Human-produced nitrogen and its effects on organisms found in Grand Teton National Park lakes is this week’s topic for the weekly summer lecture series Thursday, July 19, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.
Sarah Spaulding, University of Colorado ecologist, will discuss “High Elevation Lakes in Grand Teton National Park: Sentinels of Environmental Change,” at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required. For more information, call the UW-NPS Center at (307) 543-2463.
The park’s lakes are sentinels of environmental change, and beneath the clear waters, the gooey sediments contain a valuable historical record of accumulated algae, zooplankton skeletons, pollen, charcoal from fires and particles carried by wind.
Spaulding and her colleagues have reconstructed the history of several high elevation lakes going back thousands of years with particular interest in human-produced nitrogen from distant sources that may affect organisms.
The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area.
