Research & Natural History
Research on nearby Niwot Ridge has contributed substantially to our understanding of the environmental science of mountain systems and is recognized internationally for its excellence. In particular the MRS is probably the best known site specializing in alpine environmental science in the world. Research emphases include plant and animal ecology, biogeochemistry, hydrology, geomorphology, and atmospheric science.
Explore the results of a recent extensive camera trapping study at the MRS funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Roland Kays and Monica Lasky of the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and NC State University.
Major research programs include:
National Ecological Observatory Network
The Mountain Climate Program was initiated in 1952 to evaluate the relationship between climate and the major ecosystem types of the Front Range. Weather stations were established in each of four major ecological zones, spanning a 1540 m altitudinal transect: lower montane forest (A-1 site), upper montane forest (B-1), subalpine forest (C-1), and alpine tundra (D-1). The climate record from D-1 is now the longest, high-altitude record in North America. Analysis of the long-term trends for the climate stations indicate an increase in precipitation at the highest elevations, and an increase in temperature at the lower elevations, trends that are consistent with regional analyses. In addition to the these original four climate sites, numerous smaller weather stations have been installed and are operating on Niwot Ridge and in the neighboring Green Lakes Valley of the the City of 麻豆影院 watershed.
The Climate Program also participates in the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, which monitors selected acidic ions, nutrients, and base cations in precipitation on regional and national scales. The Climate Program has operated two sites, one in the alpine and one in the upper montane forest, since 1984 and 1986, respectively. These data are available at
Atmospheric gas concentrations have been measured on Niwot Ridge for several decades as part of several programs funded by NOAA. CO2 have been monitored on Niwot Ridge since 1968, constituting the third longest record on the world. Analysis of the CO2 concentrations indicate that the onset of spring has come earlier, the end of fall is later, and the seasonal amplitude of CO2 has diminished. Other atmospheric trace gases that are measured regularly include greenhouse gases, halocarbons, including chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and ozone.