ϲ

Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • ϲ Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • ϲ Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
STEM

Scientists Create Ice Storm to Study Effect on Forests

Monday, December 19, 2016, By Keith Kobland
Share
Climate ChangefacultyResearch and Creative

To better understand the short- and long-term effects of ice storms on northern forests, a team of scientists, including , generated an experimental ice storm on research plots on the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire. The National Science Foundation released the following video documenting the chilly experiment.

Extreme weather events will be more common as the effects of climate change take hold. Our hottest days will get hotter; our coldest days will get colder. Winter and summer storms will be become more intense. As these changes occur, experts are seeking to learn the impact extreme weather events will have on ecosystems and our lives.

Large ice storms can disrupt lives and damage infrastructure, resulting in billions of dollars of damage. They also literally reshape forests. Heavy ice loads break branches and topple whole trees, resulting in reduced tree growth in ensuing years, increased susceptibility to pests and pathogens, changes in habitat for wildlife, and alterations in how nutrients like carbon and nitrogen cycle in the forest. This study will take an unprecedented look at these effects.

View a video about the research .

  • Author
  • Faculty Experts

Keith Kobland

  • Charles T. Driscoll

  • Recent
  • 5 Things to Know About New Student Convocation Speaker Andrea-Rose Oates ’26
    Wednesday, August 13, 2025, By John Boccacino
  • New $1M Gift to Build Bridges and Create Global Map to Enhance Democracies
    Tuesday, August 12, 2025, By Eileen Korey
  • Art Museum Launches Fall 2025 Season With Dynamic, Interdisciplinary Exhibitions
    Tuesday, August 12, 2025, By Taylor Westerlund
  • ‘Perception May Matter as Much as Reality’: ϲ Professor on Paramount-Skydance Merger’s Cultural Impact
    Tuesday, August 12, 2025, By Christopher Munoz
  • How Artists Are Embracing Artificial Intelligence to Create Works of Art
    Tuesday, August 12, 2025, By John Boccacino

More In STEM

New Study Reveals Ozone’s Hidden Toll on America’s Trees

A new nationwide study reveals that ozone pollution—an invisible threat in the air—may be quietly reducing the survival chances of many tree species across the United States. The research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres is the first…

Inspiring the Next Generation of STEM Enthusiasts

A friendly competition is brewing in the corner of a basement classroom in Link Hall during the annual STEM Trekkers summer program, where students are participating in a time-honored ritual: seeing who can build a paper airplane that travels the…

5 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Use Generative Artificial Intelligence at Work

Not too long ago, generative artificial intelligence (AI) might’ve sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie. Now it’s here, and it’s ready to help you write emails, schedule meetings and even create presentations. In a recent Information Technology Services…

NSF I-Corps Semiconductor and Microelectronics Free Virtual Course Being Offered

University researchers with groundbreaking ideas in semiconductors, microelectronics or advanced materials are invited to apply for an entrepreneurship-focused hybrid course offered through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. The free virtual course runs from Sept. 15 through…

Jianshun ‘Jensen’ Zhang Named Interim Department Chair of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) is excited to announce that Professor Jianshun “Jensen” Zhang has been appointed interim department chair of mechanical and aerospace engineering (MAE), as of July 1, 2025. Zhang serves as executive director of…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

For the Media

Find an Expert
© 2025 ϲ. All Rights Reserved.