Facilities: Reno
Paleoecology Laboratory (S. Sharpe)

The Paleoecology Laboratory specializes in:

• Paleoenvironmental Reconstruction
• Paleoclimatic Reconstruction
• Paleohydrologic Input Estimates
• Lake Level History
• Vegetation History
• Fire History
• Coring: Lakes, Wetlands, Drylands
• Packrat Midden Processing, Analysis
• Plant Macrofossil Identification, Analysis
• Archeobotanical Analysis
• Coprolite Analysis

Our research on past climatic extremes and hydrological boundary conditions are applied to a range of timely environmental issues including:

• Natural versus human-induced climate change
• Watershed processes, hydrology and fire history of populated and recreational areas
• Design needs for urban water storage
• Impacts of deforestation, fire suppression and grazing on forests and range lands
• Reclamation and restoration of disturbed environments
• Predictability of extreme events for risk assessment
• Aboriginal and post-European effects on the environment

Key Equipment

• Giddings Hydraulic Coring/Drilling Rig (gas powered), 2-inch diameter · Modified Livingston Piston Coring device, 4-inch diameter • 21' pontoon boat with 85 horse power outboard motor • Coring Raft and motor • Bartington MS-2B magnetic susceptibility system • Microscopes, dissecting and light, with photographic capability • Fully equipped wet and dry laboratories, with fumehood and distilled water • Increment borers • Ovens and furnaces • Balances (Digital, Mettler, Triple-beam)

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