Scientists are racing to identify the effects of climate change on the environment of California.
Tim Stephens reports on the work of scientists in the University of California to track the effects of climate change, specifically the work of the UC Natural Reserve System, which is coordinated by the Institute for the Study of Ecological and Evolutionary Climate Impacts (ISEECI).
As scientists deploy their instruments at research sites throughout the UC Natural Reserve System, networked cameras will monitor changes in the vegetation, snapping photos every half hour, while lasers track carbon flow in coastal redwood forests and environmental sensors monitor the microclimates experienced by plants and animals in different habitats. Researchers are also working to reconstruct historical climate variation and changes in land use patterns, assessing the effects of reduced rainfall, and studying the linkages between land and sea along the California coast.
In recent news, researchers in the UC Natural Reserve System recently won a major new grant from the National Science Foundation for research on the interactions between fog, climate change, and redwood forests.
Changing Climate: Studying Climate Change in the University of California Natural Reserve System by Nicholas Weiler / 2015 from SciCom Slugs on Vimeo.
FULL STORY: High-tech sensors monitor ecosystems in climate change research program
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