Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
Teaching
|
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 Spring 2002
|
Course Number and Name
(click on name for current information
|
Days
|
Time
|
Room
|
Professor
|
NATS 101: Intro. to
Global Change
LEC 42H |
MWF |
12:00-12:50 |
SP SC 308 |
Leavitt |
GEOS
595E Module
Environmental control of conifer tree-ring formation |
TBA |
TBA |
West Stadium 104 |
Hughes |
GEOS
595E Module
ENSO: Past, Present, Future |
TBA |
TBA |
West Stadium 104 |
Evans |
GEOS 595E Module
Fire Climatology |
TBA |
TBA |
West Stadium 104 |
Swetnam |
GEOS/ANTH/WSM 497C/597C
Dendrochronology Workshop |
T |
10:00-12:00 |
West Stadium 104 |
Sheppard |
Notes:
Organizational meeting for all 595E Modules:
Thursday, January 17, 4:00 PM, West Stadium 104G
Organizational meeting for the 497C/597C Workshop:
Tuesday, January 15, 3:00 PM, West Stadium 104G
(We will also start with measuring ring widths)
|
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.
- 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 current
semester 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.
- 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.
Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, The University of
Arizona
Tucson, Arizona 85721 USA
Main Office: (520) 621-1608, Fax: (520) 621-8229
Comments to: webmaster@ltrr.arizona.edu