Hi everyone,
Like I mentioned last class, this Thursday we will take our first step towards developing collaborative research projects on particular aspects of decadal climate variability and its impacts on terrestrial systems. To help get us there, I've prepared three questions that I'd like you to use as way to prepare for our next meeting.
What aspect of the global biosphere are you most keenly interested (ocean-atmosphere-land surface)? If possible, identify particularly sub-systems or processes that you find most engaging (wildfire? coastal fisheries? large-scale atmospheric circulation? minimum streamflow?).
Identify two or three geographic regions that could be a target for your potential research. Choose a spatial scale that makes sense for your particular interests (for example, the southwestern US, the west coast of North America, Andean South America, or the upper Missouri basin).
Finally, identify two or three themes or issues we've discussed in class that could be used as motivating questions for your research. For example, you might address whether or not decadal-scale shifts in wildfire frequency in the southwestern United States coincide with similarly-timed changes in regional precipitation. Or you might look at whether or not climate models can simulate observed decadal-scale variability in precipitation. Think big!
Please think about these questions before we meet on Thursday morning. I'd also like you to bring in short (1 or 2 sentences only!) responses to these questions. Your answers will help all of us identify potential areas of mutual interest or collaboration. But please prepare written responses (don't just improvise in class).
See you Thursday!
