Date: November 10, 2026
Speaker: Dr. Brad Oberle
Affiliation: New York Botanical Garden
Title: Leveraging historic data in NYBG and natural areas of New York City for better legacy pollution management
Description: As the largest remnant of New York City’s original land cover, the Thain Family Forest has served as a living laboratory where NYBG scientists have documented intertwined ecological and social change since the 19th century. The Forest helped inspire the field of urban ecology and continues to reveal the many benefits of nature in cities. By comparing fine-scale patterns of soil contamination across the Forest with both historical measurements and a city-wide dataset, we identify pollution immobilization as a previously unrecognized ecosystem service of urban forests, providing a strong rationale for management that enhances urban forest quality.
Research Seminars are important weekly events in the E3B Department. They include a mix of invited speakers from other institutions or departments and members of the E3B community, including graduating Ph.D. students.
Open to E3B students, faculty, and staff only.
