Research from four Huskers in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), led by Jim Benes, lecturer of geography in the School of Global Integrative Studies, was published in Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology.
"A high-resolution 15,000-year fire record from the Nebraska Sandhills, USA" is available online.
Researchers analyzed a 3.4-meter sediment core from Dewey Marsh to uncover approximately 15,000 years of fire activity in the Nebraska Sandhills. They discovered that charcoal deposits spiked at three historical moments coinciding with major global climate shifts. However, charcoal levels remained low most of the time, suggesting fires weren't constant, and the team found that extreme droughts played a crucial role. This challenges the traditional explanation for charcoal patterns in grasslands.
The research team additionally included:
- from CAS: undergraduate students Jasmine Pham, mathematics, and Joseph Stalder, geology; and graduate student Gosia Mahoney, geosciences
- from the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources: faculty member Paul Hanson, School of Natural Resources
Pham and Stalder conducted research via the Undergraduate Creative Activity and Research Experiences (UCARE) program. Read more about Benes' work mentoring them.
