Entrance sign to the South Unit.

Marcell Experimental Forest (MEF) is a 1,140 ha long-term ecosystem research site operated by the Northern Research Station of the U.S. Forest Service.[1] It is located 40 km north of Grand Rapids, Minnesota within the Chippewa National Forest and was formally established in 1962 to study the ecology and hydrology of peatland watersheds.[2][1] There are six experimental watersheds each of which consist of an upland portion, a peatland, and an outlet stream.[3] The range of these six watersheds provide a variety of hydrological environments to study.[3] Climatic and hydrologic data have been continuously monitored since 1961.[3][4] Some notable research areas have been hydrology, nutrient and mercury cycling and behavior, and release of organic carbon and acidity.[3]

MEF is the longest running National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP) site in the nation.[1]

Climate and physical characteristics

Peatlands and lakes comprise 30% of the forest landscape at the MEF.[1] The peatlands include fens and bogs. The peatlands may be treeless or have tree cover and the forested bogs contain black spruce and tamarack.[1] Both forested and open bogs are dominated by Sphagnum and ericaceous shrubs. Fens also include northern white cedar and black ash.[1]

The climate is subhumid continental with moist warm summers and relatively dry, cold, and sunny winters including large diurnal and seasonal temperature fluctuations. The extreme low temperature is -50.8 °F, extreme high temperature is 100.4 °F, and the average annual air temperature is 38.1 °F.[1] The average temperature at MEF has risen about 0.72 °F per decade since the 1960s.[1]

Mean annual precipitation is 30.4 inches with 75% occurring in the snow-free period.

The pH of waters in the bogs range from about 3.5 to 4.5 with the fens having a pH of near neutral.

Facilities

The Marcell Research Center has a heated shop, laboratory, conference facility and living quarters for up to eight visiting researchers and graduate students.[1]

Spruce-Peatland Responses Under Climatic and Environmental Change (SPRUCE) project is located within MEF and is a climate change manipulation study.[1][5] This is a 10+ year, large scale Department of Energy sponsored experiment that is a collaboration between the US Forest Service Northern Research Station and Oak Ridge National Laboratory and involves 100+ scientists from around the world.[1] Large chambers have been built to test the effect of elevated temperature and elevated carbon dioxide on bog vegetation and carbon dynamics.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Marcell Experimental Forest Brochure (PDF). Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture.
  2. ↑ "Marcell Experimental Forest - Northern Research Station - USDA Forest Service". www.nrs.fs.fed.us. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "About the Marcell Experimental Forest - Northern Research Station - USDA Forest Service". www.nrs.fs.fed.us. October 21, 2019. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  4. ↑ "Smart Forests: Marcell Experimental Forest". smartforests-data.sr.unh.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  5. ↑ "Marcell Experimental Forest". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
  • Adams, Mary Beth; Loughry, Linda; Plaugher, Linda, "Marcell Experimental Forest (Minnesota)", Experimental Forests and Ranges of the USDA Forest Service, pp. 28-30. Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-321. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station. October 21, 2019.

47°30′23″N 93°27′20″W / 47.50639°N 93.45556°W / 47.50639; -93.45556

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