Current projects
NSF GSS Award 1636519
Magnitude, Extent, and Impact of a Pre-Historical Multi-Century Drought in the Western US
Scott Mensing (UNR), Douglas Kennett, David Rhode (DRI), Adam Csank (UNR)
his research project will investigate the causes of a multi-century drought in western North America during the Late Holocene Dry Period and will analyze its geographic extent and impact on Native Americans living in the immediate area. Droughts are a regular feature of climatic conditions in the western U.S., and global prediction models suggest that they will intensify in the future. By analyzing paleoclimatic patterns, this project will enhance basic understanding of the ocean-atmosphere dynamics that create persistent droughts in the western United States
Magnitude, Extent, and Impact of a Pre-Historical Multi-Century Drought in the Western US
Scott Mensing (UNR), Douglas Kennett, David Rhode (DRI), Adam Csank (UNR)
his research project will investigate the causes of a multi-century drought in western North America during the Late Holocene Dry Period and will analyze its geographic extent and impact on Native Americans living in the immediate area. Droughts are a regular feature of climatic conditions in the western U.S., and global prediction models suggest that they will intensify in the future. By analyzing paleoclimatic patterns, this project will enhance basic understanding of the ocean-atmosphere dynamics that create persistent droughts in the western United States
NSF GSS Award 1228126
Understanding Human Responses to Environmental Change Using a 2,500-Year Reconstruction of Paleoecologic and Socioeconomic History
Scott Mensing (UNR), Paula Noble (UNR), Jacque Ewing-Taylor 2012 - 2015. $526,015.
This project investigates how past societies responded to climate change. There is a general sense that modern societies are more insulated than pre-industrial societies from the effects of climate change, but this may not prove to be true. Developing a more complete understanding of how natural and human-caused changes affected the environment in the past can potentially guide decisions aimed at promoting future sustainability.
Understanding Human Responses to Environmental Change Using a 2,500-Year Reconstruction of Paleoecologic and Socioeconomic History
Scott Mensing (UNR), Paula Noble (UNR), Jacque Ewing-Taylor 2012 - 2015. $526,015.
This project investigates how past societies responded to climate change. There is a general sense that modern societies are more insulated than pre-industrial societies from the effects of climate change, but this may not prove to be true. Developing a more complete understanding of how natural and human-caused changes affected the environment in the past can potentially guide decisions aimed at promoting future sustainability.
Recent past projects
NSF GSS Award 0964261
Did Native Americans Significantly Alter Forest Structure in California? A Paleoecologic Reconstruction of Vegetation and Fire History from Two Different Ecosystems.
Scott Mensing (UNR). 2010 – 2013. $350,000
It is well-documented that Native Americans across the United States used fire to manipulate the environment. Fire is a primary tool for clearing trees or removing brush and if used extensively can fundamentally alter the landscape. This project will use paleoecological methods for reconstructing past vegetation and fire history as well as anthropological data from areas with well-documented histories of Native American land-use.
Did Native Americans Significantly Alter Forest Structure in California? A Paleoecologic Reconstruction of Vegetation and Fire History from Two Different Ecosystems.
Scott Mensing (UNR). 2010 – 2013. $350,000
It is well-documented that Native Americans across the United States used fire to manipulate the environment. Fire is a primary tool for clearing trees or removing brush and if used extensively can fundamentally alter the landscape. This project will use paleoecological methods for reconstructing past vegetation and fire history as well as anthropological data from areas with well-documented histories of Native American land-use.
NSF EPSCoR, Nevada System of Higher Education; Nevada Infrastructure for Climate Change Science, Education and Outreach
Gayle Dana (UNR), Scott Mensing (UNR), Thomas Piechota (UNLV), Nicholas Lancaster (DRI). 2008-2013. $15,000,000.
This Nevada EPSCoR Rll project seeks to create a statewide interdisciplinary program that stimulates research, education, and outreach centered on the effects of regional climate change on ecosystem resources. The goal is to build capacity to model regional climate change, evaluate methods to downscale model output, understand and quantify key ecological and hydrological processes, translate climate change science into formats usable by decision-makers, integrate models and data, and improve how students learn about climate change.
Gayle Dana (UNR), Scott Mensing (UNR), Thomas Piechota (UNLV), Nicholas Lancaster (DRI). 2008-2013. $15,000,000.
This Nevada EPSCoR Rll project seeks to create a statewide interdisciplinary program that stimulates research, education, and outreach centered on the effects of regional climate change on ecosystem resources. The goal is to build capacity to model regional climate change, evaluate methods to downscale model output, understand and quantify key ecological and hydrological processes, translate climate change science into formats usable by decision-makers, integrate models and data, and improve how students learn about climate change.
NSF GSS DDRI Award 0926732
Doctoral Dissertation Research: Did Native Americans Fundamentally Alter Western Forest Structure? A Reconstruction of Vegetation and Fire History from Northwestern California
Scott Mensing and Jeff Crawford (UNR). 2009 - 2011. $12,000
Broad disagreement exists regarding the scale and degree of historic Native American disturbance in the western forests of the United States. Doctoral student Jeffery Crawford, under the supervision of Dr. Scott Mensing at the University of Nevada, Reno will use methods from both paleoecology and anthropology to examine the record of fire and vegetation change at two low-elevation lake sites in northwestern California that have a history of Native American land-use.
Doctoral Dissertation Research: Did Native Americans Fundamentally Alter Western Forest Structure? A Reconstruction of Vegetation and Fire History from Northwestern California
Scott Mensing and Jeff Crawford (UNR). 2009 - 2011. $12,000
Broad disagreement exists regarding the scale and degree of historic Native American disturbance in the western forests of the United States. Doctoral student Jeffery Crawford, under the supervision of Dr. Scott Mensing at the University of Nevada, Reno will use methods from both paleoecology and anthropology to examine the record of fire and vegetation change at two low-elevation lake sites in northwestern California that have a history of Native American land-use.
NSF EPSCoR
Effects of climate change on spring ecosystem hydroecology as a guide to developing alternative water policies
Saxon Sharpe (DRI), Scott Bassett (UNR), Scott Mensing (UNR), Don Sada (DRI), Jim Thomas (DRI).
Effects of climate change on spring ecosystem hydroecology as a guide to developing alternative water policies
Saxon Sharpe (DRI), Scott Bassett (UNR), Scott Mensing (UNR), Don Sada (DRI), Jim Thomas (DRI).
