The Tree Ring Laboratory at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory will turn 50 years old in September 2025. Over that half-century, TRL-LDEO has been at the forefront of “dendroclimatological” studies, and our scientists have worked in every location on Earth that has trees—whether living now or at some point in the past. In this lecture, you will hear one dendrochronologist’s tales from a career in the field, as well as an overview of the exciting research conducted by our lab in the farthest reaches of the globe.

Brendan M. Buckley

Professor Brendan Buckley holds the position of Lamont Research Professor and is a long-time member of the Tree Ring Lab at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University (LDEO). Buckley has worked around the globe, but he is best known as a pioneer of tropical dendroclimatology, having produce the longest and most well-replicated records of absolutely dated tree-ring sequences from Southeast Asia. Among his most important discoveries are the identification of two key periods of drought that coincided with the two most tumultuous periods of the past millennium over Southeast Asia — the Angkor droughts of the late 14th/early 15th century and the Strange Parallels Drought of the late 18th century. The Strange Parallels Drought (Cook et al., 2010), hypothesizes an environmental linkage between northern Eurasia and Southeast Asia, which has been supported by LDEO tree ring records from Thailand (Buckley et al., 2007). Buckley also has a long history of research in North American forest, having conducted some of the first dendroclimatic studies in northern Labrador, Canada, and worked on North America’s northernmost trees in the Firth River of Alaska. He was also instrumental in developing the longest temperature reconstructions from the Southern Hemisphere as part of his PhD research in Tasmania and New Zealand.

About Us

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory seeks fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution, and future of the natural world. Its scientists study the planet from its deepest interior to the outer reaches of its atmosphere, on every continent and in every ocean, providing a rational scientific basis for the difficult choices facing humanity.

Event Details

Reception: 6:00 – 7:00 PM

Lecture: 7:00 – 8:00 PM

Parking: Oceanography Parking Lot

Shuttle Information: Shuttles to/from Morningside Campus will be running on the normal schedule. The last shuttle to Morningside Campus will be 7:00 PM.

Check In: Please check in at the registration table in Monell Lobby.