Event Date
⭐️ Presented by the Center for the Advancement of Multicultural Perspectives on Science (DEI | OAD)
Jasquelin Peña
Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
Faculty Scientist, Energy Geoscience Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Building Climate Resilience in Post-fire Landscapes through Geochemical Observations and Community Engagement
Abstract: Wildfires are raising unprecedented challenges in the western United States. Its effects are manifest as both abrupt and long-term changes in ecosystem function. The catastrophic fire seasons across the western U.S. in 2020 and 2021 provided a preview of the magnitude of environmental impact and cost that will be associated with future fire events. One key feature of post-fire landscapes is the transformation of above-ground biomass and litter into a surface layer of ash. This ash layer, which is commonly enriched in metals and pyrogenic carbon, can impact the retention or loss of organic matter, nutrients and trace elements from post-fire landscapes. These impacts will be manifest not only in changes in soil biogeochemistry, but also as changes in surface runoff and infiltration that also impact stream chemistry. In this talk, I will share focus on our analyses of samples from the Glass Fire (2020) and the Caldor File (2021) in order to develop process-level understanding of the response of mountain ecosystems to wildfire and inform resilience building.
Check out our other CAMPOS speakers lined up for the 2024-2025 year on our CAMPOS Colloquium page!