1. Monthly archive

August 2015

Drought in the rainforest? A shifting perspective on water scarcity in coastal British Columbia from tree-ring records

Summer streamflow droughts on British Columbia's rainforest coast have worsened dramatically over the last two decades, impacting human and ecological water supply. This region's unique hydroclimatology means that the "wettest part of Canada" is often the most water-scarce during summer, when demand is highest. The perception of being water-rich consistently undermines water conservation efforts in this densely populated area.

An exploratory study in wood anatomy, crossdating, climate-growth relationships, life history, and above-ground productivity

Velvet mesquite (Prosopis velutina Woot.) is a common tree in semi-arid, southwestern U.S. savanna ecosystems. While there are studies that examine some of the physiological and ecological aspects of this tree (response to fire, net ecosystem exchange, encroachment into grasslands, yearly growth through dendrometer bands, etc…), the wood anatomical features of a growth ring, suitability for dendrochronological research, life history, and above-ground productivity through time are knowledge gaps that can be filled.

Dendro Potential Along the John Muir Trail

I hiked the John Muir Trail this summer, noting lots of potential sites and projects for dendrochronology.

Tellervo Workshop

Informal workshop introducing users to the Tellervo software.

Graduate Student Meeting with David Frank

David Frank Faculty-Staff Meeting

SEES Heads Meeting

SEES Heads Meeting

Ancient Egyptian Demonology

Lecture is free and open to the public.

A process-based approach to understanding ecosystem-scale variation in n-alkane δD

Normal alkanes (n-alkanes) are long-chain fatty acids that are synthesized by terrestrial plants and then accumulate in soils and sediments. Since the hydrogen in the n-alkanes is derived from the hydrogen in plants’ water sources, the stable hydrogen isotopic composition (δD) of the n-alkanes includes information about the δD of environmental water.