bmb

Profile

Brendan M. Buckley

Lamont Research Professor

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Biology and Paleo Environment

Tree Ring Lab

61 Route 9W - PO Box 1000

Palisades

NY

10964-8000

US

Phone: 

(845) 365-8782

Fax: 

(845) 365-8150

bmb@ldeo.columbia.edu

View Website

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Fields of interest: 

Dendrochronology, Dendroclimatology, Tropical Forest Ecosystems, Arctic Treeline Studies

 

• I have spent much of the past three decades focused on tropical dendrochronology on mainland Southeast Asia with a focus on the long-term variability of regional hydroclimate.  This work has led to the development of a robust collection of tree-ring based growth indices (e.g., ring width, earlywood and latewood width as discrete variables, earlywood minimum density derived from Blue Intensity, and stable isotopes of Oxygen) from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Lao PDR. From these data we have learned much about the past behavior of the Asian Monsoon and decadal-scale climate features such as the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation or IPO (Buckley et al, 2019 in Climate Dynamics). Along with the research into the regional climate, I have been working with plant ecophysiologists to understand how trees respond to climate in a mechanistic way.  
• Prior to the work in Southeast Asia I spent years working along the northern treeline in Alaska and Canada, working largely on reconstructing temperature with long-time colleagues Rosanne D'Arrigo and the late Gordon Jacoby. To that end we recently got a project funded to update and reanalyze our collections along the northern Labrador treeline in eastern Canada. That work is revealing recent changes to the mean state of climate over the region and how they are impacting the boreal forests.
• I also spent years in the southern hemisphere, studying the long-lived souther conifer Huon pine, of the family Podocarpaceae, as well as New Zealand's ancient Kauri, of the family Auracauriaceae.  In all of these studies I like to look at tree rings as incorporating multiple aspects of the environment, and taking into account the physiology and ecological aspects of how trees grow.  I am currently focused on understanding in far greater detail the physiological and ecological aspects of tree growth in response to climate.  There is much exciting work yet to be done, and along with my colleagues from around the world, I plan to be addressing these important questions for a long time to come.  

 

Education

List of degrees from highest to lowest:

Ph.D.

Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart Australia

1997

M.A.

Dept. of Geography, Arizona State University

1989

B.S.

Dept. of Geography, Plymouth State College, New Hampshire

1986

Lamont Projects:

Tree Ring Research Laboratory

Referenced in the Following News Items:

Translating Nature’s Historians: The Tree Ring Lab Turns 40

Scientists Model More Than Earth’s Climate in 2014

In Log Coffins, First Glimpses of a Mysterious Asian People

Science Education with Trees and Canoes

Study Reconstructs Asia's Most Devastating Droughts

Did Climate Influence Angkor's Collapse?

Featured in the Following Videos:

Tree Rings, Climate Change and the Rainy Season

Selected Publications:

Lack of cool, not warm extremes, distinguishes late 20th Century climate in 979-year Tasmanian summer temperature reconstruction Allen, K. J.; Cook, E. R.; Evans, R.; Francey, R.; Buckley, B. M.; Palmer, J. G.; Peterson, M. J.; Baker, P. J. Environmental Research Letters (2018)

Regional trends in early-monsoon rainfall over Vietnam and CCSM4 attribution Li, Rong; Wang, S. -Y. Simon; Gillies, Robert R.; Buckley, Brendan; Yoon, Jin-Ho; Chi, Changrae Climate Dynamics (2018)

Feasibility of Predicting Vietnam’s Autumn Rainfall Regime Based on Tree Ring Record and Decadal Variability Sun, Yan; Wang, S. -Y. Simon; Li, Rong; Buckley, Brendan; Gilles, Robert; Hansen, Kyle (2018)

Increased effective moisture in northern Vietnam during the Little Ice Age Stevens, Lora R.; Buckley, Brendan M.; Kim, Sung; Hill, Pam; Doiron, Kelsey (2018)

European and Mediterranean hydroclimate responses to tropical volcanic forcing over the last millennium Rao, M. P.; Cook, B. I.; Cook, E. R.; D'Arrigo, R. D.; Krusic, P. J.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; LeGrande, A. N.; Buckley, B. M.; Davi, N. K.; Leland, C; Griffin, K. L. Geophysical Research Letters (2017) 10.1002/2017GL073057

Discrete seasonal hydroclimate reconstructions over northern Vietnam for the past three and a half centuries Hansen, Kyle G.; Buckley, Brendan M.; D'Arrigo, Rosanne D.; Nam. Le Canh; Truong van Vinh; Nguyen, Hau Xuan Climatic Change (2017)

Central Vietnam climate over the past five centuries from cypress tree rings Buckley, Brendan M.; Stahle, Daniel K.; Truong Luu, Hong; Wang, S.-Y Simon; Trung Nguyen; Tran Quoc; Thomas Philip; Nam Le; Canh; Ton, That Minh; Hoang Bui, The; Thiet Nguyen, Van (2016)

On the spatial and temporal variability of ENSO precipitation and drought teleconnection in mainland Southeast Asia Räsänen, Timo A.; Lindgren, Ville; Guillaue, Joseph H. A.; Buckley, Brendan M.; Kummu, Matti Climate of the Past (2016)

Karakorum temperature out of phase with hemispheric trends for the past five centuries Zafar, M. U.; Ahmed, M.; Rao, M. P.; Buckley, B. M.; Khan, N.; Wahab, M.; Palmer, J. Climate Dynamics 06/2015 p.: 1-10 (2015) 10.1007/s00382-015-2685-z

Tree-Ring Reconstructed Summer Temperatures from Northwestern North America during the Last Nine Centuries Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; D'Arrigo, R.D.; Andreu-Hayles, L.; Frank, D.; Vertege, A.; Curtis, A.; Buckley, B.M.; Jacoby, G.C.; Cook, R.R. Journal of Climate - AMericadn Meterological Society 05/13 Volume: 26 (2012) 10.1175/JCLI-D-11-00139.1

Repurposing climate reconstructions for drought prediction in Southeast Asia Bell, A.R.; Cook, B.I.; Anchukaitis, K.J.; Buckley, B.M.; Cook, E.R. Climatic Change Volume: 106 Issue: 4 p.: 691-698 (2011) 10.1007/s10584-011-0064-2

Climate as a contributing factor in the demise of Angkor, Cambodia Buckley, B.M.; Anchukaitis, K.J; Penny, D.; Fletcher, R; Cook, E.R.;Sano, M.; Nam, L.C; Wichienkeeo, A.; Minh, T.T.; Hong, T.M. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Volume: 107 Issue: 15 p.: 6748-6752 (2010) doi/10.1073/pnas.0910827107

Extension of the Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Radiocarbon Curve, 2120-850 years BP: results from Tasmanian Huon pine Zimmerman, S; Guilderson, T; Buckley, B M; Cook, E R Radiocarbon (2010)

Asian monsoon failure and megadrought during the last millennium Cook, E R; Anchukaitis, K J; Buckley, B M; D'Arrigo, R D; Jacoby, G C; Wright, W E Science (2010)

Climate as a factor in the demise of Angkor Buckley, B M; Anchukaitis, K J; Penny, D; Fletcher, R; Cook, E R; Sano, M S; Nam, L C; Wichienkeeo, A; Minh, T T; Hong, T M Proceedings of the National Academies of Science (2010)

Tree growth and inferred temperature variability at the North American Arctic treeline D'Arrigo, R.; Jacoby, G.; Buckley, B.; Sakulich, J.; Frank, D.; Wilson, R.; Curtis, A.; Anchukaitis, K. Global and Planetary Change Jan Volume: 65 Issue: 1-2 p.: 71-82 (2009) DOI 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2008.10.011

High-resolution palaeoclimatology of the last millennium: a review of current status and future prospects Jones, P. D.; Briffa, K. R.; Osborn, T. J.; Lough, J. M.; van Ommen, T. D.; Vinther, B. M.; Lutherbacher, J.; Wahl, E. R.; Zwiers, F. W.; Mann, M. E.; Schmidt, G. A.; Ammann, C. M.; Buckley, B. M.; Cobb, K. M.; Esper, J.; Goosse, H.; Graham, N.; Jansen, E Holocene Feb Volume: 19 Issue: 1 p.: 3-49 (2009) Doi 10.1177/0959683608098952

Tree-ring based hydroclimate reconstruction over northern Vietnam from Fokienia hodginsii: eighteenth century mega-drought and tropical Pacific influence Sano, M.; Buckley, B. M.; Sweda, T. Climate Dynamics Aug Volume: 33 Issue: 2-3 p.: 331-340 (2009) DOI 10.1007/s00382-008-0454-y

Climate Warming in Western North America/Evidence and Environmental Effects Barber, V; Juday, G; Ostercamp, T; D'Arrigo, R; Berg, E; Buckley, B; Hinzman, L; Huntington, H; Jorgensen, T; McGuire, D; Riordan, B; Whiting, A; Wiles, G; Wilmking, M (2008)

Analyses of growth rings of Pinus merkusii from Lao PDR Buckley, B. M.; Duangsathaporn, K.; Palakit, K.; Butler, S.; Syhapanya, V.; Xaybouangeun, N. Forest Ecology and Management Dec 15 Volume: 253 Issue: 1-3 p.: 120-127 (2007) DOI 10.1016/j.foreco.2007.07.018