Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory

Desert dust alters ecology of Colorado alpine meadows

DesertA new study by a NREL researcher indicates that accelerated snowmelt by desert dust that blows into the mountains changes how plants respond to seasonal climate cues that regulate their life cycles. As a result, climate warming may have a greater influence on their annual growth cycle.

"The observed changes in plant life cycles due to desert dust synchronize plant growth and flowering across the alpine, which vary greatly in the absence of dust" said Heidi Steltzer, a Colorado State University researcher in the Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, who led this study. "Synchronized growth was unexpected and may have adverse effects on plants, water quality and wildlife."

External Link (Today@Colorado State)