are crucial for clean air, food security, human health, and economic activity. Consistent snow pack insulate allows soil communities to mineralize nutrients from dead plant material while plants are dormant, creating large pools of plant-available nutrients. Changes in winters, such as increased snow free days and fluctuating snowpack, can affect soil nutrient availability. Freezing soil reduces microbial activity, leading to a reduction in available nutrients in spring. Additionally, mid-winter thaws and increased rain events could flood nutrients out of the ecosystem, further decreasing spring nutrient availability. This ecological mismatch can have cascading effects on plant communities and ecosystem structures and function. To better understand the ecosystem effects of changing winter we will be building a network of high frequency sensor suites to capture snow depth, precipitation amount and phase, soil temperature and moisture. We will pair this with soil nutrient sampling throughout both the growing season as well as the winter. This will allow us to link aboveground climate trends and below ground nutrient responses to understand ecosystem responses to changing winters.
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Investigators: 
Status of Research Project: 
Years Active: 
2023 to 2025
Research sites: 
Methods: 
In the first year we will install a sonic rangefinder sensor to monitor snow depth in the UV field (Fall 2023). In subsequent years (winter 2024-25), dependent on funding, we hope to install additional precipitation and soil sensors at the same location. We will also install resin capsule tubes to two depths beneath the sensor suite. We will exchange resin capsules 4 times per year to be extracted in the lab for available N and P. Sensor data will be automatically sent to a data dashboard to be analyzed continuously. Maintenance of sensor suite will occur as needed.