Laboratory of Tree-Ring ResearchTeaching |
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.
| Courses of Fall 2001 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course Number and Name (click on name for current information |
Days |
Time |
Room |
Professor |
| NATS 101: Intro. to Global Change LEC 40 |
TTh | 11:00-12:15 | Bio. W. 219 | Leavitt Salzer |
| NATS 101: Intro. to Global Change LEC 41 |
MWF | 12:00-12:50 | Sp. Sc. 308 | Leavitt Salzer |
| NATS 101: Intro. to Global Change LEC 42H: Same as LEC 41 plus extra Honors activities |
MWF | 12:00-12:50 | Sp. Sc. 308 | Leavitt Salzer |
| GEOS 220: Environmental History of the Southwest |
TTh | 11:00-12:15 | CESL 102 | Sheppard Dean |
| GEOS-WSM-ANTH 464/564: Introduction to Dendrochronolgy |
TTh | 11:00-12:15 | W. Stad. 104G | Hughes |
| GEOS595E: Dendrochronology Colloquium: Journal Club |
Pending | Pending | W. Stad. 104G | TBA |
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
current semester 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
(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:
- 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.
- Fire Climatology: A statistical investigation of the
relations between regional climate and fire occurrence over the
past several centuries. We will use tree-ring reconstructions of
climate and fire history from the Southwestern United States and
the Sierra Nevada of California. Objectives are to (1) learn
methods of statistical analysis of tree-ring and document-based
records of fire occurrence and climate, (2) learn about sources
of tree-ring climate and fire history data and their unique
characteristics, and (3) investigate possible relations between
seasonal to decadal patterns of fire occurrence and climatic
variability.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 current semester information on this module.
- 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.
- Dendrochronology Colloquim (Journal Club): Read and
critically evaluate scientific journal articles. Click
here for current semester information about Journal Club.
- 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.
- 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 Natural 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. Field trip. Click
here for current semester information on Natural 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.
- 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.
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The University of
Arizona
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA
Main Office: (520) 621-1608, Fax: (520) 621-8229
Comments to Paul Sheppard: sheppard@ltrr.arizona.edu
Copyright © 1999-2001, Laboratory of Tree-Ring
Research, The University of Arizona
Revised -- July, 2001
URL:
http://www.ltrr.arizona.edu/teaching.html