Marcell Experimental Forest
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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]
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.
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.
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