Knowing how the frequency and intensity of wildfires has changed over time offers scientists a glimpse into Earth’s past landscapes, as well as an understanding of future climate change impacts. To reconstruct fire records, researchers rely heavily on sediment records from lake beds, but this means that fire histories from arid regions are often overlooked. […]
Desert Research Institute
Posted inEnviro
For Outdoor Workers, Extreme Heat Poses Extreme Danger
Working outdoors during periods of extreme heat can cause discomfort, heat stress, or heat illnesses – all growing concerns for people who live and work in Southwestern cities like Las Vegas, where summer temperatures creep higher each year. But, did you know that female outdoor workers are experiencing disproportionate impacts? Or, that more experienced outdoor […]
Posted inRegional, Sci/Tech
Wildfire Smoke Exposure Linked to Increased Risk of Contracting COVID-19
Reno, Nev. (July 15, 2021) – Wildfire smoke may greatly increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, according to new research from the Center for Genomic Medicine at the Desert Research Institute (DRI), Washoe County Health District (WCHD) and Renown Health (Renown) in Reno, Nev. In a study published earlier this week in […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Researchers to investigate impact of changing snowpack on water rights, agriculture
Reno, NV, Sept. 24, 2018 – Mountain snowpack and rainfall are the primary sources of water for the arid western United States, and water allocation rules determine how that water gets distributed among competing uses, including agriculture. Historically, agriculture in the West has benefited from predictable snowmelt, but under changing climate conditions, earlier melting of […]
Posted inSci/Tech
Gault site research pushes back date of earliest North Americans
RENO, NV, July 23, 2018 – For decades, researchers believed the Western Hemisphere was settled by humans roughly 13,500 years ago, a theory based largely upon the widespread distribution of Clovis artifacts dated to that time. Clovis artifacts are distinctive prehistoric stone tools so named because they were initially found near Clovis, New Mexico, in […]