JFSP_research_product_search

Project ID:

24-1-01-25

Year:

2024

Date Started:

09/01/2024

Date Completed:

Title:

Remote sensing the effects of wildfire on water quality in mountain lakes

Project Proposal Abstract:

Problem Statement: High elevation watersheds are increasingly burning as wildfires are advancing
upslope, yet very little is known about the effects of wildfire on aquatic ecosystems residing in these
watersheds1,8
. Fires occurring in mountain lake watersheds could drastically increase the amount of
nutrients, organic matter, soils, and sediments transported to lakes from their watersheds and airsheds,
and plausible outcomes for mountain lakes include higher concentrations of nitrogen (N) and
phosphorus (P) that promote higher rates of primary productivity (i.e., eutrophication) or reductions in
light availability (due to higher turbidity) that suppresses algal proliferation. Although there is consistent
evidence that wildfires lead to increased sediment and nutrient loading, changes in water quality and
lake productivity are less consistent across studies8,39. How will changing wildfire regimes affect the
ecological status of mountain lakes? We seek to address this question and, in the process, generate
models for land managers to remotely monitor the ecological status of lakes in their jurisdictions.
2. Objectives: Brooke Bannermans PhD research aims to address two research hypotheses regarding
potential changes in mountain lake productivity in response to wildfire: Hypothesis 1 (H1): Wildfires
enrich mountain lakes with nutrients (particularly P) thereby alleviating nutrient limitation and
stimulating phytoplankton productivity; and Hypothesis 2 (H2): Wildfires enrich mountain lakes with
dissolved organic carbon and suspended particles (i.e., increase lake turbidity) thereby reducing
available light for photosynthesis suppressing phytoplankton productivity. Brooke has conducted fieldbased research on 12 lakes in Glacier National Park to test her hypotheses, and given JFSP support, we
aim to expand the geographic extent of her research to the scale of the western United States. She will
accomplish this using public records of nutrient and chlorophyll-a (proxy for phytoplankton biomass)
concentrations from mountain lakes across the western US and LANDSAT data to investigate changes
in mountain lake productivity in response to wildfire-initiated changes in nutrient supply and light
availability. Altogether, our current and proposed work will generate a better understanding of the ways
in which wildfire influences the ecology and water quality of mountain lakes.
3. Benefits: Brookes timely research will be the first large-scale spatial assessment exploring how
wildfire changes the ecology of mountain lakes. Her work builds off limited observational studies by
exploring the mechanisms by which wildfires influence mountain lake productivity. The mountainous
American west encompasses a vast and diverse landscape; thus, her findings will critically inform future
observational and experimental work throughout these extensive mountain ranges and beyond. She is
collaborating with the National Park Service to ensure her research and work products fulfill critical
management needs. She will communicate her findings to management communities through resource
briefs and presentations, to the public through illustrated project summaries, and to the scientific
community through conference presentations and journal publications. This research will explore how
mountain lakes are responding to emerging threats in an era of rapid global change giving us the
knowledge with which we can predict future trajectories for these iconic natural resources.

Principal Investigator:

Ashley Ballantyne

Agency/Organization:

University of Montana

Branch or Dept:

College of Forestry & Conservation

Other Project Collaborators

Type	Name	Agency/Organization	Branch or Dept
Agreements Contact	Bryson J Hillyard	University of Montana	Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Budget Contact	Bryson J Hillyard	University of Montana	Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Student Investigator	Brooke G Bannerman	University of Montana	College of Forestry & Conservation