Geography 423/523: Advanced Biogeography
Topic for Spring 2011: Dendrochronology
Dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) is the study of
historical patterns of tree growth for the purposes of dating events,
reconstructing past climate, and various other objectives.Meeting times: Tues and Thurs: 10:00-11:20 in 206 Condon
One required field trip.
Instructor: Daniel Gavin (dgavin@uoregon.edu)
Office: 110 Condon Hall; Phone: 346-5787
Office Hours: To be determined
Required Texts:
For everyone:
Speer, J.H. 2010. Fundamentals of Tree-Ring Research. The University of Arizona Press.
Mainly for Geog 523:
Dendroclimatology. Edited by Malcolm Hughes, Thomas Swetnam, and Henry Diaz. Available freely at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/
978-1-4020-4010-8/contents/
Speer, J.H. 2010. Fundamentals of Tree-Ring Research. The University of Arizona Press.
Mainly for Geog 523:
Dendroclimatology. Edited by Malcolm Hughes, Thomas Swetnam, and Henry Diaz. Available freely at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/
978-1-4020-4010-8/contents/
Course
Overview
Trees occurring in seasonal climates are one of the few groups of organisms that preserve an annual growth record within their tissues. The records contained in tree rings are an invaluable source of information of past events: climatic events (including patterns in rainfall, temperature, glacier movement, and river discharge), disturbances to forests, and ages of buildings, archeological dwellings, and furniture. Acquiring and using tree-ring data requires special knowledge and tools.
Topics covered will include the basics of wood anatomy and the structure of trees, methods (field, laboratory, and statistical), and overview of some of the most interesting findings of tree-ring research, including understanding past climates and the dynamics of forests.
A major portion of the course will be an individual research project, requiring significant out-of-class time. You will gain experience in with tree-ring analysis, but more importantly, you will design and execute all parts of a research project.
Prerequisites: Geog 323, or permission of the instructor. For permission, contact me by email and list relevant course experience including courses in geography, math and biological sciences. Previous experience summarizing data and preparing data graphics will be an asset.
Further information on the field of dendrochronology is available on the Ultimate Tree-Ring Web Pages.
Grading will be based on:
Trees occurring in seasonal climates are one of the few groups of organisms that preserve an annual growth record within their tissues. The records contained in tree rings are an invaluable source of information of past events: climatic events (including patterns in rainfall, temperature, glacier movement, and river discharge), disturbances to forests, and ages of buildings, archeological dwellings, and furniture. Acquiring and using tree-ring data requires special knowledge and tools.
Topics covered will include the basics of wood anatomy and the structure of trees, methods (field, laboratory, and statistical), and overview of some of the most interesting findings of tree-ring research, including understanding past climates and the dynamics of forests.
A major portion of the course will be an individual research project, requiring significant out-of-class time. You will gain experience in with tree-ring analysis, but more importantly, you will design and execute all parts of a research project.
Prerequisites: Geog 323, or permission of the instructor. For permission, contact me by email and list relevant course experience including courses in geography, math and biological sciences. Previous experience summarizing data and preparing data graphics will be an asset.
Further information on the field of dendrochronology is available on the Ultimate Tree-Ring Web Pages.
Grading will be based on:
- Two exams
- An individual research project, involving all the major steps of conducting a research project:
- Devising a research question
- Developing sampling methods
- Conducting field sampling and laboratory analyses
- Analyzing results using the proper data graphics and statistics
- Writing a research paper (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion)
- Students enrolled in Geog 523 will be required to analyze their results using sophisticated statistical methods and write a report using the primary scientific literature. Students in Geog 423 will also be required to conduct statistical analyses and write a scientific report, but expectations for using the primary literature and the level of statistical analysis will be lower.
- A brief presentation of your research findings.
Department
of Geography, University of Oregon
Modified Feb 14, 2011
