Below is a chronological listing of all featured (front page) posts from the JRN website. For a complete listing of all posts see this page.
- Soil Memory of Ecosystems in the Past
by Curtis MongerProfessor Emeritus, New Mexico State University The Jornada Basin LTER study area has some of the oldest and youngest soils in North America. What does it mean that a soil is old or young? It refers to the… Read more: Soil Memory of Ecosystems in the Past - Congratulations to the 2025 JRN-LTER GRFP Recipients!
Every year, we ask graduate students from across Jornada Research Network (JRN) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)-affiliated institutions to apply for our summer Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). The chosen recipients receive funding through support of the US National Science Foundation… Read more: Congratulations to the 2025 JRN-LTER GRFP Recipients! - Jornada LTER Funded for Another Cycle!
In October 2024, NSF announced that the next phase of the Jornada Basin LTER program (JRN-8) will be funded through 2030! This is excellent news, recognizing the importance of the JRN-LTER research that NSF has funded continuously for 42 years… Read more: Jornada LTER Funded for Another Cycle! - 2024 Information Management Update by Greg Maurer
The Jornada Information Management (IM) team had a busy year with both data publishing and infrastructure upgrades. In 2024, we added over 18 new datasets to our primary data catalog at the EDI repository for a total of 394. Some… Read more: 2024 Information Management Update by Greg Maurer - 2024 Featured Publication
Novel Use of Image Time-Series to Distinguish Dryland Vegetation Responses to Wet and Dry Years by Dawn Browning New results from Emily Myers and her collaborators found that rain plays a crucial role in shaping the greenery patterns of semi-arid… Read more: 2024 Featured Publication - Creating Long-Term, Positive Science Experiences for K-12 Students by Stephanie Bestelmeyer
At the end of a one-hour lesson on desert animal adaptations, a 4th grader tapped an Asombro staff member on the shoulder and said, “This is the best day I’ve had in a really long time.” Thanks to a 26-year… Read more: Creating Long-Term, Positive Science Experiences for K-12 Students by Stephanie Bestelmeyer - 2024 Graduate Student Spotlight: Rohit Subhedar
Rohit Subhedar is a PhD student at New Mexico State University working with Professor Niall Hanan in the Plant and Environmental Sciences department. He is broadly interested in understanding what factors maintain savannas globally. More specifically, however, he is interested… Read more: 2024 Graduate Student Spotlight: Rohit Subhedar - An exciting summer ahead
This summer is shaping up to be an exciting one at the Jornada. We’ve got a great group of incoming graduate and undergraduate researchers and an enriching Desert Ecology Short Course is in the works. Here are a few announcements… Read more: An exciting summer ahead - PhD Student Molly Reichenborn Finishes a Successful Term as a LTER Graduate Writing Fellow
Jornada PhD student, Molly Reichenborn, just finished her time as a 2022 writing fellow. Every year, only a handful of graduate students from across the LTER network are selected to participate in the LTER Network Graduate Writing Fellowship program. If… Read more: PhD Student Molly Reichenborn Finishes a Successful Term as a LTER Graduate Writing Fellow - Congratulations to Our Recent Graduates!
The following students completed their graduate degrees in the past few months. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed, and we wish you the best in your future endeavors! - A Successful Summer for REU Students
This summer was busy for our summer undergraduate student researchers! Along with working on their own research projects, the students went on field trips, attended the Desert Ecology Short-Course, and participated in multiple data and coding workshops. The projects focused… Read more: A Successful Summer for REU Students - 2023 Annual Desert Ecology Short-Course
The 2023 annual Jornada LTER Desert Ecology Short-Course took place at the Jornada Experimental Range from June 27-29, 2023. It was well-attended by over 60 graduate students, Jornada researchers, and visitors from other universities and LTER sites. This year’s short-course… Read more: 2023 Annual Desert Ecology Short-Course - 2023 Jornada LTER Graduate Student Fellows
Congratulations to our graduate student fellows for 2023! Students that apply for a Jornada LTER Graduate Student Fellowship pose questions using Jornada science and write their own complete research project proposals. The Jornada LTER is proud to be able to… Read more: 2023 Jornada LTER Graduate Student Fellows - Dr. Osvaldo Sala featured on the “In Their Own Words” BioScience Podcast
In the modern era, scientists are often encouraged, if not required, to keep an objective view. Whether in writing, presentations, or discussion, scientists often remove opinions and anecdotal insights in favor of “professionalism.” While this approach can provide good data… Read more: Dr. Osvaldo Sala featured on the “In Their Own Words” BioScience Podcast - Grazing on Drylands: A Global Approach
Around 77% of global agricultural land is dedicated to grazing livestock and many of these rangelands overlap with the Earth’s driest regions. Grazing has many beneficial effects such as reducing fire fuel loads, enhancing primary production, and increasing plant diversity.… Read more: Grazing on Drylands: A Global Approach - Jornada’s New Undergraduate Internship in Science Education
No working day is the same for Amanda Mock, Jornada’s first undergraduate science education intern. Amanda works eight hours weekly with Asombro Institute for Science Education staff, coordinating and delivering Jornada’s K-12 education and outreach programs. On some days, she… Read more: Jornada’s New Undergraduate Internship in Science Education - Jornada Representation at the 2022 LTER Network All Scientists’ Meeting
Last week, PIs, collaborators, and students from the Jornada Basin LTER site were able to participate in the LTER Network All Scientists’ Meeting, which had been postponed in previous years due to COVID-19. This year’s meeting, which took place at… Read more: Jornada Representation at the 2022 LTER Network All Scientists’ Meeting - New Jornada Postdoc Positions
The Jornada has two new openings for postdoctoral scientists. Please look at the descriptions below and spread the word to qualified candidates! Dryland ecological modeling New Mexico State University, with partners at the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range, UCLA, Arizona State… Read more: New Jornada Postdoc Positions - Another Successful Jornada LTER Desert Ecology Short Course
The 2022 Jornada LTER Desert Ecology Short-Course took place at both the Jornada Experimental Range and NMSU’s campus from June 28-30, 2022. It was well-attended by over 60 graduate students, Jornada researchers, and visitors from other universities and LTER sites.… Read more: Another Successful Jornada LTER Desert Ecology Short Course - Desert Data Jam Wraps Up 10th Year
More than 300 7th grade students participated in the 2021/22 Desert Data Jam, hosted by the Asombro Institute for Science Education. The Desert Data Jam is a signature program in the Jornada Basin LTER’s K-12 education menu. Students explore and… Read more: Desert Data Jam Wraps Up 10th Year - New Jornada Video and Summer Look-Ahead
We’ve been a little bit quiet here lately, but we’d like to share some recent Jornada LTER news and future events! We’re proud to have a promising new group of Jornada LTER graduate fellows starting their research this spring. See… Read more: New Jornada Video and Summer Look-Ahead - MS Defense: Robert Wojcikiewicz
Robert will defend his MS research on Wednesday, April 6 at 8:30 am (Mountain Time). Robert developed his research as part of the Jornada Basin Long-Term Ecological Research Program. He is a graduate student in the Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES)… Read more: MS Defense: Robert Wojcikiewicz - JRN-LTER Representation at SRM Annual Meeting
We are so proud of postdoctoral researcher Cameron Duquette and MS student Taylor Hansen for representing the Jornada LTER at the 2022 New Mexico Society for Range Management Annual Meeting. The 75th SRM Annual Meeting was in Albuquerque, NM from… Read more: JRN-LTER Representation at SRM Annual Meeting - PhD Defense Seminar: Julie Rakes
Save the date for Julie Rakes’s PhD defense on January 20th, 2022 at 8:00 AM MST. Julie is a graduate student in the Ferran Garcia-Pichel Lab at Arizona State University. Virtual Link: https://asu.zoom.us/j/86284799793 Title: Discovery, Characterization and Ecological Impact of… Read more: PhD Defense Seminar: Julie Rakes - Is there a Role for Drylands in a Carbon Neutral World?
In preparation for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26), Niall Hanan and collaborators reviewed the current literature on dryland systems and their role in future climate management. Drylands cover around 40% of the Earth’s land surface, but that percentage is expected to grow as… Read more: Is there a Role for Drylands in a Carbon Neutral World? - MS Thesis Defense: Zac Keller
Save the date for Zac Keller’s MS thesis defense on November 2nd at 12:00 PM (NM)/11:00 AM (AZ). Zac is a graduate student in the Enrique Vivoni Lab at Arizona State University. Link: https://asu.zoom.us/j/3558647087 Passcode: CiA Runoff Connectivity, Controls, and… Read more: MS Thesis Defense: Zac Keller - PhD Defense Seminar: Eli Perez-Ruiz
Save the date for Eli Perez-Ruiz’s PhD defense on October 29th at 11:00 AM (NM)/10:00 AM (AZ). Eli is a graduate student in the Enrique Vivoni Lab at Arizona State University. Virtual Link: https://asu.zoom.us/j/89468400360 Passcode: 652688 Title: Land Surface Fluxes… Read more: PhD Defense Seminar: Eli Perez-Ruiz - Collaboration Beyond the Jornada LTER: New Drone Directions Make for Better Plant Projections
Jornada scientists often collaborate with other scientists within the LTER network to create research with implications on a global scale! Below is just one recent example of how Jornada Basin LTER knowledge is making a huge impact: Although remote sensing… Read more: Collaboration Beyond the Jornada LTER: New Drone Directions Make for Better Plant Projections - Collaboration Beyond the Jornada LTER: How Ocean Variation Creates Rodent Inflation
Although many experiments are conducted within the physical boundaries of the Jornada Basin, the Jornada’s influence is much wider reaching! The Jornada Basin LTER program is special because it relies on its own long-term data to inspire new studies–both within… Read more: Collaboration Beyond the Jornada LTER: How Ocean Variation Creates Rodent Inflation - Introducing… Cameron!
Please welcome Cameron Duquette, our newest Jornada postdoctoral researcher! Originally from central Massachusetts, Cameron majored in Wildlife and Conservation Biology at the University of New Hampshire. He then continued his education at Oklahoma State University, where his master’s thesis focused on… Read more: Introducing… Cameron! - Welcome Stephanie Bestelmeyer to the Executive Committee
The Executive Committee of the Jornada LTER program would like to welcome Dr. Stephanie Bestelmeyer as its newest member. Holding a Ph.D. in Biology from Colorado State University as well as a B.S. in Biology and minor in Teaching from… Read more: Welcome Stephanie Bestelmeyer to the Executive Committee - Ecological insight through machine learning
In a new paper published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Jornada LTER scientists, led by Dr. Quiyan Yu, review salient methods in machine learning algorithms and evaluate their effect on successful ecological inference. A number of recommendations emerged, including… Read more: Ecological insight through machine learning - Desert Ecology Short-Course 2021
This year’s Jornada LTER Desert Ecology Short-Course took place as a hybrid (virtual and in-person) event from June 28-30, 2021 and was well-attended by graduate students and Jornada researchers. This year’s short-course included many exciting and informative sessions such as… Read more: Desert Ecology Short-Course 2021 - MS Defense Seminar: Mikaela Hoellrich July 9th at 10:00AM MDT
Save the date for Mikaela Hoellrich’s MS defense seminar on July 9th at 10:00 AM (Mountain Time). Mikaela is a graduate student in the Pietrasiak Lab at New Mexico State University and a current Jornada Graduate Research Fellow. - PhD Defense Seminar: Corey Nelson July 6th, 2021 at 1:00 PM MDT
Save the date for Corey Nelson’s PhD defense on July 6th at 1:00 PM (NM)/12:00 PM (AZ). Corey is a graduate student in the Garcia-Pichel Lab at Arizona State University and a current Jornada Graduate Research Fellow. - MS Defense Seminar: Tyler Turk July 6, 2021 at 9:00AM MT
Save the date for Tyler Turk’s MS defense on July 6th, 2021 at 9 AM (Mountain Time). Tyler is a graduate student in the Faist Lab at New Mexico State University and a current Jornada Graduate Research Fellow. - Insights from Long-Term Research
This month in Ecosphere, researchers from across the LTER network shared a collection of insights learned from 40-years of long-term research. The special feature, “Forecasting Earth’s Ecosystems with Long-Term Ecological Research”, includes papers that touch on themes of cascading effects,… Read more: Insights from Long-Term Research - The promise of distributed global ecology experiments
In a new piece in the journal BioScience (Yahdjian et al. 2021), ecologists with ties to the DroughtNet and LTER networks argue that coordinated distributed experiments, such as the DroughtNet International Drought Experiment and NutNet, should expand to cover more… Read more: The promise of distributed global ecology experiments - Meet Our 2021 Graduate Student Fellows
The 2021-2022 Jornada LTER Graduate Fellowship recipients have been announced. This year, we were excited to add the Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship to our graduate research program. The Peters Fellowships are supported by New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural,… Read more: Meet Our 2021 Graduate Student Fellows - PhD Defense Seminar: Nate Pierce May 17th, 2:00PM MT
Nate Pierce will defend his PhD dissertation on May 17th at 2:00PM MDT/1:00PM PDT. Nate is a graduate student in the Archer Lab at University of Arizona and a former Jornada Basin Graduate Research Fellow. Please see the announcement below for… Read more: PhD Defense Seminar: Nate Pierce May 17th, 2:00PM MT - Jornada Graduate and REU Fellowships Announced
The 2021-2022 Jornada LTER Graduate Fellowship and REU recipients have been announced. This year, we were excited to add the Deb Peters Dryland Fellowship to our graduate research program, which is funded by New Mexico State University’s College of Agricultural,… Read more: Jornada Graduate and REU Fellowships Announced - From the Field: Student Spotlights
Earlier this month, Jornada LTER graduate students took over the U.S. LTER Network Instagram account and shared their work, photography, and efforts in the field with the LTER community. We’ll be highlighting some of these stories here over the next… Read more: From the Field: Student Spotlights - MSc Thesis Defense Seminar: Caroline Toth
Caroline Toth will defend her master’s research next Wednesday afternoon, March 24 at 3 pm. Caroline is a graduate student in Plant and Environmental Sciences (PES) at NMSU and a Jornada Basin LTER Graduate Research Fellow. Caroline’s public seminar… Read more: MSc Thesis Defense Seminar: Caroline Toth - New Research: Hydrological Consequences of Shrub Encroachment
A number of Jornada researchers, led by Dr. Enrique R. Vivoni, recently published a new paper in Hydrological Processes. The research group sought to understand how variations in grassland to shrubland transitions might influence ecohydrology. To address this, Vivoni and… Read more: New Research: Hydrological Consequences of Shrub Encroachment - Now Accepting Applications: Jornada LTER Graduate Fellowship
The Jornada Basin LTER provides support for half-time, 12 month (up to $24,000/y) and summer research fellowships (up to $6000/summer) for graduate students conducting research directly related to the goals of the Jornada LTER. Graduate Research Fellows may be eligible… Read more: Now Accepting Applications: Jornada LTER Graduate Fellowship - Now Accepting Applications: Research Experience for Undergraduates
The Jornada Basin LTER has funding to support a modest number of undergraduate research (JRN-REU) fellowships each summer. Students will work with mentors associated with JRN-LTER or NMSU on research related to Jornada LTER research themes. For details and application… Read more: Now Accepting Applications: Research Experience for Undergraduates - Navigating the Jornada Data Ecosystem
The Jornada generates a wealth of ecological data collected at sites across the Jornada Experimental Range. This video, created by members of the Information Management team, discusses Jornada research data principles, key available datasets, current (and future) data management systems,… Read more: Navigating the Jornada Data Ecosystem - Soil Isotopic Memory of C4 Grasses
Dr. Curtis Monger’s and his former student Jiaping Wang’s research explored the use of carbon isotopes in the soil to understand what vegetation may have looked like in the past. Below is a presentation of this work from the recent… Read more: Soil Isotopic Memory of C4 Grasses - Nature’s Top Ten: Satellites could soon map every tree on Earth
Jornada researcher Niall Hanan’s and colleague Julius Anchang’s recent News and Views piece in Nature (“Satellites could soon map every tree on Earth“) has some exciting follow-up news! The article is currently featured in Nature’s list of “Ten remarkable discoveries… Read more: Nature’s Top Ten: Satellites could soon map every tree on Earth - Garcia-Pichel Lab Featured in News
Jornada researchers and their work were recently featured in The Arizona Republic. Dr. Ferran Garcia-Pichel and graduate students Julie Rakes and Corey Nelson study biocrust, a community of microorganisms living on soil surfaces. Biocrusts are ecologically important to the desert… Read more: Garcia-Pichel Lab Featured in News - Dr. Ferran Garcia-Pichel named Regents Professor
Congratulations to Jornada LTER co-PI Ferran Garcia-Pichel, who was just named Regents Professor at Arizona State University. This is a very well-deserved achievement! See the ASU press release here. - Jornada LTER Funding Renewed
Fantastic news at the Jornada! We were given official notice from the National Science Foundation (NSF) that the Jornada LTER will be funded for an additional four years. Congratulations to all our dedicated researchers and staff for their excellent research… Read more: Jornada LTER Funding Renewed - 2020 Jornada Virtual SymposiumThis year’s symposium with the USDA-ARS Jornada Experimental Range has gone virtual. Presentations will cover themes on climate adaptations in the Southwest; Southwest beef supply chains-strategies for sustainability; ecosystem dynamics and management; and big data science and tools. Several Jornada… Read more: 2020 Jornada Virtual Symposium
- Follow us on Twitter!
The Jornada LTER is now on Twitter (@JornadaLTER). For news and highlights from our program, follow us at https://twitter.com/JornadaLTER ! - Celebrating 40 Years of the LTER Network
A recent article published in BioScience celebrates the 40th anniversary of the LTER Network. To read about the network and featured LTER sites, access the article here: https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/advance-article/doi/10.1093/biosci/biaa098/5903132 - Nature-News and Views: Satellites Could Soon Map Every Tree on Earth
Jornada researcher Niall Hanan and colleague Julius Anchang recently published a News and Views piece in Nature. The authors describe how technological advancements and higher spatial resolution of satellite imaging could potentially map individual trees on a global scale. The… Read more: Nature-News and Views: Satellites Could Soon Map Every Tree on Earth - New Research: Risk Perception in Lagomorphs at the Jornada Basin
Jornada researchers Casey Wagnon, Robert Schooley, and Bradley Cosentino recently published a new paper in Ecosphere. Their research highlights how shrub encroachment at the Jornada Basin affects risk perception of the black-tailed jackrabbit and desert cottontail. Results from this study… Read more: New Research: Risk Perception in Lagomorphs at the Jornada Basin - Asombro Creates Science Kits for K-12 Remote Learning
Across the nation, K-12 communities are experiencing a back-to-school season unlike any other. In June, education experts estimated that students would start the school year 3-12 months behind, and the worst effects are predicted for at-risk students. To accommodate the… Read more: Asombro Creates Science Kits for K-12 Remote Learning - New Jornada Research in PNAS
Jornada researchers Laureano Gherardi and Osvaldo Sala recently published a new paper in PNAS. For the first time, they were able to calculate global Belowground Net Primary Production (BNPP), 24 Pg yr-1. Globally, BNPP accounted for 46% of global Net… Read more: New Jornada Research in PNAS - Graduate Student Virtual Social
The Jornada LTER graduate students held their first bi-monthly social event of the 2020-2021 academic year with a virtual happy hour! The event was attended by six students from both New Mexico State University and Arizona State University, including both… Read more: Graduate Student Virtual Social - Research Highlight Video: Impacts of Shrub Encroachment on Dryland Water Budgets
Recent PhD graduate Adam Schreiner-McGraw, Enrique Vivoni, and other Jornada researchers recently published a high-profile paper in Scientific Reports. Their research indicates that shrub encroachment has a large impact on dryland water budgets. In this video, Adam and Enrique discuss… Read more: Research Highlight Video: Impacts of Shrub Encroachment on Dryland Water Budgets - Jornada Desert Ecology Short-Course 2020
This year’s Jornada LTER Desert Ecology Short-Course took place as a virtual event from July 13-15th, 2020 and was well-attended by graduate students and Jornada researchers. This year’s short-course included many exciting and informative sessions such as student presentations, PI… Read more: Jornada Desert Ecology Short-Course 2020 - Debra Peters discusses research at the Jornada LTER
Lead Principle Investigator, Debra Peters, discusses current research and future directions of the Jornada Basin LTER Program during the virtual 2020 Science Council Meeting. This meeting takes place each year and allows investigators from each Long Term Ecological Research site… Read more: Debra Peters discusses research at the Jornada LTER - Wooton Hall access restricted
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public access to Wooton Hall on the campus of New Mexico State University is restricted. Most Jornada Basin LTER staff are working from home at this time, so it is best to contact us via… Read more: Wooton Hall access restricted - U.S. Dustbowl paper published
The U.S. Dustbowl was a devastating event for much of the Great Plains, but its effects tapered off in Iowa. Deb Peters and her team wanted to know more about this spatial pattern, and their findings are presented in a… Read more: U.S. Dustbowl paper published - A Jornada interactive data viewer
Click here to visit our new data viewer. This new tool for visualizing near real-time meteorology data, and a variety of spatial layers is under development by Dr. Geovany Ramirez. - New Jornada research in Scientific Reports
Recent PhD graduate Adam Schreiner-McGraw, Enrique Vivoni, and others at the Jornada recently published a high-profile paper indicating that shrub encroachment has an outsize effect on dryland water budgets. The paper is published in the journal Scientific Reports (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65094-x). See… Read more: New Jornada research in Scientific Reports