As part of the CU Mountain Research Station Summer Seminars, Mary Jade Farruggia will give a talk this Wednesday at the Mountain Research Station. MJ is a postdoctoral researcher in CU Boulder’s Mountain Limnology Lab working on synthesizing long-term mountain lake ecosystem datasets to detect and quantify drivers of change.

Talk Title: Smoke on the water: Impacts of wildfire smoke and ash on mountain lake water quality.

Talk Description: Wildfires are increasing in frequency and severity across North America. At first glance, high-elevation mountain lakes may seem relatively safe from fire – after all, fire and water don’t mix. But as it turns out, even remote mountain lakes far from the actual burned area can feel the impacts of fire. Wildfires produce large smoke plumes that can travel hundreds of miles beyond the actual bounds of the fire. Smoke transported from wildfires can block sunlight for days to weeks on end, and deposit ash carrying nutrients or toxic compounds into the water. We will explore lake exposure to smoke across North America and how it could affect lake water quality, and consider how the iconic mountain lakes we all love may actually be especially sensitive to wildfire smoke. 

Talk Time/Location: 7PM in the Megatron @ the CU Boulder Mountain Research Station

Learn more about the MRS @ https://www.colorado.edu/mrs/

View upcoming seminars @ https://www.colorado.edu/mrs/current-events/2025-summer-seminar-series