The NAU Review — Happy Pride, Lumberjacks! Learn about the role of trees and arctic ground squirrels in climate change and upcoming roadwork on campus

June 7, 2023

A unique long-term study, which NAU professor Loren Buck started more than two decades ago while doing his Ph.D. research in Alaska, helps us understand biological responses to climate shifts through the hibernation patterns of a cute little rodent. In the course of the 25-year study, researchers found that the female and male squirrels developed different hibernation periods over that time. The females “rise and shine” a little earlier in response to warming, which could have both positive and negative ripple effects throughout the food web in these ecosystems.

Save the trees! A new study co-authored by Scott Goetz confirms that protected forests preserve the equivalent of one year of global fossil fuel emissions through avoided emissions. Using data collected by satellites on the International Space Station, the researchers were able to map forest carbon accurately at a large scale for the first time. They found that, while all forests store carbon, the biggest impact came from the forest biome in the Brazilian Amazon.