Science Moab

  • Author: Vários
  • Narrator: Vários
  • Publisher: Podcast
  • Duration: 62:17:11
  • More information

Informações:

Synopsis

A show exploring the science and learning about the scientists of the Colorado Plateau from KZMU Moab's Community Radio Station

Episodes

  • Where the dinosaurs roamed

    18/08/2018 Duration: 29min

    Moab Utah is home to an incredible amount of dinosaur tracks. Here we learn why there are some many tracks around Moab, how tracks are studied, and what we can learn about prehistoric ecology through these fossilized footprints.

  • The complexities of pinyon juniper woodlands

    28/07/2018 Duration: 28min

    Pinyon-juniper forests and woodlands are found across the Colorado Plateau. These ecosystems are expanding into new areas where they have not been in human memory, at the same time increased temperatures and reduced precipitation due to climate change are resulting in huge mortality events of pinyon and some juniper trees. Here, Dr. Nichole Barger helps break down this dichotomy

  • The unseen interactions between plants

    24/07/2018 Duration: 25min

    Out in desert ecosystems, plants are interacting with one another in unseen ways. Here, Dr. Alex Filazzola explains the many and surprising ways that plants living side by side can affect one another. These effects can play a big role in how ecosystems are ultimately structured, with lessons for how we manage and restore our landscapes

  • Salvaging the living soil

    10/07/2018 Duration: 26min

    Biological soil crusts are an enigmatic sight on the Colorado Plateau. In this show, we explore what biocrusts are doing out in the desert. We speak with Colin Tucker and Natalie Day to learn about the research and efforts going on to understand and restore these fragile soil communities.

  • Understanding the tamarisk beetle

    29/06/2018 Duration: 27min

    The tamarisk beetle has reshaped riparian areas along the Colorado River. Here, we talk with Tim Graham about his work monitoring these biocontrols. We learn about the history of testing and releasing the tamarisk beetle, how the beetle has done with controlling tamarisk along the rivers, and why the dead tamarisk we now see serve important roles in riparian areas.

  • The seeds beneath the soil

    08/06/2018 Duration: 25min

    A show about seeds waiting in the desert soil with Dr. Akasha Faist. We find out kind of seeds are there, what they need to germinate, and how scientists study the surprisingly mysterious world of soil seed banks.

  • Wildfire and moss: the unexpected role of moss in stabilizing soil after fires

    01/06/2018 Duration: 25min

    As both the fire season and the amount of fire continue to increase in the Southwest, researchers and managers are working to figure out the best ways to reduce the sometimes incredible amounts of erosion that happen after wildfire. We speak with Henry Grover who studies the native mosses that can colonize hill slopes after severe fires. His work explores both the ecology and application of these mosses as a way to restore burned areas.

  • How carbon moves through the desert

    12/05/2018 Duration: 27min

    The desert both breathes out and pulls in carbon to and from the atmosphere. Here we talk with Dr. Anthony Darrouzet-Nardi about that process by exploring a field called biogeochemistry. We hear about the different kinds of carbon that exists in ecosystems, and how it is transformed and moved through the fascinating and dynamic carbon cycle.

  • The shape and processes of rivers & streams

    07/05/2018 Duration: 21min

    Understanding physical features of rivers and streams can give information about what is happening upstream and down. Here we talk about geomorphology with Christopher Ely. We explore Amazonian headwater streams in the Andes Mountains of southern Ecuador, and how the tools used to studying these high elevation streams can be applied to studying rivers and streams around the world and here on the Colorado Plateau.

  • Mammals during the time of the dinosaurs

    27/04/2018 Duration: 29min

    What were mammals like when dinosaurs roamed the earth? We explore the fascinating world of mammals living at the time of dinosaurs with Dr. Brian Davis. We learn about what they ate, who ate them, and how these small creatures evolved to become the mammals we see today.

  • Using native seeds to restore the desert

    20/04/2018 Duration: 26min

    The Colorado Plateau holds an incredible amount of native plant diversity, however past and current land use practices and future climate change threaten the diversity and abundance of our native plant species. Here, with Dr. Daniel Winkler, we explore how land management programs and non-profit partners are using programs like Seeds of Success and the Colorado Plateau Native Plant Program to collect native seeds and make them available for research and restoration.

  • The incredible relationships between pollinators and plants

    13/04/2018 Duration: 23min

    Southeast Utah and the Colorado Plateau is home to a diverse number of pollinators. Here we get a fascinating look at the relationships between pollinators and plants. We explore how they evolved together, pollinator types on the Colorado Plateau, and what the future holds for pollinators with Molly McCormick.

  • Restoring the National Parks of Southeastern Utah

    06/04/2018 Duration: 27min

    There are many efforts going on within national park to restore degraded ecosystems. From using biological controls, to weeding and seeding, to anticipating the effects of climate change, the national parks of southeastern Utah are actively being managed to return or maintain ecological function. Here, we speak with NPS ecologist Liz Ballenger about what ecological restoration means for national parks within the Colorado Plateau.

  • The regional impacts of climate change

    30/03/2018 Duration: 27min

    Climate change will result in lasting changes for the ecosystems of the Colorado Plateau. Here, we talk with Dr. Scott Ferrenberg about what the ecosystems of this region may look like in the future. We learn how scientists study climate change and how our ecological communities are expected to change as the planet warms.

  • Bark beetles and their sound

    23/03/2018 Duration: 25min

    Bark beetles evolved to live in western forests. But in recent decades the number of beetles has grown so large that they are killing millions of acres of forests. Here, we talk to Dr. Richard Hofstetter about these now infamous beetles. We learn about what these beetles do for forests, what happens when their numbers swell out of control, and the acoustic research that might help keep them in check.

  • How water shapes the earth

    16/03/2018 Duration: 22min

    Water can be a formidable force in the desert. From carving canyons to cutting arroyos, water has the power to form the landscapes around us. Today on Science Moab, we learn how water shapes the earth with Dr. Taylor Joyal, a fluvial-geo-morphologist studying earth shaping processes.

  • Interactions between plants and fungi

    09/03/2018 Duration: 23min

    When you’re walking over the desert soil, you’re walking over huge amounts of fungi. These fungi are connected to the roots of grasses and shrubs, gathering the nutrients these plants need to survive. Here, we speak with world renowned soil ecologist Dr. Nancy Johnson and hear about the evolutionary past and current roles of these understudied and truly fascinating organisms.

  • The geologic forces shaping the landscape

    26/02/2018 Duration: 26min

    The geology of the Colorado Plateau is amazingly exposed and incredibly dramatic. Here, we get to hear about the forces and slow passage of time that shaped the Plateau as we see it today. We hear from Drs. Scott Ritter and Tom Morris as they walk us through iconic and lesser known places, describing why our landscape looks like the way it does.

  • Restoring the skin of the desert

    26/02/2018 Duration: 17min

    In the deserts, the soil surface is alive. The soil is covered with lichens, mosses, cyanobacteria, algae, fungi and other microorganisms that together are called biological soil crusts. Here, we talk with Dr. Matthew Bowker who studies these cryptic communities and works to put them back into the landscape.

  • Interacting with the land: historic and current land uses in the Southwest

    05/11/2017 Duration: 30min

    Humans have been using and modifying the ecosystems around on the Colorado Plateau for thousands of years. To understand human relationships with the land, we talk with Kate Magargal, who combines archaeology and ecology to ask how people who lived in the Southwest interacted with the landscape around them, specifically through gathering food, wood, and using fire as a tool. We explore what her findings can tell us about how to manage our landscapes into the future.

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