Ph.D. Student Profile: Claire C. Treat
Degree: Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Systems Research Center/Earth Sciences
claire.treat@unh.edu
Research Topic: Impacts of climate change in northern ecosystems: carbon and nitrogen cycling northern soils and streams
Advisor: Dr. Wil Wollheim, Dr. Steve Frolking
Description of Research
I'm interested in the effects of climate change on nutrient cycling in northern ecosystems in both boreal and arctic regions. Northern ecosystems are experiencing relatively rapid changes in climate and are important to the global carbon cycle due to the large amounts of carbon stored within the soils. Primarily, I'm focusing on differences in soil carbon and nitrogen storage across ecosystems in Alaska, and predicting how this might change in the future, especially with permafrost thaw. I'm also looking at how changing seasonality due to climate change may affect nutrient cycling in arctic streams.
Previous Awards and Activities:
- Recipient, U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship, 2010
- Honorable Mention, National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship, 2010
- Research and Discover Graduate Student Fellowship, University of New Hampshire, 2008 - 2010
- Environmental Studies Outstanding Scholar Award, Mount Holyoke College, 2005
- Excellence in Undergraduate Student Research, Undergraduate Research Conference, University of New Hampshire, 2005
- Research and Discover Fellowship, University of New Hampshire, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center, 2004 – 2005
Selected Presentations and Publications:
- Treat, C.C., Wisser, D., Marchenko, S., Humphreys, E., Frolking, S., Huemmrich, K.F. 2010. Predicting permafrost stability in northern peatlands with climate change and disturbance. AGU Fall Meeting, December 2010, San Franciso, CA.
- Treat, C.C., Wisser, D., Marchenko, S., Frolking, S. 2009. Stable, charred, or disappeared: Peatland soil temperatures and permafrost sensitivity to interactions between temperature increases and changing disturbance regimes. AGU Fall Meeting, December 2009, San Franciso, CA.
- Treat, C., Wisser, D., Frolking, S., Marchenko, S. 2009. Modeling permafrost
degradation in peatlands. 2nd International Symposium: Peatlands in the Global
Carbon Cycle, Prague. - Turetsky, M.R., Treat, C.C., Waldrop, M., Waddington, J.M., Harden, J.W., McGuire,
A.D. 2008. Soil climate controls on methane fluxes and methanogen activity in an
Alaskan peatland: short-term responses to in situ water table and soil warming
manipulations. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeochemistry 113: G00A10. - Treat, C.C., Bubier, J., Varner, R., Crill, P. 2007. Time-scale dependence of
environmental and plant-mediated controls on CH4 flux from a temperate fen. Journal
of Geophysical Research- Biogeochemisty 112: G01014. - Neill, C., Von Holle, B., Kleese, K.A., Ivy, K.D., Collins, A.R., Treat, C., Dean, M. 2007.
Historical influences on the vegetation and soils of the Martha's Vineyard,
Massachusetts coastal sandplain: Implications for conservation and restoration.
Biological Conservation 136 (1): 17-32.
Education
M.S., Earth Sciences, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 2010
B. A., Environmental Science, Magna cum laude, Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA, May 2005
Professional Positions
President's Commission on the Status of Women, University of New Hampshire, 2009 - present
Related Links
Toolik Field Station: http://toolik.alaska.edu/
Bonanza Creek LTER: http://www.lter.uaf.edu/
Changing Seasonality in Arctic Streams: http://water.engr.psu.edu/csasn/
Semester in Environmental Science at the Marine Bio. Lab: http://ecosystems.mbl.edu/ses/
Women's Commission at UNH: http://www.unh.edu/womens-commission/
