Climate Research and Development Program
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The Climate Research and Development (Climate R&D) Program strives to advance the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological components of the Earth system, the causes and consequences of climate and land use change, and the vulnerability and resilience of the Earth system to such changes.
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Climate history, land cover and land surface data and models are vital for assessing the impacts of climate change, evaluating ecosystem status and health, understanding spatial patterns of biodiversity, and informing land use planning.
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Earth Science Matters - Volume 11, Fall 2020
This issue of Earth Science Matters highlights recently published research from the Climate Research and Development Program that contributes to an improved understanding of how changing land use, climate, and environment affect communities, ecosystems, and the services they provide.
Fire Aerosols Affect Southeastern Alaskan Glaciers
This article is part of the Fall 2020 issue of the Earth Science Matters Newsletter.
Wildfires in Old Mining Areas Pose Risk to Water Quality
This article is part of the Fall 2020 issue of the Earth Science Matters Newsletter.
Publications
Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA
Conifer mortality rates are increasing in western North America, but the physiological mechanisms underlying this trend are not well understood.We examined tree‐ring‐based radial growth along with stable carbon (C) and oxygen (O) isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O, respectively) of dying and surviving conifers at eight old‐growth forest sites...
Wang, Wenzhi; English, Nathan B.; Grossiord, Charlotte; Gessler, Arthur; Das, Adrian; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Baisan, Christopher H.; Allen, Craig D.; McDowell, Nate G. Historically unprecedented Northern Gulf of Mexico hurricane activity from 650 to 1250 CE
Hurricane Michael (2018) was the first Category 5 storm on record to make landfall on the Florida panhandle since at least 1851 CE (Common Era), and it resulted in the loss of 59 lives and $25 billion in damages across the southeastern U.S. This event placed a spotlight on recent intense (exceeding Category 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane...
Rodysill, Jessica R. ; Donnelly, Jeffrey P.; Sullivan, Richard; Lane, Philip D.; Toomey, Michael; Woodruff, Jonathan D.; Hawkes, Andrea D.; MacDonald, Dana; d’Entremont, Nicole; McKeon, Kelly; Wallace, Elizabeth; van Hengstum, Peter J. Soil respiration response to rainfall modulated by plant phenology in a montane meadow, East River, Colorado, USA
Soil respiration is a primary component of the terrestrial carbon cycle. However, predicting the response of soil respiration to climate change remains a challenge due to the complex interactions between environmental drivers, especially plant phenology, temperature, and soil moisture. In this study, we use a 1‐D diffusion‐reaction model to...
Winnick, Mathew; Lawrence, Corey R.; McCormick, Maeve; Druhan, Jennifer; Maher, Kate