How much stress is to much?

Naomi Tague was invited to lead a session at the International Symposium – BOUNDAR​Y SPANNING: Advances in Socio-Environmental Systems Research – put on by The ​National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC) in partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF), Resources for the Future (RFF), and University of Maryland (UMD) this week in Annapolis, Maryland. Naomi brought together Tamma Carleton (UCBerkeley) “Valuing the global mortality consequences of climate change accounting for adaptation costs and benefits”, Adrian Das (US Geological Survey) “Tree Mortality and the California Drought: A preview of the future?”, Alex de Sherbinin (Columbia) “Migration as an adaptive response to climate change impacts and vulnerability”, Ariel Lugo (US Forest Service) “Who responds the quickest after hurricane wind stress: the social or the ecological systems?”, and Max Moritz (UC Santa Barbara) “When does fire, a natural ecological disturbance, become ‘stressful’?” in her session “Under Stress: For adaptive, evolving systems, how much stress is too much?”.

Erin Hanan accepts new faculty position!

Please join us in congratulating former PhD student/post doc Erin Hanan on her new faculty position as Assistant Professor of Fire Ecology in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Dr. Erin Hanan has been a valuable member of the Tague Team Lab and has made important contributions to research and RHESSys model functionality while she has been at UCSB. We wish her success in this new venture and look forward to future collaborations.

Plant response to changes in subsurface water – new publication

The research in this new publication enhances understanding of deep subsurface water storage across landscapes and identifies key remaining challenges in predicting and managing response to climate and land use change in mountain ecosystems of the Sierra Nevada and in other Mediterranean climates worldwide.

Klos, P.Z., Goulden, M.L., Riebe, C.S., Tague, C.L., O’Geen, A.T., Flinchum, B.A., Safeeq, M., Conklin, M.H., Hart, S.C., Berhe, A.A., Hartsough, P.C., Holbrook, W.S., Bales, R.C. (2018) Subsurface plant-accessible water in mountain ecosystems with a Mediterranean climate, WIREs Water 5(3):e1277. doi.org/10.1002/wat2.1277

New Publication!

In this new publication, regional regression models using a set of three variables (mean annual precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, and baseflow index) selected via expert assessment was found to be effective in predicting percentile flows and performed similarly to larger sets of variables selected using a data-driven method.

Fouad, G.,  Skupin, A., Tague, C.L. (2018) Regional regression models of percentile flows for the contiguous United States: Expert versus data-driven independent variable selection, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies 17:64-82, doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.04.002

Climate Change and Our New Normal

In the event “Drought, Fire, and Flood: Climate Change and Our New Normal” that took place last Wednesday at the Granada Theatre emceed by UCSB’s Bren School Dean Dr. Steven Gaines – Dr. Naomi Tague (modeling), Dr. Max Moritz (wildfire), Dr. Edward Keller (debris flow), and Dr. Sarah Anderson (environmental politics) gave flash talks on research and data regarding drought, fire, and flood issues.

Keynote speaker James Lee Witt shared his experience managing disasters during his tenure as former White House cabinet member and Director of FEMA, who currently serves as senior advisor to fortune 500 companies and government leaders around the world.

This was followed by a town hall style discussion led by Sigrid Wright (CEO/Executive Director of the Community Environmental Council) with Pat McElroy (recently retired Fire Chief of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department), Das Williams (First District of Santa Barbara County supervisor), and Maricela Morales (CAUSE Executive Director).

The event was well attended by members of the community, who were able to pre-submit questions for the town hall discussion.

PhD student Julian Reyes successful defense – Congratulations Dr. Reyes!

ReyesWe congratulate Julian Reyes, PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Washington State University – and Tague Team Lab friend and collaborator – on successfully defending his PhD “Characterizing rangeland ecosystems and their sustainable management in a changing climate”. Dr. Reyes developed a new approach to modeling carbon allocation and his research led to additional new functionality being included in RHESSys code.

Post Doc opportunity

Postdoctoral Scientist in Montane Forest and Snow Hydrology at the University of Nevada, Reno

Posting: We seek a dynamic and innovative postdoctoral scientist that works at the intersection of snow and forest hydrology in mountain systems. Our project seeks to understand the potential role of landscape-scale forest thinning on the west shore of Lake Tahoe and Sagehen Creek watershed on snowpacks and streamflow dynamics. The project combines innovative use of hydrological models, remote sensing, and field work to tackle critical management questions critical to the future of montane forests. The candidate would be based primarily out of the Nevada Mountain Ecohydrology Lab at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) The project is a collaboration between UNR, the Desert Research Institute, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, and will include travel to the Tague Lab at UCSB . A variety of physically-based models will be employed for investigations at different spatial and temporal scales, including snowpack energy budget (SnowPALM), hydrological (GSFLOW), and ecohydrological (RHESSys) models. Ideal candidates would combine expertise in modeling, data analysis, and field data collection. Candidates with experience in snowpack energy budget modeling or RHESSys type ecohydrological modeling are preferred. Demanding field work may be necessary. The project requires interacting and collaborating with a large team, including resource managers and scientists that will require excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Qualifications:
Ph.D. in hydrology related field such as engineering, environmental science, or forestry required by start date. Experience with hydrological modeling platforms and related scripting/coding required in model application and development.

Details:
The position is potentially extendable to 30 months. The desired start date is August 1st. The salary and benefits are competitive for Reno’s cost of living.

The University of Nevada, Reno is the State of Nevada’s land grant and historic flagship institution of higher. Located in the Truckee Meadows at the base of the Sierra Nevada to the west with the Intermountain West to the east, the University of Nevada, Reno, is 45 minutes from Lake Tahoe. Numerous outdoor activities can be found in and adjacent to the city, including skiing, mountain biking and trails, water sports, and other mountain sports. The region is also home to many culturally and socially rich activities, including the Reno Philharmonic and Chamber orchestras, the Nevada Museum of Art, and Reno Artown; Shakespeare, Jazz, Reno/Tahoe Music, Nevada Chamber Music, Pacifica, Aloha, Cinco de Mayo, Basque, Sculpture, and River Festivals to name just a few; Hot August Nights and Street Vibrations; the Reno Balloon Race, and many other diverse events and traditions. Northern Nevada is home to a growing food culture, with many small farms feeding the farm to table movement and local restaurants, including a dozen micro-breweries/distillers/vintners in the region.

To apply:
Please send an email to aharpold@cabnr.unr.edu with subject line: “Application for WCB postdoctoral scientist position” that includes a CV and a short (one page) letter about your qualifications and interest for the position. Review of applications will be begin May 1 and will be open until filled.