David Stahle: Lord of the Tree Rings
Posted on April 6, 2011
Miles O'Brien reports for Science Nation about David Stahle, the Lord of the Tree Rings. Stahle runs the Tree-ring Laboratory at the University of Arkansas. He also travels to ancient forests around the world and collects tree rings to learn more about climate history. Stahle uses dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) to get a snapshot of climate change over time. One of Stahl's discoveries is that drought could have contributed to the mysterious disappearance of colonists in Jamestown. Collecting tree rings can also be used to learn more about major climate and historical events dating back hundreds and thousands of years. Take a look: