Climate Research and Development Program
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The Climate Research and Development (Climate R&D) Program strives to advance the understanding of the physical, chemical, and biological components of the Earth system, the causes and consequences of climate and land use change, and the vulnerability and resilience of the Earth system to such changes.
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Climate history, land cover and land surface data and models are vital for assessing the impacts of climate change, evaluating ecosystem status and health, understanding spatial patterns of biodiversity, and informing land use planning.
News
USGS Researchers Develop New Oxygen Isotope Method for Paleoclimate Studies
A new paleoceanography paper was recently published by Climate R&D scientists.
Earth Science Matters - Volume 11, Fall 2020
This issue of Earth Science Matters highlights recently published research from the Climate Research and Development Program that contributes to an improved understanding of how changing land use, climate, and environment affect communities, ecosystems, and the services they provide.
Fire Aerosols Affect Southeastern Alaskan Glaciers
This article is part of the Fall 2020 issue of the Earth Science Matters Newsletter.
Publications
Stable oxygen isotopes in shallow marine ostracodes from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas
Stable oxygen isotope measurements on calcitic valves of benthic ostracodes (δ18Oost) from the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas were used to examine ecological and hydrographic processes governing ostracode and associated seawater δ18O values. Five cryophilic taxa were analyzed for δ18Oost values: Sarsicytheridea bradii; Paracyprideis...
Gemery, Laura; Cooper, L.W.; Magen, C; Cronin, T. M.; Grebmeier, J.M. Processes influencing marsh elevation change in low- and high-elevation zones of a temperate salt marsh
The movement of salt marshes into uplands and marsh submergence as sea level rises is well documented; however, predicting how coastal marshes will respond to rising sea levels is constrained by a lack of process-based understanding of how various marsh zones adjust to changes in sea level. To assess the way in which salt marsh zones differ in...
Blum, Linda K.; Christian, Robert R.; Cahoon, Donald; Wiberg, Patricia L. Mortality predispositions of conifers across western USA
Conifer mortality rates are increasing in western North America, but the physiological mechanisms underlying this trend are not well understood.We examined tree‐ring‐based radial growth along with stable carbon (C) and oxygen (O) isotope composition (δ13C and δ18O, respectively) of dying and surviving conifers at eight old‐growth forest sites...
Wang, Wenzhi; English, Nathan B.; Grossiord, Charlotte; Gessler, Arthur; Das, Adrian; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Baisan, Christopher H.; Allen, Craig D.; McDowell, Nate G.