Recent Courses
ENVIRON M130 | GEOG M131 - Environmental Change
GEOG 19 - Fiat Lux Freshman Seminars
GEOG 215 - Quaternary Studies: Physical Aspects
Research Areas
Ecology, Paleobiology
Research Interests
Glen MacDonald works on issues of climate change and ecological and societal responses. His lab uses a number of research tools to develop long temporal records of climatic and environmental change and large spatial records of such changes. These tools include biological, elemental geochemical and isotopic analysis of lake sediments and wetland sediments, tree-ring analysis, satellite remote sensing and modeling. Studies of treelines and climate change, drought and its impacts, vegetation and fire, dynamics and carbon stores of wetlands, and sea-level rise and coastal marshes have been particular foci of his research. Field sites have included Canada, the western USA, Russia, Mexico, Egypt, Syria and India. He often works with international teams of academic, government and NGO researchers. Glen believes in the public communication of science and writes and speaks frequently for more general audiences and policy makers. Glen has published over 160 scientific papers and is a Member of the National Academy of Science.
Selected Publications
Thorne, K., MacDonald, G., Guntenspergen, G., Ambrose, R., Buffington, K., Dugger, B., Freeman, C., Janousek, C., Brown, L., Rosencranz, J., Holmquist, J., Smol, J., Hargan, K. and Takekawa, J., "U.S. Pacific coastal wetland resilience and vulnerability to sea-level rise", Science Advances DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aao3270, - (2018) .
Loisel J, MacDonald GM, Thomson MJ, "Little Ice Age climatic erraticism as an analogue for future enhanced hydroclimatic variability across the American Southwest", PLoS ONE https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186282, - (2017) .
Leeper, R., Rhodes, B., Kirby, M., Scharer, K., Carlin, J., Hemphill-Haley, E., Avnaim-Katav, S., MacDonald, G., Starratt, S. and Aranda, A.,, "Evidence for coseismic subsidence events in a southern California coastal saltmarsh", Nature.com/Scientific Reports doi: 10.1038/srep44615, - (2017) .
MacDonald, G. M., Moser, K.A., Bloom, A. M., Potito, A.P., Porinchu, D.F., Holmquist, J.R., Hughes, J. and Kremenetski, K.V., "Prolonged California aridity linked to climate warming and Pacific sea surface temperature", Nature.Com/Scientific Reports http://www.nature.com/articles/srep33325, - (2016) [link].
MacDonald, G.M., Beilman D.W. Kuzmin, Y.V., Orlova, L.A., Kremenetski, K.V., Shapiro, B., Wayne, R.K. and Van Valkenburgh, "Pattern of extinction of the woolly mammoth in Beringia", Nature Communications DOI: 10.1038/ncomms1881, - (2012) .
Willis, K.J. and MacDonald, G.M., "Pattern of extinction of the woolly mammoth in Beringia", Annual Reviews of Ecology and Evolution 42: 267?287, - (2011) .
Woodhouse, C.A., Meko, D.M., MacDonald, G.M., Stahle, D.W. and Cook, E.R., "A 1,200-year perspective of 21st century drought in southwestern North America", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, 21283-21288; doi:10.1073/pnas.0911197107, - (2010) .
MacDonald, G.M., "Climate Change and Water in Southwestern North America", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 107, 21256-21262; doi:10.1073/pnas.0909651107, - (2010) .
MacDonald, G.M., Bennett, K.D., Jackson, S.T., Parducci, L., Smith, F.A., Smol, J.P. and Willis, K.J., "Impacts of climate change on species, populations and communities: palaeobiogeographical insights and frontiers", Progress in Physical Geography 32, 139-172, - (2008) .
MacDonald, G.M., Beilman, D.W., Kremenetski, K.V., Sheng, Y., Smith, L.C. and Velichko, A.A., "Rapid early development of the circumarctic peatlands and atmospheric CH4 and CO2 variations", Science, 314: 385-388, - (2006) .