Dendroclimatology

To the scientist, tree-rings can echo past climate conditions and natural disasters. Indeed, dendroclimatology is a field with a long and prestigious history. The methods incorporate both fieldwork for the collection of core samples and sophisticated quantitative analyses of tree-ring data and historic climatic records. It is without question the most accurate of all methods of annual climatic reconstruction. Over the last twenty years I have devoted a considerable amount of my time to the study of dendroclimatology, and I have published climatic reconstructions for the American Southwest, Great Basin, and California, extending back as far as AD 100. This research has provided valuable insight into the evolutionary ecology of prehistoric population in all of these regions. Students are encouraged to pursue independent studies of climate and evolution at CSULB. The computer software and access to climatic data (large data sets) in the archaeological laboratory computers greatly facilitates these endeavors. Furthermore, collaboration with climatologists and paleoecologists is encouraged within CSULB and at other institutions. At present, I am finalizing a research paper on climatic reconstructions between AD 100 and 1890 for the Northern Southwest with colleagues from the University of Arizona and UCSB.