Mitchell Power

Using charcoal count, palynology, macrofossil and meta-data analyses, Power has been applying research interests in botany, paleoecology, biogeography, and paleoclimatology to investigate the history of vegetation and the role of fire during the Holocene.  For research performed in his laboratory towards this end, he has conducted fieldwork in the western mountainous United States, Brazil, Columbia and Ethiopia.

Professional Preparation:

• University of Maine, Department of Anthropology, Archaeology: BA, 1992
• Northern Arizona University, Quaternary Studies Program, Paleobotany: MS, 1998
• University of Oregon, Department of Geography, Biogeography: PhD, 2006

Appointments:

• Associate Professor Department of Geography, University of Utah: 2008-present
• Curator Garrett Herbarium, Utah Museum of Natural History, University of Utah: 2008-present
• Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, UK (Advisor Dr. Francis Mayle): 2006-2008
• Instructor & Research Assistant, Department of Geography, University of Oregon (Advisor Prof. Patrick Bartlein): 2003-2006
• Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Geography, University of Oregon (Advisor Prof. Cathy Whitlock): 1999-2003

Selected Publications:     

Smith RJ, Mayle FE, Maezumi SY, Power MJ (2021) Relating pollen representation to an evolving Amazonian landscape between the last glacial maximum and Late Holocene. Quaternary Research, 99:63 – 79.

Power MJ, Mayle, FE, Bartlein, PJ and co-authors (2013) 16th Century burning decline in the Americas: population collapse or climate change? The Holocene 23:1-8.

Aleman, JC,  Blarquez, O, Bentaleb, I, Bonté, P, Brossier, B, Carcaillet, C, Gond, V, Gourlet-Fleury, S, Kpolita, A, Lefèvre, I, Oslisly, R, Power, MJ, Yongo, O, Bremond, L, Favier, C (2013).  Tracking land-cover changes with sedimentary charcoal in the Afrotropics. The Holocene.

Power, MJ, Marlon, JR, Bartlein, PJ, Harrison, S (2010) Fire history and the global charcoal database: a new tool for hypothesis testing and data exploration.  Palaeogeogray, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 291(1-2):52-59. 

Power MJ et al. (84 co-authors) (2008) Changes in fire regime since the Last Glacial Maximum: an assessment based on a global synthesis and analysis of charcoal data. Climate Dynamics, 30(7-8):887-907.

Vannière B, Power MJ, Roberts N, Tinner W, Carrión J, Magny M, Bartlein P (2011) Circum-Mediterranean fire activity and climate changes during the mid Holocene environmental transition (8500-2500 cal yr BP). The Holocene, 21(1):53-7-73

Brown, KJ and Power, MJ (2013) Charred Particle Analyses. Invited chapter for Quaternary Science Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition. 

Marlon, JR, Bartlein, PJ, Daniau, A-L, Harrison, SP, Power, MJ, Tinner, W, Tracy S (2013) Global biomass burning: a synthesis and review Holocene paleofire records and their controls. Wuaternary Science Reviews, 95:5-2525.

Molinari, C, Lehsten, V, Bradshaw, RH, Power MJ, Wittwer, T, Arneth, A, and MT Sykes (2013) Exploring potential drivers of European biomass burning over the past 9000 years: a data-model comparison. Global Ecology and Biogeography.

Power MJ, Whitlock C, Bartlein PJ (2011).  Postglacial fire, vegetation, and climate history across an elevational gradient in the Northern Rocky Mountains.  Quaternary Science Reviews, 1-14.

Brücher T, Brovkin V, Kloster S, Marlon JR, Power MJ (2013) Comparing modeled fire dynamics with charcoal records for the Holocene. Climates of the Past, 9:6429-6458.

Graduate Students Sponsored: University of Utah Department of Geography

• Ph.D.: Josh Mueller, Shira Maezumi, Anthony Macharia (3 total)
• M.S. Rebecca Koll, Lovina Turney, Blake Wellard, Melanie Cooke (4 total)
• Postdoctoral (0 total)

Role in Palaeoenvironmental Studies Group:

Participation in and coordination of field and laboratory work for charcoal analyses to interpret fire history.  Digital archiving of charcoal taxonomic identification.  Integration of results into Global Fire Database, the International Multiproxy Paleofire Database and their associated fire history modelling efforts.