Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research Course descriptions

A full curriculum of course work in dendrochronology as well as in related topics is offered by faculty of the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. Below are descriptions of all dendrochronology courses, some of which have links to updated information with current syllibi etc.

Core Courses in Dendrochronology

• GEOS/ANTH/WSM 464/564 Introduction to Dendrochronology (4 units, Fall): Survey of dendrochronological theory and methods. Applications to archaeoloical, geological, and biological dating problems and paleoenvironmental reconstruction. Emphasis on dating methods, developing tree-ring chronologies, and evaluating tree-ring dates from various contexts. Field trips. Click here for more information on Introduction to Dendrochronology.
   
• GEOS/ANTH/WSM 497C/597C Dendrochronology Workshop (2 units, Spring): This course is taught in a workshop environment to give students experience in the use of the computer and the basic software necessary to convert tree-ring samples into usable chronologies. The class will be assigned samples from a tree-ring site that has been crossdated. The class will measure and then process the ring-width series into a stationary, mean value function, usable to interpret past environmental variation. The final chronology will be submitted to the ITRDB in the names of the students in the class.
   
• GEOS/WSM 595E Topics in Dendrochronology, Dendrochronology Colloquium - SPRING 2004

  ORGANIZATIONAL MEETING
   

  JANUARY 14, 2004 AT 1:00 P.M.
   

  TREE-RING LAB ANNEX, DOWN STAIRS ROOM 20(for directions: Building 45 (Math East) Dendrochronology Colloquium (variable units): Topics are offered irregularly; students should express desires for particular topics to their major professor and/or the LTRR Director. Topics offered recently include:
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• Journal Club: Read and critically evaluate scientific journal articles.Click here for Journal club information
• Fire Climatology/Ecology: Depending upon the interests of enrolled students, this colloquium module will focus on readings and discussions of either (1) the latest published literature on the interactions of climate variability and forest fires, particularly involving tree-ring or other paleofire proxies (e.g., charcoal in sediments), or (2) other topics pertaining to ecological applications of dendrochronology (e.g., forest dynamics, ecophysiology, insect/animal population ecology, disturbance ecology). Click here for Fire Climatology/Ecology information
• Dynamics of Tree-Ring Formation: please contact Professor Hughes for course details. 621-6470 Click here for Dynamics of Tree-Ring Formation information
• Synoptic Sense (3a): Wise Use of the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis: This 5-week module will be a practicum on the use and interpretation of data available from the NCEP/NCAR Reanalysis. After a basic introduction to synoptic-scale atmospheric processes, we will read the original articles about the reanalysis project, evaluate and interpret the output variables, discuss wise and unwise use of the reanalysis data, critique examples in the literature, learn how to construct various types of maps using the website tools and apply them to student's topical research areas (hydroclimatology, dendroclimatology, etc.), and explore and appraise each other's maps. Click here for Synoptic Sense (3a) information
• Synoptic Dendroclimatology (3b): This 5-week module will follow Module 3a. Synoptic Dendroclimatology is a subfield of dendrochronology which uses dated tree rings to study and reconstruct present and past climate from the viewpoint of the climate's constituent weather components. This class will build on the principles of synoptic circulation patterns developed in the "Synoptic Sense" module, link these principles to those of dendroclimatology, and explore ways in which these two branches of scientific inquiry can be integrated. [prerequisite: Module 3a. Synoptic Sense] Click here for Synoptic Dendroclimatology information
• Topics, Tools & Techniques in Paleoclimate Research: The goal of this course is to introduce students to a suite of readily available tools for the pursuit of broad, outstanding paleoclimate research questions. Potential course content and speakers will address topics such as: packrat midden analysis, stable isotope geochemistry, multiproxy lake sediment analysis, radiocarbon, Th/U geochronology, dendrochronology, passive tracers, statistical reconstructions, and modeling. More details and course materials will be posted soon. Click here for Topics information

Other Modules available but are NOT being taught in Spring 2004  

• Archaeological Dendrochronology: Learn methods, techniques, and theories of archaeological dendrochronological in an intensive seminar and field-oriented format. Begin with an in-depth discussion of dendroarchaeological dating theory from a variety of perspectives. Then evaluate the data and interpretations from a number of sites and areas across the Southwest, including issues such as site chronologies, construction sequences, seasonality, and wood use behavior. A spring break Field Trip to the Four Corners area required to collect samples from architectural and non architectural contexts. Prepare and date the samples collected, and present the results as an LTRR Brown Bag lecture. Examine issues such as climatic variability, climate change, migration, and abandonment of sites and regions.  
• Cell-Size and Microdensitometric Analyses: An introduction, by means of demonstrations and guided readings, to the background, measurement and use of cell-size variables and microdensity in dendrochronology.
• Dendroenvironmental Analysis of Inorganic Elements: Review of dendrochemistry (non-isotope) techniques, issues, and applications in environmental science. Lab activity involving tree-ring samples measured for nitrogen and/or sulfur content will serve as hands-on experience.  
• Isotope Dendroecology: One of the emergent tools in ecological research is the application of stable isotopes to gain better insight into plant activity related to resource uptake and allocation of energy and matter. When isotopes are used with plant growth rings, there is the potential to elucidate current plant activity as well as to develop a proxy chronology of plant activity and environmental interactions. The class will begin with fundamental concepts related to isotope chemistry and fractionation, and continue with classic and current readings on applications of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen stable isotopes in tree rings to ecological studies.
• Time Series Analysis for Dendrochronology and Other Environmental and Earth Sciences: Application of time series statistical techniques to tree-ring data and other geophysical series. Module I includes basic exploratory analysis (with emphasis on graphical methods), determination of appropriate probability distribution functions, computation and interpretation of descriptive statistics, the sample autocorrelation function, and sample spectrum. Module II addresses basic modeling techniques for univariate and multivariate time series, including ARIMA modeling and multiple linear regression in a time series context. Module III focuses on spatial analysis of multiple time series, including principal components analysis and methods of climate reconstruction using spatial networks of tree-ring data. Click here for more information on this module..
   
   
  
• GEOS/ANTH/WS 497I/597I Practical Dendroclimatology, GEOS/ANTH/WS 497J/597J Dendroarcheology: Two parallel courses (summer pre-session, each 3 units); the first week is common to both, including lectures and laboratory exercises examining the fundamentals of dendrochronology, sample preparation, crossdating and chronology construction; it ends with a one-day field trip in moderately rugged terrain. During the following two weeks, students of the "Dendroarcheology" course learn the chronological, behavioral and environmental interpretation of archaeological tree-ring samples, participating in a field trip led by Ronald Towner to famous southwestern archaeological areas (e.g., Chaco Canyon and the Navajo Pueblitos). At the same time, students of the "Practical dendroclimatology" develop and test climatic reconstructions from tree ring data through intensive practical exercises; Malcolm Hughes lectures on tree rings as natural archives within the context of interannual to millennial fluctuations in climate, and supervises the practical work with the help of Ramzi Touchan. See the Summer School web page for more details.
• BIOC 595F; BIOC 597C The Biology of Tree Rings (for H.S. Science Teachers): Distinct annual growth layers (tree rings) are formed in the wood of many tree species in the temperate and cooler parts of the world. The scientific use of these layers (dendrochronology) was pioneered at The University of Arizona in the early 1900s and has now extended into many scientific fields, including ecology and tree physiology as well as climatology, hydrology, archeology and geophysics. Explore the biological bases of tree-ring formation, and discuss applications of dendrochronology to such topical issues as disturbance ecology (e.g. the role of fire and insect outbreaks in forests), landscape ecology (if the climate changes, how do forests respond?) and global ecology (exploring imbalances in the global carbon cycle using carbon isotopes in tree rings). Informal lectures and discussions combined with laboratory sessions introduce the basic concepts of dendrochronology. The use of a small kit of class materials will also be discussed during the laboratory sessions.
   

Other Courses Taught by LTRR Faculty

• NATS 101 The Earth and Its Environments -- Introduction to Global Change (3 units, Fall and Spring): An Overview of the key concepts in physical and chemical processes, including Newton's laws governing force and motion, the laws of thermodynamics governing energy and entropy, the role of electromagnetism in nature, and the atomic structure of matter. The course will explore these concepts in an inter-disciplinary context, drawing from areas such as environmental sciences, atmospheric sciences, engineering/technological sciences, and others.
   
• UNVR 195A Freshman Colloquium: Why the Past Matters: It is no accident that insurance companies use past records when figuring out how much to charge for insuring a particular risk, as do civil engineers when deciding how secure a house site is from flood or landslide. What has happened can happen. We will take several journeys into the past that will teach important practical lessons about our natural environment, and how people interact with it. In some cases we will meet the scientists or other scholars doing this work and have the opportunity to talk with them about the social usefulness of their work, as well as their other reasons for doing it.
   
• GEOS 220 Environmental History of the Southwest (3 units, Fall): Environmental and cultural history of the Southwest emphasizing discovery of the past using historical science techniques of tree-ring and packrat midden analyses and repeat photography. Click here for more information on Environmental History of the Southwest
   
• GEOG 431/531 Global and Regional Climatology (3 units, Spring): Description and analysis of the atmospheric circulation process that produces differences in climates throughout the world. Emphasis on the earth's problem climates and climatically sensitive zones most susceptible to floods, droughts, and other environmental stresses due to global change. See the course web page for more details
   
• ANTH 447/547 Anasazi Archaeology: Detailed review of the archaeology of the Colorado Plateau emphasizing its agriculturally based occupants, the Anasazi, and their descendants, the Pueblo Indians.
   
• GEOS/ECOL/RNR/GEOG/HWR 478/578 Global Change (3 units, Spring): Analysis of the entire Earth system through an examination of how its component parts and their interactions have changed in the past and may be expected to change in the future.
   
• GC/GEOS/HWR 572 Global Biogeochemical Cycles (3 units, Fall): Study of processes affecting global chemical fluxes. Particular attention to current global concerns, i.e., ozone hole, carbon cycle, climate warming, atmospheric oxidation, hydrologic cycle.
   
• ANTH 636 Foundations of Archaeological Interpretation (3 units): Survey of the history of archaeological interpretation. Central concepts in archaeological method and theory are presented.
   
• ANTH 637 Archaeological Methodology (3 units): Survey of the fundamental principles, methods, and techniques of archaeological analysis and inference from a multidisciplinary perspective.
   
• ANTH 696A Dating in Archaeology: Presents the problems and procedures in the archaeological application of techniques for dating prehistoric events. Independent and intrinsic techniques are defined. Independent techniques include dendrochronology, radiocarbon, archaeomagnetism, hydration, and stratification. Intrinsic techniques include ceramic crossdating, architectural stratification, abandonment measures, and seriation methods. The analytical implications of varying degrees of temporal resolution are discussed using actual cases.
   
• RAM/GEOS 696B Use of stable isotopes in ecological research (1 unit): A growing number of ecologists are relying on the use of stable isotopes to investigate complex processes that transcend spatial and temporal scales. Graduate students enrolling in this course will hear first-hand from a number of U of A and visiting researchers how this technology is being applied to questions in paleo, terrestrial, marine, and global change ecology. Foster interdisciplinary collaborations among researchers and students confronted with similar technological and conceptual problems.

Independent Study With LTRR Faculty

As with other departments, LTRR faculty serve as advisors on independent study projects for either undergraduate or graduate students. Check with particular faculty to register and to arrange a suitable project.

Copyright © 1999-2001, Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona
Revised -- December 2003 by Phyllis Norton-Gress
URL: http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/courseDescription.html.html