04/08/2021
By Elizabeth Cole
The Kennedy College of Sciences, Department of Environmental, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, invites you to attend a Master's in Environmental Geoscience thesis defense by Jamie McCarthy, entitled: "A Dendrochemical Comparison of White Pine (Pinus Strobus), Red Oak (Quercus Rubra), and White Oak (Quercus Alba) at Walden Pond State Reservation, Massachusetts."
The defense will be held on Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 3 to 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. The committee will be composed of Kate Swanger, Department of Environmental, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell and Charlotte Pearson, Laboratory of Tree Ring-Research, University of Arizona.
Location: This will be a virtual defense via Zoom. Those interested in attending please contact Nelson Eby at least 24 hours before the defense to request access to the defense.
Brief abstract is below:
Dendrochemistry (tree-ring chemistry) is used to map environmental change, volcanic eruptions, and pollution events. A dendrochemical record was developed for three trees (pine, red oak, white oak) from the Walden Pond State Reservation. The data were used to investigate variations in tree-ring chemistry as a function of species and to correlate environmental impacts with tree-ring chemistry. A correlation was established between tree-ring chemistry and a major hurricane and an insect (Gypsy Moth) infestation. Elements sensitive to contamination revealed that there was no significant pollution impact on Walden Pond in the last 100 years. There were variations in tree-ring chemistry as a function of species, and comparisons of these species-specific variations can be used to correlate dendrochemistry records.