Date of Award:

5-2016

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department:

Plants, Soils, and Climate

Committee Chair(s)

Simon Wang

Committee

Simon Wang

Committee

Joanna Endter-Wada

Committee

Robert Gillies

Committee

Jin-Ho Yoon

Committee

Justing DeRose

Abstract

This document summarizes research conducted to develop and apply climate analysis tools toward a better understanding of the past and future of climate variability in the state of Utah. Two pilot studies developed analysis tools through the investigation of natural variability in precipitation systems in Africa, and research into long-term changes and trends in spring rainfall over the U.S. Great Plains. Our third study used tree-ring data to estimate snowpack in the state of Utah to 1850, doubling the length of record and offering a better understanding of the history of snowpack in the state. Our final study looked at a suite of climate models to test their ability to make multiyear predictions of factors that affect climate in the Utah region.

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