Site Description:
The Loch Vale watershed is located in Rocky Mountain National Park in
north-central Colorado (latitude 40.2878 / longitude –105.6628).
The watershed is 660 hectares in size and ranges in elevation from 3,110
m (10,200 ft.) at The Loch outlet to 4,192 m (13,153 ft.) at Taylor Peak.
There are two main subbasins in Loch Vale; Andrews Creek drains the northern
subbasin, and Icy Brook drains the southern subbasin. The watershed consists
of 3 lakes (The Loch, Lake of Glass and Sky Pond). The majority of Rocky
Mountain National Park is underlain by igneous (granite) and metamorphic
(schist and gneiss) formations. The watershed consists of 83% bare rock,
boulder fields, snow and ice; 11% tundra; 5% forest; and 1% subalpine
meadow (Baron, 1992). The sub-alpine forests of Loch Vale are dominated
by Englemann spruce (Picea englemannii) and sub-alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa)
with average ages ~500 years. The average annual precipitation of the
area is 110 cm with 65-80% originating as snow. A more detailed description
of the Loch Vale watershed can be found in Baron 1992.
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