8:30 am - 9:30 am
Event details: A graduate exam seminar is a presentation of the student’s final research project for their degree.
This is an ALES PhD Final Exam Seminar by Jingye Li. This seminar is open to the general public to attend.
Zoom Link: https://ualberta-ca.zoom.us/j/96477860942?pwd=4yXv60PJDX34jQDkXGh0Al5aianrKf.1
PhD with Dr. Fangliang He.
Thesis Topic: Variabilities in temperature and tree growth under global change
Abstract:
In global change research, significant effort has been made to quantify the long-term trends of climatic and ecological variables. However, short-term, high-frequency variabilities remain poorly understood. To narrow this gap, I examined interannual variabilities of global temperatures and tree growth rates. I found that temperature variability increased globally in 1901-1976, but has been decreasing afterward with strong periodic fluctuations. The finding challenges a common perception that global warming makes global temperatures more variable. Furthermore, I found that tree growth variability has increased much faster than mean growth rate in recent decades, suggesting a strengthening destabilizing effect of global warming on forest growth. Finally, I identified within-population asynchrony as a key stabilizer of population-level tree growth rates, and revealed that global heterogeneity in tree growth asynchrony drives differences in tree growth stability across climate zones. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of global change impacts and inform adaptation strategies.
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