Seaside Forests: Tree-Ring Sampling, coastal NY/NJ

Lead PI: Dr. Nicole K. Davi

Unit Affiliation: Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)

January 2019 - Ongoing
Active
North America ; Sandy Hook, NJ ; Fire Island, NY ; New York ; Montauk, NY
Project Type: Research

DESCRIPTION: A few rare stands of old-growth forest have survived in coastal parklands in the New York metro area. Researchers including paleoclimatologist Nicole Davi are sampling rings from these trees, dating to the early 1800s, to see if they have recorded past climate events including large storms that would have battered the trees or inundated them with salt water. (Many were killed during Hurricane Sandy.) The project is aimed at teasing out the weather history of the coastal area, at a time when big Sandy-like storms are expected to increase and sea levels to rise. Work will take place at New Jersey’s Sandy Hook; Fire Island; and Montauk.