Dr. Bryan N. Shuman

Bryan Shuman

Associate Professor

Paleohydrology, Paleoclimatology, Paleoecology
Office Phone: (307) 766-6442
Fax Phone: (307) 766-6679

Dept. #3006
1000 E. University Ave.
Laramie, Wyoming 82071-3006 Office Room No: ESB 2014
Email: bshuman@uwyo.edu

Personal Website

Education

Geological Sciences, PhD, Brown University, 2001
Geological Sciences, MS, Brown University, 1997
Geology, BA, Colorado College, 1994

Research Projects

Patterns and consequences of past climatic change: tracking the availability of water.

Water is a vital resource. Water affects vegetation, natural processes like wildfire, and human society. Availability of water, however, changes constantly because of climatic factors. Future conditions, like those of the past, will deviate from modern norms. Yet, we know little about the potential for change beyond that experienced in recent centuries. Ongoing work focuses on documenting and mapping changes in the levels of lakes throughout North America over the past 15,000 years. Through comparison with vegetation and fire history data, geochemical data, archeological data, and climate model simulations, the results demonstrate patterns of climatic variation and attendant impacts on landscapes and societies.

Publications in PDF format

Diffenbaugh, N. S., M. Ashfaq, B. Shuman, J. W. Williams, P. J. Bartlein. (2006). Summer precipitation in the United States: Response to Mid-Holocene changes in insolation, ocean mean-state, and ocean variability. Geophysical Research Letters. 33, L22712, doi:10.1029/2006GL028012.

Shuman, B., Y. Huang, P. Newby, and Y. Wang. (2006). Compound-Specific Isotopic Analyses Track Changes in the Seasonality of Precipitation in the Northeastern United States at ca. 8200 cal yr BP. Quaternary Science Reviews 25: 2992–3002.

Shuman, B., and B. Finney. (2006). Late-Quaternary Lake-Level Changes in North America. In: “Encyclopedia of Quaternary Science,” (S. Elias, ed.), Elsevier, Amsterdam.

Shinker, J. J., P. Bartlein, B. Shuman. (2006). Synoptic and Dynamic Climate Controls of North American Mid-Continental Aridity. Quaternary Science Reviews 25, 1401-1417.

Shuman, B., and J. P. Donnelly. (2006). The Influence of Seasonal Precipitation and Temperature Regimes on Lake Levels in the Northeastern United States during the Holocene. Quaternary Research 65: 44-56.

Courses

GEOL 1070 - Earth: Its Physical Environment
GEOL 3500 - Global Change: A Geological Perspective
GEOL 5200 - Paleoclimatology

Research Statement

Ongoing Projects:

  • Changing spatial patterns of Rocky Mountain snowpack during the Holocene and their effects on ecological boundaries.
  • Sub-Millennial Hydroclimatic Variability in the Northeastern U.S. during the Holocene.
  • Comparing the Effects of Holocene and 20th Century Drought on Minnesota's Lakes
  • Effects of fire and climate on the vegetation history of the Big Woods of Minnesota.
  • Surface-Atmosphere Feedbacks and Holocene Climate Variations in Eastern North America: Linkages, Impacts, and Governing Mechanisms.

Teaching Statement

My training has been interdisciplinary, linking climatology and ecology with geology, and I have enjoyed teaching classes that span a wide range of environmental systems. Having attended Colorado College and Brown University, where undergraduate education was emphasized, I see its value and am committed to excellent undergraduate instruction. I also seek to be a dedicated advisor for graduate students. I am excited to organize seminars and courses with the aim of developing new ideas and advancing research, as well as teaching fundamental concepts about Earth System science, environmental change, and the scientific process.

In addition to training a diverse group of students, my research is integrated into a unique educational-outreach project focused on environmental change along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.