NSF Org:	AGS Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences
Recipient:	THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Initial Amendment Date:	August 12, 2013
Latest Amendment Date:	August 12, 2013
Award Number:	1303961
Award Instrument:	Standard Grant
Program Manager:	Candace Major AGS  Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences GEO  Directorate for Geosciences
Start Date:	August 1, 2013
End Date:	October 31, 2014 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount:	$182,817.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date:	$182,817.00
Funds Obligated to Date:	FY 2013 = $35,140.00
History of Investigator:	Neil Pederson (Principal Investigator) neilpederson@fas.harvard.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office:	Columbia University 615 W 131ST ST NEW YORK NY  US  10027-7922 (212)854-6851
Sponsor Congressional District:	13
Primary Place of Performance:	Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University 61 Route 9W Palisades NY  US  10964-1707
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District:	17
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):	F4N1QNPB95M4
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s):	Paleoclimate
Primary Program Source:	01001314DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s):	1304, 8070, EGCH
Program Element Code(s):	153000
Award Agency Code:	4900
Fund Agency Code:	4900
Assistance Listing Number(s):	47.050

ABSTRACT

Over the last century, the northeastern United States has experienced significant warming (~1.1°C), and a number of record high temperatures have been set around the region in recent years. Despite the massive impacts given the dense populations in this region, we do not fully understand the extent to which the trends reflect radiative forcing versus natural decadal-scale variability. Paleoclimate data provide opportunities to observe the climate system at decadal time scales that are not available from instrumental data alone, but there are currently no long-timescale, high-resolution proxy temperature data from this region that might help discern the relative influence of these factors in determining decadal temperature trends.

This research-- a collaborative effort between scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University-- will develop annually-resolved reconstructions of late Holocene temperature from the northeastern United States using living and subfossil Atlantic White Cedar trees. This species is temperature-sensitive, long-lived, and well-preserved in wetland environments. The resulting reconstructions will be used to characterize variability in regional temperatures at time scales from interannual to millennial, to evaluate climate model simulations over the last millennium, and identify the signature of internal, remote, and global forcing on the climate of the northeastern United States.

The project provides long-term context for recent seasonal temperature extremes in the northeastern United States, and in particular along the coast and the very urbanized Boston-to-New York corridor, where high temperatures have important public health and ecosystem impacts. Funding supports student research at the doctoral and undergraduate level, as well as public outreach to regional citizen scientists and professionals focused on the environment.

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