THE LAB

The mission of the laboratory is to conduct environmental research to further our understanding of past and present physical landscapes and to promote student education and research. The lab emphasizes sediment research and tree-ring research.

LAB EQUIPMENT

Sedimentology Equipment

ABOUT SEDIMENTOLOGY
Sedimentology is concerned with the use of lake and marsh deposits in reconstructing past environments.  Layers of lake sediment can accumulate undisturbed over long periods of time, forming a repository of information about changing environmental conditions.  When carefully collected and examined, these layers can be read like pages in a book describing the environmental history of a region.  Sediment characteristics such as grain size, organic content, magnetic susceptiblity, and elemental composition give insight into past climate and erosion in a watershed.  The study of microfossils in lake sediments, such as pollen and charcoal, allows for the reconstruction of regional vegetation patterns and fire frequencies.  Continuous sediment records spanning time periods from decades to hundreds of thousands of years have been used to study changing environments around the world.

ABOUT DENDROCHRONOLOGY

The science of dendrochronology is based on the doctrine that the "the past is the key to the future." By evaluating annual growth rings of suitable tree species we are given a glimpse of past environmental conditions. Knowledge of past environments helps us to better understand the environments in which we currently live and how these environments may change in the future. By evaluating changes in annual growth rings dendrochronologists are able to create records of environmental change that may extend back hundreds or even thousands of years. Tree rings have been used to study population dynamics of forests, volcanic eruptions, the rise and fall of ancient cultures, changes in insect and fish populations, earthquakes, tsunamis, river flow, atmospheric and soil pollution, deception in art masterpieces, radiocarbon dating, sunspots, and more. To learn more about the intriguing art and science of dendrochronology go to the Ultimate Tree Ring Pages . CURRENT TREE-RING RESEARCH PROJECTS