Associate Professor, Geography and Center for Environmental Studies
400A Braunstein Hall
513-556-3926
wendy.eisner@uc.edu

Professional Summary

I am both an environmental scientist and archaeologist, trained as a palynologist in America and Europe. I hold a B.A. in anthropology, an M.A. in social anthropology, a Ph.D. in archaeology, and a Doctor of Science in geography. I have worked in the Arctic for 15 years, doing research in Northeastern Siberia, Greenland, and Northern Alaska. My current funded research is based on the Coastal Plain of Arctic Alaska. Some recent publications include: The Paleoenvironmental Record from a Palsa-Scale Frost Mound, Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, (2002), Climate Change and Spatial Diversity of Vegetation during the Late Quaternary of Beringia, (1999), and The Consequences of Gender Bias in Mortuary Analysis: A Case Study (1991). I am also senior research associate at the Byrd Polar Research Center at Ohio State University.

Education

Doctor of Science, University of Utrecht, Netherlands, 1999.

Research Interests

My research links past vegetation and climatic processes with the wider physical environment, and is specifically concerned with the range of variability at which temporal and spatial landscape changes take place. I am primarily engaged in research in the Arctic. I am very interested in impact of Global Climate Change in the Arctic and the interactions of the indigenous people and scientists in the Arctic. I also study gender roles in prehistoric and ethnographic contexts and Women in Science. My current project is specifically concerned with the impact of humans on the environment. I am developing a project with Alaskan Native elders to incorporate their perceptions and understanding of their environment in order to improve our scientific knowledge of the Arctic region.

Research Support

(PI) Wendy R. Eisner. Co-PIs: Chris J. Cuomo, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Connecting Indigenous Knowledge to Landscape Process Research, Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska, National Science Foundation. (NSF-BCS-0548846.); 249,000. Funded 09/01/2006 to 08/01/2009.

(Co-PI) Richard Beck, Kenneth M. Hinkel, Wendy R. Eisner, Advanced End-to-End Cyberinfrastructure Installation, Validation, and Optimization for the Barrow Global Climate Change Research Facility, National Science Foundation. (ARC-0641623); $822,340 . Funded 09/01/2007 to 08/31/2010.

(Co-PI) Kenneth M. Hinkel, Richard Beck, Wendy Eisner, Collaborative Research: Changes in Lake Dynamics on the Arctic Coastal Plain of North America Over the Past Half-Century, Arctic System Science Program, National Science Foundation. (ARC-0713813 ); $378,618 . Funded 09/01/2007 to 08/31/2010.

Peer Reviewed Publications

Hinkel, Kenneth M., Beck, R.A., Eisner, W.R., Frohn, R.C., & Nelson, F.E. (2005). Morphometric and spatial analysis of thaw lakes and drained thaw lake basins in the western arctic coastal plain, alaska. Permafrost and Periglacial Processes, 16(4), 327, 341.

Eisner, W.R., Hinkel, K.M., Jones, B.M. & Cuomo, C.J. Using indigenous knowledge to assess environmental impacts of overland travel routes, Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. 9th International Conference on Permafrost 415.

Eisner, Wendy R., Bockheim, James G., Brown, Thomas A., Hinkel, Kenneth M., Jones, Benjamin M., Nelson, Frederick E., & Peterson, Kim M. (2005). Paleoenvironmental analyses of an organic deposit from an erosional landscape remnant, arctic coastal plain of alaska. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 217(3), 187, 204.

Frohn, Robert C., Eisner, Wendy R., & Hinkel, Kenneth M. (2005). Satellite remote sensing classification of thaw lakes and drained thaw lake basins on the north slope of alaska. Remote Sensing of Environment, 97(1), 116.

Bockheim, J.G., Dai, X.Y., Eisner, W.R., & Hinkel, K.M. (2004). Carbon pools and accumulation rates in an age-series of soils in drained thaw-lake basins, arctic alaska. Soil Science Society of America Journal (Internet), 68(2), 697, 704.

Kaufman, Darrell S., Ager, T.A., Anderson, N.J., Anderson, P.M., Andrews, J.T., Bartlein, P.J., Brubaker, L.B., Coats, L.L., Cwynar, Les C., Duvall, M.L., Dyke, Arthur S., Edwards, M.E., Eisner, W.R., Gajewski, K., Geirsdottir, A., Hu, Feng Sheng, Jennings, A.E., Kaplan, M.R., Kerwin, M.W., Lozhkin, A.V., MacDonald, G.M., Miller, G.H., Mock, C.J., Oswald, W.Wyatt, Otto-Bliesner, B. L., Porinchu, D.F., Ruehland, K., Smol, J.P., Steig, E.J., & Wolfe, B.B. (2004). Holocene thermal maximum in the western arctic (0-180 degrees w). Quaternary Science Reviews, 23(5), 529, 560.

Eisner, W.R., Bockheim, J.G., Hinkel, K.M., & Nelson, F.E. (2003). Late-quaternary paleoenvironmental record from a palsa-scale frost mound in northern alaska. International Conference on Permafrost, Proceedings, 8, Volume 1, 229, 234.

Edwards, Mary E., Bigelow, Nancy H., Eisner, Wendy R., & Finney, Bruce P. (2000). Records of aquatic pollen and sediment properties as indicators of late-quaternary alaskan lake levels. Journal of Paleolimnology, 24(1), 55, 68.

Eisner, Wendy R., Allard, Michel, editor, & Peterson, Kim M. (1998). Pollen, fungi and algae as age indicators of drained lake basins near barrow, alaska. Collection Nordicana, 57, 245, 250.

Eisner, Wendy R. (1998). Spatial analysis of modern pollen samples from drained thaw lake basins near barrow, alaska. PALEo Times.The Paleoclimates from Arctic Lakes and Estuaries Newsletter, 6, 23, 24.

Lozhkin, A.V., Anderson, P.M., Brubaker, L.B., Eisner, W.R., & Hopkins, D.M. (1997). New palynological data on the development of western alaska. Transactions (Doklady) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.Earth Science Sections, 356(7), 1035, 1037.

Hinkel, Kenneth M., Eisner, Wendy R., Miller, Laura L., Nelson, Frederick E., Outcalt, Samuel I., Peterson, Kim M., & Turner, Katie M. (1996). Formation of injection frost mounds over winter 1995-1996 at barrow, alaska. Polar Geography (1995), 20(4), 235, 248.

Eisner, Wendy R., Bennike, Ole, Koster, Eduard A., Tornqvist, Torbjorn E., & van Leeuwen, Jacqueline F. N. (1995). Paleoecological studies of a holocene lacustrine record from the kangerlussuaq (sondre stromfjord) region of west greenland. Quaternary Research (New York), 43(1), 55, 66.

Eisner, Wendy R.reviewer (1994). Quaternary environments @book review. Review of palaeobotany and palynology, 80(3), 339, 341.

Anderson, P.M., Brubaker, L.B., Colinvaux, P.A., Eisner, W.R., Hopkins, D.M., Kozhevnikova, M.V., & Lozhkin, A.V. (1994). Two late quaternary pollen record from south-central alaska. Geographie Physique et Quaternaire, 48(2), 131, 143.

Lozhkin, Anatoly V., Anderson, Patricia M., Brubaker, Linda B., Colinvaux, Paul A., Eisner, Wendy R., Hopkins, David M., Miller, Michael C., & Ravako, Lilia G. (1993). Late quaternary lacustrine pollen records from southwestern beringia. Quaternary Research (New York), 39(3), 314, 324.

Eisner, Wendy R., & Colinvaux, Paul A. (1992). Late quaternary pollen records from oil lake and feniak lake, alaska, u.s.a. Arctic and Alpine Research, 24(1), 56, 63.

Eisner, Wendy R. (1991). Palynological analysis of a peat core from imnavait creek, the north slope, alaska. Arctic, 44(4), 279, 282.

Anderson, P.M., Andreev, A.A., Brubaker, L.B., Chernenky, B.I., Colinvaux, Paul A., Eisner, Wendy R., Federova, I.N., Hopkins, D.M., Kotova, L.N., Lozhkin, A.V., Miller, M.C., Polujan, A.I., Rovako, L.G., Severin, Barbara A. B., editor, & Wilson, Cindy L., editor (1991). Two late quaternary pollen records from the upper kolyma region, soviet northeast; a preliminary report. International conference on the role of the polar regions in global change 628, 632.

Eisner, Wendy R., & Colinvaux, Paul A. (1990). A long pollen record from ahaliorak lake, arctic alaska. Review of palaeobotany and palynology, 63(1), 35, 52.

Hinkel, K.M., Jones, B.M., Eisner, W.R, Cuomo, C.C, & Beck, R.A., Frohn, R (2007). Methods to Assess Natural and Anthropogenic Thaw Lake Drainage on the Western Arctic Coastal Plain of Northern Alaska. Journal of Geophysical Research, 112, F02S16, doi:10.1029/2006JF000584.

Jones, B.M., Hinkel, K.M., Arp, C.D. & Eisner, W.R. Modern erosion rates and loss of coastal features and sites, Beaufort Sea coastline, Alaska. Arctic.

Books

Eisner, Wendy R. (1993). Using macpollen; a computer guide.

Other Publications

Jorgenson, M.T., Walker, H.J., Brown, J., Hinkel, K.M., Shur, Y., Osterkamp, T., Ping, C-L., Kanevskiy, M., Eisner, W., Rea, C. & Jensen, A. Coastal Region of Northern Alaska: Guidebook to Permafrost and Related Features. Ninth International Conference on Permafrost, 29 June-3 July 2008. 29 June-3 July 2008, University of Alaska Fairbanks.: Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, Department of Natural Resources, State of Ala.

Publicity

Exploratorium, Inupiaq knowledge meets science on Alaska's North Slope (Webcast: Ice Stories: Dispatches from Polar Scientists).Web, (2008). http://events.exploratorium.edu/ramgen/ice_stories/ice_stories-080617-320x240.rm .

Invited Presentations

Eisner, W. R. (01/22/2008). Using Indigenous Knowledge (IK) of the Iñupiaq people to understand climatic and environmental changes in the Alaskan Arctic. . invited talk, National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.

Eisner, W.R. (03/11/2008). Connecting Indigenous Knowledge to Landscape Process Research, Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska. nstitute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Aberystwyth University, Wales, U.K..

Eisner, W.R., (03/19/2008). Using Indigenous Knowledge (IK) of the Inupiat Eskimo) people to understand climatic and environmental changes in the Alaskan Arctic. Netherlands Geosciences Conference, Veldhoven, the Netherlands.

Eisner, W. R. (03/25/2008). Investigations of the geomorphic processes of drained thaw-lake basins, Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska: palaeoecological and traditional knowledge applications. Netherlands Palynological Association, University of Utrecht.

Eisner, W.R., Hinkel, K.M., Jones, B.M. and Cuomo, C.J. (06/30/2008). Using Indigenous Knowledge to Study Seasonal Inland Travel Routes as a Proxy for Environmental Change on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska,. Ninth International Conference on Permafrost, University of Alaska, Fairbanks..

Paper Presentations

Eisner, W.R., Hinkel, K.M., Jones, B.M. and Cuomo, C.J. . An Environmental Indigenous Knowledge (IK) GIS for the Western Arctic Coastal Plain. Association of American Geographers, San Francisco. 04-2007.

Hinkel, K.M., Jones, B.M., Eisner, W.R., Cuomo, C.J.. Assessing Thaw Lake Drainage Processes in Northern Alaska,. Association of American Geographers, San Francisco. 04-2007.

Eisner, W.R., Hinkel, K.M., Jones, Cuomo, C. J., . Connecting Iñupiaq Indigenous Knowledge with Climate and Geomorphic Studies in Northern Alaska. 15th International Inuit Studies Conference, Paris, France. 10-2006.

Eisner, W.R., Cuomo, C. J., Hinkel, K.M., Jones, B. M., Hurd, J., Barnett, J. . Past, Present, and Future Climate Change in Arctic Alaska: Combining Western Science and Iñupiat Elders' Knowledge. Association of American Geographers (50) , Chicago. 03/09/2006.