The stable isotopes in plant tissues has become an increasingly important tool for ecophsyiologists.
While at the University of Utah in Dr. Jim Ehleringer's lab I developed a mechanistic model for the
interpretation of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in tree ring cellulose. This work has implications
for studies dealing with dendro-geochemical reconstructions of past environments, the dynamics of
seasonal precipitation patterns, the aspects of plant water relations that contribute to long-term
patterns of plant distribution and other biosphere-atmosphere interactions. Currently I am pursuing
funding to study the oxygen isotopes in the tree rings of giant redwoods with Dr. Todd Dawson at
U.C. Berkeley. We hope to shed some light onto the importance of fog as a water source for these
magnificent trees and potentially determine signals for past climatic cycles.