Nature Tells Its Story, Part 2: Caves and Really Old Water

California boasts hundreds of caves, many of them hidden in the Sierra Nevada foothills. These caves hold much more than beautiful icicle-like stalactites and stalagmites. Trapped inside the stalagmites are tiny droplets of fossilized precipitation from climates long ago. In “Nature Tells Its Story Part 2” of Unfold, UC Davis researchers discuss how these water droplets provide a “climate archive” that may help us predict future shifts in rain, snow and drought. 

 

In this episode: 

​Isabel Montañez, distinguished professor, UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences

Barbara Wortham, doctoral student, UC Davis Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences