Zewdu Eshetu

Professor, Paleo-Anthropology & Palaeo-Environment Program, Climate Science Centre, African Centre for Disaster Risk Management at the College of Natural Sciences, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Eshetu has a long history of analyzing proxies in soil and tree rings to examine interactions between human in settlements and their environments in Ethiopia.  His special emphasis on stable carbon and nitrogen analyses enabled him to examine the verity of an oral legend about a former king’s decree to prevent environmental disaster by returning degraded land to forest.  In addition to his work with ETAP, he presently devotes considerable effort to organizing programs to minimize problems of climate and land cover changes today

Short Curriuculum Vitae

Professional Preparation:

• Ambo College of Agriculture, Ethiopia, Diploma Agriculture 1977-1979
• Faculty of Forestry, Dresden University of Technology, Germany. Forestry MSc. 1982-1988
• Dept of Forest Ecology, Swedish Univ Agricultural Sciences, Sweden. Forestry PhD. 1995-2000.
• University of Cape Town, South Africa. Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Dept. of Botany.  Dendro-Climatology 2001-2003.

Appointments:

• 2013+ Director of Climate Science Centre, and African Centre for Disaster Risk Management of Addis Ababa University
• 2011-2013. Chair of the Paleo-Anthropology and Paleo-Environment program unit and coordinator of Climate Science Center, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
• 2011+ Associate Professor Paleo-Anthropology and Paleo-Environment, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
• 2005-2011. Senior Researcher of Forestry, Climate and Land use change at the Forestry Research Center of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research , Ethiopia
• 2004. Head of Department of Farm Forestry, Wondo-Genet College of Forestry, Debub University, Ethiopia.
• 2003-2005. Assistant professor Wondo-Genet College of Forestry, Debub University, Ethiopia.
• 2000. Haury Fellow, Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, University of Arizona, USA.

Selected Publications:

Terwilliger VJ, Eshetu Z, Disnar JR, Jacob J, Adderley WP, Huang Y, Alexandre M, and Fogel ML. 2013. Environmental changes and the rise and fall of civilizations in the northern Horn of Africa: an approach combining δD analyses of land-plant derived fatty acids with multiple proxies in soil.  Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 111:140-161.

Williams AP, Funk C,  Michaelsen  J, Rauscher S, Robertson I, Wils THG, Koprowski M, Eshetu Z, Loader NJ. 2012. Recent summer precipitation trends in the Greater Horn of Africa and the emerging role of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature. Climate Dynamics  39: 2307-2328.

Terwilliger VJ, Eshetu Z, Alexandre M, Huang Y, Umer, M, Gebru T. 2011.  Local variation in climate and land use during the time of the major kingdoms of the Tigray Plateau of Ethiopia and Eritrea.  Catena 85: 130-143.

Gebru T, Eshetu Z,  Huang Y, Woldemariam T, Strong N, Umer, M, DiBlasi, M., Terwilliger, V J. 2009. Holocene palaeovegetation of the Tigray Plateau in northern Ethiopia from charcoal and stable organic carbon isotopic analyses of gully sediments. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 282: 67–80.

Terwilliger VJ, Eshetu Z,  Colman  A, Bekele T, Gezahgne A,  Fogel ML.  2008. Reconstructing palaeoenvironment from δ13C and δ15N values of soil organic matter: A calibration from arid and wetter elevation transects in Ethiopia. Geoderma 147: 197-210.

Wils THG, Sass-Klaassen UGW,  Eshetu Z, Brauning A, Gebrekirstos A, Couralet C,  Robertson I, Touchan R, Koprowski M,Conway D,Briffa KR, Beckman H. 2011.  Dendrochronology in the dry tropics: the Ethiopian case. Trees 25:345–354.

Daniau A L., Eshetu Z, (60 authors). 2012. Predictability of biomass burning in response to climate changes.  Global Biogeochemical Cycles  26: GB4007, doi:10.1029/2011GB004249.

Eshetu Z. 2004. Natural ¹⁵N abundance in soils under young-growth forests in Ethiopia. Forest Ecology and Management: 139-147.

Eshetu Z, Giesler R, and Högberg P. 2004.  Historical land use pattern affects the chemistry of forest soils in the Ethiopian highlands. Geoderma: 149-165.

Eshetu Z. 2002. Historical C₃ and C₄ vegetation pattern on forested mountain slopes: Its implication for ecological rehabilitation of degraded highlands of Ethiopia by afforestation. Journal of Tropical Ecology 18: 743-758.

Graduate and Post-graduate Advisees: (2 PhD, 10 MS, 0 postdoctoral)

• Masters: Biniam Alemu (Wondo-Genet College of Forestry); Amdemichael (Wondo-Genet College of Forestry); Tsige Gebru (Addis Ababa University); Mekonnen Getu (Addis Ababa University); Solomon Husien, (University of South Africa); Mesfine Sahle (Addis Ababa University); Ameha Tadesse (Wondo-Genet College of Forestry); Tullu Tola (Addis Ababa University); Motuma Tolera (Wageningen University); Asefa Tufa (University of South Africa); Tsegay Kahsay (Addis Ababa University)
• PhD: Tomy Wills (University of Wales Swansea); Getachew Wodaje (University of South Africa).

Role in Palaeoenvironmental Studies Group:

Eshetu is a founder of the Palaeoenvironmental Studies Group.  He coordinates fieldwork, supervision of AAU students in the field and lab, and liaisons with other labs performing analyses for the group in Ethiopia.