My research involves the use of tree-rings to reconstruct past climate, a practice known as dendroclimatology. I will use the tree-ring record of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to reconstruct roughly 500 years of hydrological history in the Bighorn River watershed (click here for a map). My work will extend the gaged record of the river, revealing pluvial and drought periods that occurred before European settlement. Such information will improve our understanding of the long-term variation in water yield that is characteristic of the Basin. This is one of the most important river systems of the West, providing irrigation, recreation, municipal and ecological services to nearly 100,000 people. For this reason, an understanding of how the Bighorn might respond to future climate change is critical for intelligent water resources planning. I expect to complete my research in the Fall of 2010.
