In 2011, Asmeret was awarded the Hellman Family Foundation’s grant for early career scientists. Recently, the Hellman Family foundation featured a few of the past recipients, including Asmeret. Check this out (link)…

Check out the highlight of Asmeret’s work that was recently published by the Earth Science Women’s Network (ESWN) http://eswnonline.org/asmeret-asefaw-berhe/

… if you are a women doing Earth Science Work, and your are not currently a member, be sure to check ESWN out at http://eswnonline.org . ESWN is an incredible organization that includes women at all different levels in their careers.

Postdoctoral Scholar – Biogeochemistry, Soil Sciences
Job #JPF00154

Extreme changes in seasonality in the Sierra Nevada can have lasting impacts on meadow health and could mean less water and carbon storage in high elevation wetlands, according to research conducted at UC Merced.

The results of our work indicate that changes in meadow soils and vegetation caused by extreme weather conditions in the mountains over the past three years have decreased the ability of those meadows to bank water and store carbon.

The paper, just published in PLOS ONE, is entitled “Early Spring, Severe Frost Events and Drought-Induced Rapid Carbon Loss in High Elevation Meadows,” and indicates that snowfall and snowmelt timing play critical roles in the development and sustainability of meadow ecosystems.

For more on this article see the UC Merced press release here

If you are a finishing grad student or postdoc interested in joining our research group, consider applying for the UC President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship. The deadline for applications is November 1, 2014.

Note that the President’s Postdoc fellowship is a very competitive fellowship that provides salary support for a postdoc for 2 years to work with UC faculty and it also provides some research funds. But, perhaps even more important, these fellowships are highly prized because the fellows are included in the President’s hiring incentive that was setup to allow schools to hire fellows in to tenure track faculty positions at any one of the UC campuses.

Don’t hesitate to let Asmeret (aaberhe(at)ucmerced(dot)edu) know if you have any questions about the fellowship or the hiring incentive.
The PPF program also has a great FAQ page on their website, http://ppfp.ucop.edu/info/how-to-apply/faqs.html#elig2

A feature article on Chelsea Arnold’s dissertation research on the coupled hydrological and biogeochemical implications of the ongoing drought in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California was published by the University of California Office of the President. 

The article authored by Susan Suleiman states that “Carpeting the high valleys of Yosemite and other parts of the Sierra Nevada, mountain meadows are more than an iconic part of the California landscape. The roughly 17,000 high altitude meadows help regulate the release of Sierra snow melt into rivers and streams.

But climate change and California’s severe drought threaten to permanently alter these fragile and important ecosystems, according to research by Chelsea Arnold, who was awarded a doctorate in environmental systems from UC Merced in May. Her findings reveal that soil changes already are taking place that could have long-term implications for California’s water supply.”

The full article is available at the UC Office of the President’s website  

Samuel and Emma successfully defended their Masters Theses and are moving on to bigger and better things. Congratulations both!

In the Berhe biogeochemistry lab at UC Merced they studied:

• Emma McCorkle: Determining source of eroded soil organic carbon in low order Sierra Nevada Catchments (Emma was co-advised by Stephen C. Hart)
• Samuel Negusse Araya: Effect of Combustion Temperature on Soil and Soil Organic Matter Properties: A Study of Soils from the Western Elevation Transect in Central Sierra Nevada, California

On Tuesday June 24, 2014, Congressman McNerney (D-CA) gave a floor speech on the research conducted in the Berhe Biogeochemistry lab at UC Merced.

The speech that the congressman gave included: “In the midst of California’s worst drought on record, researchers at UC Merced are studying the effects that drought, fire and global climate change are having on soil and water resources. One such researcher, Dr. Berhe is supported by the National Science Foundation to investigate the implications of fire, erosion, and climate change on soil processes. Catastrophic events, such as California’s Rim Fire which burned over 250,000 acres in the Sierra Nevada last year, can alter the soil carbon storage potential and water holding capacity. Additionally, changes in climate and drought also lower the water holding capacity of meadow soils and lead to high rates of surface runoff. These changes affect the ability of the soil to help regulate the climate and store water in the Sierra Nevada, California’s largest source of water storage. Research like Dr. Berhe’s is critical for addressing challenges to the soil’s ability to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide, water security and the health of the ecosystem.”

Previously, Asmeret also met and discussed research in our lab with Congressman Costa (D-CA); Congressman McNearney (D-CA); congressional staff from the offices of Congressmen Garamendi, McClintock, Denham, and Valadao; and staffers from Senator Feinstein and Senator Boxer’s offices in Washington DC, on May 7, 2014.

Asmeret receives NSF’s most prestigious award for early career scientists for work dealing with “CAREER:Persistence of soil organic matter in dynamic landscapes: interactive effects of fire and erosion”

Fire, erosion, and soil carbon (C) storage and persistence overlap in space and time. However, we currently lack complete understanding on how and why the interaction of fire and erosional distribution of soil materials control persistence of bulk soil organic matter (SOM) and pyrogenic C (PyC, also referred to as black carbon) in dynamic landscapes. This work will use molecular- and nano-scale techniques to determine how SOM persistence varies along multiple spatial (plot, hillslope, and watersheds) and temporal scales (seasonal, annual, and decadal). The outcome of this project will be better integration of biogeochemical and geomorphological approaches to derive improved representation of mechanisms that regulate SOM persistence in dynamic landscapes that routinely experience more than one perturbation.

This CAREER project will develop improved understanding on the dynamics of bulk SOM and PyC in fire-adapted upland ecosystems and enable teaching of graduate and undergraduate students, and K-12 teachers. The findings from this project will transform the way we (a) account for changes in C storage in fire-prone systems, and (b) model response of fire-prone upland ecosystems to changes in climate and/or management practices. Moreover, in this project, I will: (1) teach undergraduate students and high school teachers about the critical zone, and develop and publish lesson plans for high-school level earth system science; (2) provide scientific training for a graduate student and a postdoc; and (3) learn advanced techniques that I will apply in my research and teaching.

UC Merced article: NSF Early Career Award Honors Professor’s Research and Potential