Well this is certainly an interesting article...GO VOLS FWF program and congratulations to Laura Smith!!

Cindy

Cindy A. Williams

Fish & Aquatic Conservation Program, AIS & FIS Program Coordinator

US Fish & Wildlife Service

1875 Century Blvd, 4th Floor

Atlanta, GA 30345

404-679-4148-direct

404-679-4180- fax

[log in to unmask]

Working toward delivering the best science. >}}}}}}}}(> <*),,^^^^^^,,^-,-<

"With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts" - Eleanor Roosevelt

"Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around.”

>)))))))(>

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: McNamee, Julie <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wed, May 29, 2019 at 8:14 AM
Subject: Fwd: [EXTERNAL] From Climatewire -- WEATHER: Student revives decades-old research sidelined by sexism
To: Cindy Williams <[log in to unmask]>

Go UT Forestry (and wildlife and fisheries)

---------- Forwarded message ---------

AN E&E NEWS PUBLICATION

WEATHER
Student revives decades-old research sidelined by sexism

Published: Wednesday, May 29, 2019

A University of Tennessee doctoral student is resurrecting research that was abandoned nearly 80 years ago that could be crucial for the Tennessee Valley Authority's understanding of long-term weather patterns that factor into the agency's decisions regarding water.

Scientist Florence Hawley began research in the 1930s studying tree rings to understand long-term weather patterns in the Norris Basin. She worked at TVA in its earliest days but faced sexism on the job and was never allowed to publish her results, according to TVA officials. She abandoned TVA in the 1940s and went to work in the Southwest.

Her research was recently found in the TVA archives by lead hydrologist Curt Jawdy, and while attention in the valley has been on flooding and the record rainfall that has pummeled the region for more than a year, he believed the research could show the range of climate patterns for which engineers needed to be prepared.

The utility provider approached the University of Tennessee about finishing the work, and doctoral student Laura Smith took on the task. She had experience studying tree rings to understand forest dynamics and thought the work would be a natural extension of her previous research.

Rings of eastern red cedars provide climate history dating back hundreds of years. The trees are ideal for climate study due to their drought sensitivity. The trees are old; some found in Virginia during a previous study date back 800 to 900 years. Smith has taken about 120 samples from 60 trees at Little Cedar Mountain Recreation Area in Jasper, Tenn.

A small ring indicates sickness or drought for the year, while a thick ring tells scientists of healthy years with ample hydration.

The tree samples Smith is taking will be analyzed over the next six to 12 months, and taken to a lab where complex statistical models will extract the climate data based on tree rings. She expects to sample roughly 300 to 500 trees of a variety of ages across the valley.

The study is about understanding the past for Smith and other university scientists.

"This isn't about the climate moving forward but gives us an idea about variability in the system. It's not a predictive model, but it tells us going backward," she said. "It gives us a range to be prepared for in the future."

That information is crucial for TVA, which manages the river system in seven states in the Southeast.

"We're looking for just how big the swings of climate can be so we can prepare for future work," Jawdy said. — Mark Pace, Times Free Press/Associated Press

Want to read more stories like this?

Click here to start a free trial to E&E -- the best way to track policy and markets.

ABOUT CLIMATEWIRE – Policy. Science. Business.

Climatewire is written and produced by the staff of E&E News. It is designed to provide comprehensive, daily coverage of all aspects of climate change issues. From international agreements on carbon emissions to alternative energy technologies to state and federal GHG programs, Climatewire plugs readers into the information they need to stay abreast of this sprawling, complex issue.

E&E News
122 C Street NW 7th Floor Washington, DC 20001
Phone: 202-628-6500 Fax: 202-737-5299
www.eenews.net

All content is copyrighted and may not be reproduced or retransmitted without the express consent of Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. Click here to view our privacy policy.

Julie Thomas McNamee

Environmental Protection Specialist

Environmental Management Branch,

Park Facilities Management Division

National Park Service

184

C Street, NW

Room 7448, MS 7458

Washington, D.C. 20240

Phone: 202-513-7011

Fax: 202-371-6675

email: [log in to unmask]