DGESL : About : Cody Routson

The health and well-being of humanity depends directly on the health of the earth. Clean drinking water and fertile soils nurture the flame of our existence. Shifting cultural values and a growing human population increase the demands on the natural world. In the quest for natural resources, the earth is being stripped for minerals and oil, the oceans mined for fish, and rainforests cut for wood and agriculture, all at unsustainable rates. The remote edges of the world, missed in the ever-widening exploitation of resources are now facing a new challenge: human-induced climate change. Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels, trap warmth near the surface of the planet. The increased temperatures induce changes in heat and moisture distribution, a global phenomenon happening at a rate faster than ecosystems and species can adjust. The extent of Arctic sea ice is dramatically decreasing while Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting and sliding into warmer ocean water faster than they can be replaced. On a more local scale, in the southwestern United States, drought and water availability are the center of concern. Warming-induced shifts in the jet stream are expected to decrease winter precipitation, and the future of summer monsoonal precipitation remains enigmatic.

Addressing the issue of climate change, my research focuses on understanding the nature and variability of past climate. Currently, my research focuses on the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado. I am using a combination of tree ring and lake sediment climate indicators to reconstruct 1000 to 2000 years of climate history in the region. My research will be part of a bigger project extending from southern Colorado into central Mexico focused on understanding the nature of summer precipitation in the Southwest. This research will provide baseline information on climate variability critical for evaluating and assessing the impacts of climate change on natural resources.

	Cody Routson Ph.D. Student B.A. Prescott College 2006 Office: Gould-Simpson Room 350 Telephone Number: 1.520.621.8025 E-mail Address: routson@email.arizona.edu	Mailing Address 1040 E. Fourth St. Department of Geosciences University of Arizona Gould-Simpson Room 208 Tucson, AZ 85721-0077 Telephone Number 1.520.621.8025 Facsimile Number 1.520.621.2672


The health and well-being of humanity depends directly on the health of the earth. Clean drinking water and fertile soils nurture the flame of our existence. Shifting cultural values and a growing human population increase the demands on the natural world. In the quest for natural resources, the earth is being stripped for minerals and oil, the oceans mined for fish, and rainforests cut for wood and agriculture, all at unsustainable rates. The remote edges of the world, missed in the ever-widening exploitation of resources are now facing a new challenge: human-induced climate change. Greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels, trap warmth near the surface of the planet. The increased temperatures induce changes in heat and moisture distribution, a global phenomenon happening at a rate faster than ecosystems and species can adjust. The extent of Arctic sea ice is dramatically decreasing while Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets are melting and sliding into warmer ocean water faster than they can be replaced. On a more local scale, in the southwestern United States, drought and water availability are the center of concern. Warming-induced shifts in the jet stream are expected to decrease winter precipitation, and the future of summer monsoonal precipitation remains enigmatic. Addressing the issue of climate change, my research focuses on understanding the nature and variability of past climate. Currently, my research focuses on the San Juan Mountains in southern Colorado. I am using a combination of tree ring and lake sediment climate indicators to reconstruct 1000 to 2000 years of climate history in the region. My research will be part of a bigger project extending from southern Colorado into central Mexico focused on understanding the nature of summer precipitation in the Southwest. This research will provide baseline information on climate variability critical for evaluating and assessing the impacts of climate change on natural resources.