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UA Linked into Massive Ecological Research Network UA Press Release

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Heat Invades Cool Heights Over Arizona Desert  SUMMERHAVEN, Ariz. High above the desert floor, this little alpine town (has long served as a natural air-conditioned retreat for people in Tucson, one of the so-called sky islands of southern Arizona. When it is 105 degrees in the city, it is at least 20 degrees cooler up here near the 9,157-foot summit of Mount Lemmon. But for the past 10 years or so, things have been unraveling. Winter snows melt away earlier, longtime residents say, making for an erratic season at the nearby ski resort, the most southern in the nation. ...The increased heat, Dr. Breshears believes, is the tipping point — stressing ecosystems in the Southwest so quickly that they are vulnerable to prolonged beetle infestation and catastrophic fires..... Full Story | PDF

  • At 2006 ISPEFest, Jason Field won an award to represent the Global Climate Change GIDP (Graduate Interdisciplinary Degree Program) in a Dec 7 GDIP Showcase meeting. Jason's poster will be presented there and President Shelton will award him a $500 check. Board of Regents and others have been invited to attend. The title of the poster is: "Simultaneous measures of competing erosion types: water-centric focus neglects potential importance of wind-driven soil transport", by Jason P Field, David D. Breshears, Chris P. Zou, and Jeffrey J. Whicker [Los Alamos National Lab].

  • David Breshears received the School of Natural Resources 2006 Scholarly Achievement Award

  • Underlying Cause of Massive Pinyon Pine Die-off Revealed 


  • Summary of press coverage for Oct 14-18, 2005 [Oct 19, 2005]  Additional coverage of the recent publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, titled “Regional vegetation die-off in response to global-change-type drought, continued late in the week following Early Edition publication of the paper.  Science News covered the story under the headline of “Drought's heat killed Southwest's pińon forests”. Interviews with co-author Lisa Floyd led to articles in the Cortez Journal and the Durango Herald, which in turn led to an Associated Press release that was picked up by the Arizona Republic    ( Phoenix ), as well as on television by KOLD ( Tucson ) and ABC 7 ( Denver ), among others.  The earlier AP version of the story associated with the Albuquerque Journal article was picked up by Science Daily.  An interview with lead author Dave Breshears was conducted for production of a National Science Foundation sponsored production of Imagine That, a 90 second spot distributed to over 500 college campuses [scheduled for mid December 05 to January 06 release].  The paper remained on the National Science Foundation home page through Monday, October 17 and continues to be the top story at “PNAS in the News” as of  Tuesday, October 18. Know of additional coverage? Pleas email Dr. Chris Zou  

  • Summary of press coverage for Oct 13, 2005 [Oct 14 05]  Stories resulting from the new publication in Proceedings of the  National Academy of Sciences USA titled “Regional vegetation die-off in response to global-change-type drought” resulted in the paper being listed at the top of “PNAS in the News”.  The story was also featured on the National Science Foundation home page, apparently for the second day in a row.  The Arizona Daily Sun ( Flagstaff ) ran a front-page story highlighting the paper.  Another new story also appeared in the Cortez Journal.  KNAU Public Radio covered the story, interviewing Neil S. Cobb. Science Daily ran the previously released AP story.

  • Summary of press coverage for Oct 12, 2005 [Oct 13 05]  Publication of a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA titled “Regional  vegetation die-off  in response to global-change-type” continued to generate press coverage.  An Associated Press article was picked up by more than 40 papers or other news sources for publication on Oct 12 or early editions for Oct 13 and included the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Miami Herald, the Seattle Post Intelligencer, the Kansas City Star, the Fort Worth Daily Telegram, the Akron Beacon Journal, and the Rocky Mountain News (Denver), among others.  The Arizona Republic ran a front page story highlighting the research.  An interview was also conducted with KKOB 770 am radio  ( Albuquerque ).  Additional stories were published in the Lawrence World Journal and the Los Alamos Monitor. 

  • Summary of press coverage for Oct 11, 2005 [Oct 12, 2005] Publication of a new paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA resulted in a flurry of press coverage. The paper, titled Regional vegetation die-off in response to global-change-type drought, was highlighted nationally in USA Today, as well as regionally in the Albuquerque Journal and the Arizona Star ( Tucson ). An Associated Press article stemming from the Albuquerque Journal article also circulated and was beginning to be picked up by other papers late in the day for Oct. 12 papers. The story was covered on several television stations, including KOLD and KVOA in Tucson and KPHO in Phoenix . Radio coverage included KUAZ in Tucson , KUNM in Albuquerque , and KTAO in Taos , NM . 

    Publication in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA [Oct 10 05]  New research documents widespread die-off of pińon pine across the southwestern USA in response to a recent drought.  The recent drought was not as dry but was warmer than the previous die-off-inducing drought of the 1950s.  Trees at wetter as well as drier sites died in response to the recent drought, whereas generally only trees at drier sites appear to have died in response to the 1950s drought.  

    NSFImagine That

    Science Magazine


    • Publication: Breshears, D. D., N. S. Cobb, P. M. Rich, K. P. Price, C. D. Allen, R. G. Balice, W. H. Romme, J. H. Kastens, M. L. Floyd, J. Belnap, J. J. Anderson, O. B. Myers, and C. W. Meyer. Regional vegetation die-off in response to global-change-type drought.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA . 102:15144 -15148  

    •  Download this article in PDF

    • Press release from University of Arizona  

    • Related Press

    NSF home page: Heat and Drought Kills Trees in Southwest - Study sheds light on how quickly vegetation may respond to climate change   >> Details
    Experts Link N.M. Tree Die-Offs to Warming (see related story in USA Today)
    Experts Link N.M. Tree Die-Offs to Warming  (see related story in USA Today)     
    High temperatures killed pinyon trees, researchers say     >> Details 
    This story was run by the following TV or Radio stations

     
October 21 2005

Southwest's pinyons are being decimated
Beetles, drought blamed as scientists watch for ecological effects
Frank D. Roylance
Originally published October 21, 2005 http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/health/bal-hs.pinyon21oct21,1,4584210.story?coll=bal-health-headlines&ctrack=1&cset=true

October 18 2005

Wilting under the heat
Global warming blamed for deaths of trees in area
Saturday, October 15th 2005
Dale Rodebaugh
http://durangoherald.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news051015_3.htm

Image of the Day for October 17 2005

http://www.livescience.com/imageoftheday/siod_051017.html

Heat, Drought May Have Killed Millions Of Pines

http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_288225101.html

Unprecedented heat, drought may have killed millions of pines

http://www.kpho.com/Global/story.asp?S=3983646&nav=23Ku

October 17 2005


Drought's heat killed Southwest's pińon forests
Week of Oct. 15, 2005; Vol. 168, No. 16
Ben Harder

http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20051015/fob4ref.asp

Researchers Say Dead Trees Tied to More Droughts

http://www.620ktar.com/index.php?nid=6&sid=82583

Die-off pinned to climate change

http://coloradodaily.com/articles/2005/10/11/news/beyond_boulder/news3.txt

Unprecedented Heat, Drought May Have Killed Millions Of Pines

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/5102922/detail.html

 

 info ZineKansasCity

Heat and Drought Kills Trees in Southwest
Study sheds light on how quickly vegetation may respond to climate change

http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/10846/

 

October 14 2005

Underlying Cause Of Massive Pinyon Pine Die-off Revealed

 Revealedhttp://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051011073510.htm

Vegetation Die-Off Demonstrates Climate Change

PNAS 

http://www.pnas.org/misc/news.shtml

High temperatures contribute to Mesa Verde pinyon die-off
Thursday, October 13th 2005
Steve Grazier 

http://www.cortezjournal.com/asp-bin/article_generation.asp?article_type=news&article_path=/news/05/news051013_6.htm

  KNAU Podcast Link
October 13 2005

Heat and Drought Kills Trees in Southwest
National Sciences Foundation
Study sheds light on how quickly vegetation may respond to climate change

http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=104511

Heat kills forest trees
By ANNE MINARD
Special to the Sun
10/13/2005


Unprecedented heat, drought may have killed millions of pines

http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=3983646

October 12 2005

Experts Link N.M. Tree Die - Offs to Warming
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 11, 2005 

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/science/AP-Dead-Pinons.html?emc=eta1


Experts Link N.M. Tree Die-Offs to Warming
The Associated Press
Tuesday, October 11, 2005; 8:37 PM http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR2005101101580.html

Scientists: Heat helped drought kill pinons
ROGER SNODGRASS

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

http://www.lamonitor.com/articles/2005/10/12/headline_news/news03.txt


KU team assists climate study
Weather changes taking harsh toll on vegetation
By Sophia Maines (Contact)
Wednesday, October 12, 2005

http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/oct/12/ku_team_assists_climate_study/?city_local


noticias.info

Heat and Drought Kills Trees in Southwest
Study sheds light on how quickly vegetation may respond to climate change

noticias.info

October 10, 2005

http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=107739&src=0


Bark beetles took advantage of weather, invaded dry pines
Shaun McKinnon
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 12, 2005 12:00 AM

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1012deadtrees12.html


October 12,2005

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=local&story_id=101205a4_brf_warmingdeaths


Drought, heat and bark beetles a deadly trio
Todd Hanson
LOS ALAMOS, N.M., October 12, 2005 http://www.lanl.gov/news/index.php?fuseaction=nb.story&story_id=7335&nb_date=2005-10-12

October 11 2005

High temperatures killed pinyon trees, researchers say
Patrick O'Driscoll
USA TODAY
Posted 10/11/2005 12:04 AM Updated 10/11/2005 12:10 AM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-10-10-drought-pinyons_x.htm

Higher Temps May Be Factor in Pinyon Tree Deaths
Albuquerque Journal
John Fleck
October 11, 2005
http://www.abqjournal.com/news/state/397729nm10-11-05.htm
Drought caused huge loss of pinyons
Arizona Daily Star
Tony Davis
October 11, 2005
http://www.dailystar.com/dailystar/metro/97253.php
KTAO Radio
Taos
October 11, 2005
Morning news
KUAZ Public Radio
Tucson
October 11, 2005
Morning news

ALBUQUERQUE. N.M. Researchers believe the massive die-offs of New Mexico's state tree during 2002 and 2003 could be a harbinger of life in a warming world. http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=3963804&nav=HMO6

Underlying Cause Of Massive Pinyon Pine Die-Off Revealed 

Terradaily

October 11, 2005
http://www.terradaily.com/news/climate-05zzzzzf.html

 

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