Talk Series: Reading 12,000 Years of Climate History from Jackson Lake
Join researcher Abby Portwood for a fascinating look into the ancient environmental history preserved beneath Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. Using a sediment core collected from the lake bottom, Abby’s research reconstructs how climate, snowpack, flooding, and watershed conditions have changed over the past 12,000 years. By studying layers of mud, minerals, and organic material deposited over thousands of years, scientists can uncover clues about drought, moisture cycles, and ecosystem change across the Greater Yellowstone region. This presentation offers a rare glimpse into the long-term story of water in the northern Rockies — and what the past may reveal about the future of our rivers and landscapes.