The Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences NOON BALLOON resumes on January 25, 2011 Tuesdays 12:15-1:00
417 Schermerhorn Hall
Bring your lunch if you like.
All are welcome!


January 25, 2011

Spidey Sense? Bah! Sensitive Trees and the Environmental Histories they Reveal?
Speaker:Dr. Neil Pederson  LDEO Tree Ring Lab

How unusual are the recent changes in the global environment? An answer to this question requires historical context for a better understanding of the natural variability of Earth processes. Scientists are increasingly turning to dendrochronology, or tree-ring analysis, to derive historical context for today's environmental change. During this talk I will reveal characteristics of old trees, the most important substrate for dendrochronology, and then discuss the varied studies by the Tree Ring Laboratory of Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, from climate to ecology and geology, while highlight ongoing studies and findings.