Riding the Carbon Cycle Caravan with biogeochemist Dr. Julie Tierney.

You’ve heard of climate change (if not, someone sent you here as a joke, in which case, welcome to the warm comfort of objective rationality). You’ve heard carbon plays a role. But how, exactly, does such a commonplace, unassuming atom wield the power to shape our entire planet’s climate? And, how do living organisms shepherd carbon along its journey from atmosphere to ecosystem and back again? And …what the hell do bison have to do with it (and why do we keep calling them buffalo)?

At the April salon, we’ll examine at least some of these questions with biogeochemist Dr. Julie Tierney. Navigating from the level of atoms to belching bison and all stops between, Dr. Tierney will share her research, conducted in collaboration with Tribal communities in the Southern Great Plains, into how bison grazing affects vegetation, soil processes, and greenhouse gas exchange in grassland ecosystems.

After graduating from UNC Asheville (go local!), Julie earned her PhD from Princeton University, investigating links between plant biodiversity and soil carbon in the Peruvian Amazon. Today, her research and applied work continue to emphasize a collaborative, community science approach to understanding climate change and developing mitigation and adaptation strategies. Julie works at the environmental NGO Collaborative Earth, where she leads research focused on grazing ecology, ecosystem restoration, and identifying how natural systems can offer climate solutions.