How We Study California's History of Drought, Floods, Fire, and Vegetation: What the Past Can Tell Us About the Future

Lakes accumulate sediment over time and record processes occurring within and around the lake basin. Using a variety of physical, chemical, and biological analyses, we can use these lake sediments to reconstruct past climate for a region including droughts,pluvials, floods, and fire. Professor Kirby will discuss the science of paleolimnology with a focus on the past 32,000 years of California’s climate history.