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Publications in VIVO

Isaacs, Rachel Elizabeth

Teaching Assistant Professor

Positions

Research Areas research areas

Research

research overview

  • My research uses a cross-disciplinary approach to address climate change impacts on treeline in the subarctic. This research combines field work and computer modeling and assessment to explore the the influence of top-down and bottom-up controls on spatial patterns of forest expansion and tree growth.

keywords

  • Biogeography, climate change, landscape ecology, spatial ecology, GIS, remote sensing, land cover change, treeline

Publications

selected publications

Teaching

courses taught

  • ATOC 3600 - Principles of Climate
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021
    Describes the basic components of the climate system: the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and lithosphere. Investigates the basic physical processes that determine climate and link the components of the climate system. Covers the hydrological cycle and its role in climate, climate stability and global change. Recommended prerequisites: one semester of calculus and ATOC 1060 or ATOC 3300 or GEOG 3301 or GEOG 1001 or ATOC major. Same as GEOG 3601 and ENVS 3600.
  • ENVS 3600 - Principles of Climate
    Primary Instructor - Spring 2021
    Describes the basic components of the climate system: the atmosphere, ocean, cryosphere and lithosphere. Investigates the basic physical processes that determine climate and link the components of the climate system. Covers the hydrological cycle and its role in climate, climate stability and global change. Recommended prerequisites: one semester of calculus and ATOC 1060 or ATOC 3300 or GEOG 3301 or GEOG 1001. Same as GEOG 3601 and ATOC 3600.
  • ENVS 4850 - ENVS Honors Thesis Research
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2024
    To be taken in final academic year prior to graduation. Consists of honors research and thesis preparation under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Department enforced restriction: Requires a minimum 3.3 GPA and a declared ENVS major and approval by departmental honors committee. If a student wishes to use ENVS 4850 to complete the ENVS Capstone degree requirement, at least 3 credit hours of ENVS 4850 are required (by graduation).
  • GEOG 1001 - Our Changing Planet: Climate and Vegetation
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2020 / Spring 2021 / Fall 2021 / Spring 2023 / Spring 2024
    Understanding our fragile planet and the life it harbors requires understanding how the distribution of the sun's energy at the surface, the atmosphere and its circulation, and the distribution of ocean and lands shape patterns of temperature, precipitation and vegetation across the globe. Along with providing a foundation for understanding planet Earth, this course addresses the growing impacts of human systems on climate change and environmental quality.
  • GEOG 3053 - Geographic Information Science: Mapping
    Primary Instructor - Fall 2020 / Fall 2021 / Fall 2022 / Fall 2023
    Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and the fundamentals of cartographic design. Learn about the science and art of map design in a GIS environment! Students will learn how to build a spatial database, implement best practice for processing various types of environmental and social spatial data and apply basic visual analytics to understand spatial patterns. Recommended prerequisite: basic familiarity with computers and an introductory course in statistics (may be taken concurrently).
  • ... more

Background

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