Abstract
Atmospheric deposition to montane ecosystems is higher than to adjacent lowlands. However, because of the heterogeneity of mountainous landscapes, rates of deposition are likely to vary considerably across major landscape features. Estimates of total atmospheric deposition for montane areas in the United States are wide ranging and usually based on models that do not take into account landscape heterogeneity. Thus, little is known about the spatial variability of atmospheric deposition to these high-elevation ecosystems. We identified four landscape features that are likely to control patterns and rates of atmospheric deposition in mountainous terrain, including (1) forest edges or gaps, (2) elevation, (3) aspect, and (4) vegetation type, and we measured patterns of atmospheric deposition across them in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. We measured lead amount in the forest floor as an index of atmospheric deposition, used these data to estimate relative deposition to the Hunter Mountain massif, a...
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