UWM’s Academic Adventurers: “Monitoring Downer Woods by People and Satellites”

Presented by Dr. Alison Donnelly, Associate Professor, UWM Dept. of Geography.

Dr. Donnelly will discuss the importance of monitoring shrubs and trees in Downer Woods to understand how climate change will impact temperate deciduous forests in general. She monitors the growth and development (phenology) of shrubs and trees by recording the timing of leaf-out in spring and leaf color/fall in autumn to determine if warmer temperatures are causing earlier springs and later autumns. Discover how and why this is important to ecosystem functioning and the consequences of a disruption to the delicate balance within a woodland.

Dr. Donnelly will also talk about how she observes the various native and invasive plant species in Downer Woods through direct observation and use of near-surface cameras and satellites, and the challenges encountered when comparing results from human observations and satellite sensors.

UWM’s Academic Adventurers is a continuing series of informal Friday afternoon programs held in the American Geographical Society Library, that give members of the UWM community the opportunity to hear of their colleagues’ adventures abroad and afield.

All programs are free and open to the public. For more information or to arrange for special needs, call 414-229-6282.

There will be coffee and snacks!