Stable Carbon Isotopes in Treerings; Revisiting the Paleocloud Proxy.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagen, M.; Zorita, E.; Dorado Liñán, I.; Loader, N.; McCarroll, D.; Robertson, I.; Young, G.

2017-12-01

The long term relationship between cloud cover and temperature is one of the most important climate feedbacks contributing to determining the value of climate sensitivity. Climate models still reveal a large spread in the simulation of changes in cloud cover under future warming scenarios and clarity might be aided by a picture of the past variability of cloudiness. Stable carbon isotope ratios from tree ring records have been successfully piloted as a palaeocloud proxy in geographical areas traditionally producing strong dendroclimatological reconstructions (high northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere) and with some notable successes elsewhere too. An expansion of tree-ring based palaeocloud reconstructions might help to estimate past variations of cloud cover in periods colder or warmer than the 20th century, providing a way to test model test this specific aspect. Calibration with measured instrumental sunshine and cloud data reveals stable carbon isotope ratios from tree rings as an indicator of incoming short wave solar radiation (SWR) in non-moisture stressed sites, but the statistical identification of the SWR signal is hampered by its interannual co-variability with air temperature during the growing season. Here we present a spatio-temporal statistical analysis of a multivariate stable carbon isotope tree ring data set over Europe to assess its usefulness to reconstruct past solar radiation changes. The interannual co-variability of the tree ring records stronger covariation with SWR than with air temperature. The resulting spatial patterns of interannual co-variability are strongly linked to atmospheric circulation in a physically consistent manner. However, the multidecadal variations in the proxy records show a less physically coherent picture. We explore whether atmospheric corrections applied to the proxy series are contributing to differences in the multi decadal signal and investigate whether multidecadal variations in soil moisture perturb the SWR. Preliminary results of strategies to bypass these problems are explored.

Millennium-scale crossdating and inter-annual climate sensitivities of standing California redwoods.

PubMed

Carroll, Allyson L; Sillett, Stephen C; Kramer, Russell D

2014-01-01

Extremely decay-resistant wood and fire-resistant bark allow California's redwoods to accumulate millennia of annual growth rings that can be useful in biological research. Whereas tree rings of Sequoiadendron giganteum (SEGI) helped formalize the study of dendrochronology and the principle of crossdating, those of Sequoia sempervirens (SESE) have proven much more difficult to decipher, greatly limiting dendroclimatic and other investigations of this species. We overcame these problems by climbing standing trees and coring trunks at multiple heights in 14 old-growth forest locations across California. Overall, we sampled 1,466 series with 483,712 annual rings from 120 trees and were able to crossdate 83% of SESE compared to 99% of SEGI rings. Standard and residual tree-ring chronologies spanning up to 1,685 years for SESE and 1,538 years for SEGI were created for each location to evaluate crossdating and to examine correlations between annual growth and climate. We used monthly values of temperature, precipitation, and drought severity as well as summer cloudiness to quantify potential drivers of inter-annual growth variation over century-long time series at each location. SESE chronologies exhibited a latitudinal gradient of climate sensitivities, contrasting cooler northern rainforests and warmer, drier southern forests. Radial growth increased with decreasing summer cloudiness in northern rainforests and a central SESE location. The strongest dendroclimatic relationship occurred in our southernmost SESE location, where radial growth correlated negatively with dry summer conditions and exhibited responses to historic fires. SEGI chronologies showed negative correlations with June temperature and positive correlations with previous October precipitation. More work is needed to understand quantitative relationships between SEGI radial growth and moisture availability, particularly snowmelt. Tree-ring chronologies developed here for both redwood species have numerous scientific applications, including determination of tree ages, accurate dating of fire-return intervals, archaeology, analyses of stable isotopes, long-term climate reconstructions, and quantifying rates of carbon sequestration.

Millennium-Scale Crossdating and Inter-Annual Climate Sensitivities of Standing California Redwoods

PubMed Central

Carroll, Allyson L.; Sillett, Stephen C.; Kramer, Russell D.

2014-01-01

Extremely decay-resistant wood and fire-resistant bark allow California’s redwoods to accumulate millennia of annual growth rings that can be useful in biological research. Whereas tree rings of Sequoiadendron giganteum (SEGI) helped formalize the study of dendrochronology and the principle of crossdating, those of Sequoia sempervirens (SESE) have proven much more difficult to decipher, greatly limiting dendroclimatic and other investigations of this species. We overcame these problems by climbing standing trees and coring trunks at multiple heights in 14 old-growth forest locations across California. Overall, we sampled 1,466 series with 483,712 annual rings from 120 trees and were able to crossdate 83% of SESE compared to 99% of SEGI rings. Standard and residual tree-ring chronologies spanning up to 1,685 years for SESE and 1,538 years for SEGI were created for each location to evaluate crossdating and to examine correlations between annual growth and climate. We used monthly values of temperature, precipitation, and drought severity as well as summer cloudiness to quantify potential drivers of inter-annual growth variation over century-long time series at each location. SESE chronologies exhibited a latitudinal gradient of climate sensitivities, contrasting cooler northern rainforests and warmer, drier southern forests. Radial growth increased with decreasing summer cloudiness in northern rainforests and a central SESE location. The strongest dendroclimatic relationship occurred in our southernmost SESE location, where radial growth correlated negatively with dry summer conditions and exhibited responses to historic fires. SEGI chronologies showed negative correlations with June temperature and positive correlations with previous October precipitation. More work is needed to understand quantitative relationships between SEGI radial growth and moisture availability, particularly snowmelt. Tree-ring chronologies developed here for both redwood species have numerous scientific applications, including determination of tree ages, accurate dating of fire-return intervals, archaeology, analyses of stable isotopes, long-term climate reconstructions, and quantifying rates of carbon sequestration. PMID:25029026

Latitudinal Gradients in Tree Ring Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes Reveal Differential Climate Influences of the North American Monsoon System.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szejner, P.; Wright, W. E.; Babst, F.; Belmecheri, S.; Trouet, V.; Leavitt, S. W.; Ehleringer, J. R.; Monson, R. K.

2016-12-01

The arrival of the North American Monsoon System (NAMS) terminates a presummer hyperarid period in the southwestern United States (U.S.), providing summer moisture that is favorable for forest growth. Montane forests in this region rely on winter snowpack to drive much of their growth; the extent to which they use NAMS moisture is uncertain. We addressed this by studying stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in earlywood and latewood from 11 sites along a latitudinal gradient extending from Arizona and New Mexico to Utah. This study provides the first regional perspective on the relative roles of winter versus summer precipitation as an ecophysiological resource. Here we present evidence that Ponderosa pine uses NAMS moisture differentially across this gradient. 13C/12C ratios suggest that photosynthetic water use efficiency during latewood formation is more sensitive to summer precipitation at the northern than at the southern sites. This is likely due to the fact that NAMS moisture provides sufficiently favorable conditions for tree photosynthesis and growth during most years in the southern sites, whereas the northern sites experience larger summer moisture variability, which in some years is limiting growth. Cellulose δ18O and δ13C values revealed that photoassimilates in the southern sites were produced under higher vapor pressure deficit conditions during spring compared to summer, demonstrating a previously underappreciated effect of seasonal differences in atmospheric humidity on tree ring isotope ratios. Our findings suggest that future changes in NAMS will potentially alter productivity and photosynthetic water use dynamics differentially along latitudinal gradients in southwestern U.S. montane forests.

Latitudinal gradients in tree ring stable carbon and oxygen isotopes reveal differential climate influences of the North American Monsoon System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szejner, Paul; Wright, William E.; Babst, Flurin; Belmecheri, Soumaya; Trouet, Valerie; Leavitt, Steven W.; Ehleringer, James R.; Monson, Russell K.

2016-07-01

The arrival of the North American Monsoon System (NAMS) terminates a presummer hyperarid period in the southwestern United States (U.S.), providing summer moisture that is favorable for forest growth. Montane forests in this region rely on winter snowpack to drive much of their growth; the extent to which they use NAMS moisture is uncertain. We addressed this by studying stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in earlywood and latewood from 11 sites along a latitudinal gradient extending from Arizona and New Mexico to Utah. This study provides the first regional perspective on the relative roles of winter versus summer precipitation as an ecophysiological resource. Here we present evidence that Ponderosa pine uses NAMS moisture differentially across this gradient. 13C/12C ratios suggest that photosynthetic water use efficiency during latewood formation is more sensitive to summer precipitation at the northern than at the southern sites. This is likely due to the fact that NAMS moisture provides sufficiently favorable conditions for tree photosynthesis and growth during most years in the southern sites, whereas the northern sites experience larger summer moisture variability, which in some years is limiting growth. Cellulose δ18O and δ13C values revealed that photoassimilates in the southern sites were produced under higher vapor pressure deficit conditions during spring compared to summer, demonstrating a previously underappreciated effect of seasonal differences in atmospheric humidity on tree ring isotope ratios. Our findings suggest that future changes in NAMS will potentially alter productivity and photosynthetic water use dynamics differentially along latitudinal gradients in southwestern U.S. montane forests.

Testing the Climate Sensitivity of Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr.) Near the Southern Limit of Its Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Appleton, S.; St George, S.

2014-12-01

This study investigates the climate sensitivity of mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr.) near the southern limit of its range, tests the stability of its climate-tree relations over the last few decades, and explores its potential as a hydroclimatic proxy for Crater Lake National Park. We collected tree cores at seven locations around the caldera rim, focusing on hemlock growing at higher elevations (2000-2400 masl). The median length of all ring-width series is 283 years, and the oldest hemlock sample extends back to C.E. 1450. Several types of anatomical anomalies, including frost rings, traumatic resin ducts, false rings, and light late-wood bands were observed within the specimens, the most common feature being a false ring in C.E. 1810. Each set of standardized ring-width measurements has a strong common signal, with between-tree correlations (r-bar) ranging from 0.31 to 0.49. Preliminary analysis suggests hemlock growth across the park is strongly and inversely related to total cool-season precipitation, and is also influenced positively (albeit more weakly) by mean summer temperature. Most sites are significantly and negatively correlated with total December-to-February precipitation (r = -0.41) and total precipitation from December to August (r = -0.48). Compared to other ring-width records exhibiting similar negative responses to winter precipitation, these hemlocks appear to track that specific signal quite clearly and, as a result, these data may be suitable to reconstruct past changes in cool-season moisture in Crater Lake National Park and across the broader southern Cascades.

Mid-Continent Expressions of Oceanic Teleconnections Evidenced in Red Pine Tree Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaplan, S. W.; Wilkins, D. E.; Grissino-Mayer, H. D.; van de Gevel, S.; Weinert, M.

2005-12-01

Two stands of Red Pine ( Pinus resinosa) from Itasca State Park in northcentral Minnesota, U.S.A. were studied as part of the 2004 North American Dendroecological Fieldweek. The goal of the workshop was to evaluate the sensitivity of Pinus resinosa at its western limit to local and regional records of temperature and precipitation as well as fill a gap in the geographic network of tree-ring-climate reconstructions in the interior of North America. An unexpected finding of the research was a strong relationship between radial growth in the trees and the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Niño 3.4 indices, patterns not previously described in tree rings from the western Great Lakes region. Duplicate cores from over thirty trees were measured and crossdated to produce a stand chronology spanning 280 years (1724-2003) with an interseries correlation of 0.52 and a mean sensitivity of 0.23 based on COFECHA output. Raw measurements were standardized using a negative exponential curve to remove growth trends. Biological response functions developed with PRECON reveal that 40% of the variance in the residual chronology is explained by temperature and to a lesser degree precipitation, with warm springs (February-May) and cool summers (July) having the strongest influence on tree growth. Correlations with local station and divisional climate records support the analysis with Pinus resinosa responding most positively to warm February temperatures and cool July temperatures. Warm February-May temperatures reduce the snowpack and make moisture available to the trees in the early growing season while cool July conditions limit evaporation, again increasing moisture availability. Correlation of the Minnesota Pinus resinosa ring-width indices with values of oceanic teleconnections reveal a small but significant (r2 = ~16%, p < 0.05) influence of modes of the NAO and Niño 3.4 on tree ring growth in the upper Midwest. There is an inverse relationship between February NAO and ringwidth and a positive correlation between the Niño 3.4 index in July and August of the previous growing season and radial growth in the current year. The inverse relationship between February NAO and ringwidth is interesting as a positive NAO is generally associated with warmer and wetter winter conditions in the eastern U.S. The position of Itasca State Park may be just north and west of a hinge line between the dominance of cold dry arctic air that persists over central Canada during positive phases of the NAO and the front of warm wet air advecting off of the Atlantic High and into the eastern and central U.S.

Effects of release from suppression on wood functional characteristics in young Douglas-fir and western hemlock.

Treesearch

H.J. Renninger; B.L. Gartner; F.C. Meinzer

2006-01-01

We assessed differences in growth-ring width, specific conductivity (Ks), tracheid dimensions, moisture content, and wood density in suppressed Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) trees and trees released from suppression. Growth-ring width was 370 percent...

Impacts of climate and insect defoliators on productivity and function of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) in Alaskan boreal forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boyd, M. A.; Walker, X. J.; Rogers, B. M.; Goetz, S. J.; Wagner, D.; Mack, M. C.

2017-12-01

Climate change has increased tree mortality and growth decline in forested ecosystems worldwide. In response to warming and drying of the boreal forest, trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) has experienced recent large-scale productivity declines. Although declines in productivity are thought to be primarily a result of moistures stress, infestation is another major driver of aspen decline and may interact strongly with climate. Throughout interior Alaska widespread and consistent foliar damage by the aspen epidermal leaf miner Phyllocnistis populiella has been observed concurrent with some of the warmest and driest growing seasons on record. Here we use tree ring measurements and remote sensing indices of vegetation productivity (NDVI) to study the influence of leaf miner and climate on aspen productivity and physiology in the Alaskan boreal forest, and assess if NDVI reflects variations in these ground-based measurements. We assessed ring width and tree ring stable carbon isotope (d13C) response of aspen to infestation and a climate moisture index (CMI) from 2004 - 2014. We found that when growth was negatively correlated to infestation, then it was no longer positively influenced by moisture availability during the growing season. Regardless of the radial growth response to leaf mining, tree ring d13C decreased with increasing infestation. We also found that NDVI was influenced by leaf mining and showed a positive correlation with tree ring d13C, which suggests that NDVI is reflective of changes in tree characteristics under leaf mining that influence tree ring d13C. This finding also reveals the prospect of using satellite data to monitor fluctuations in tree physiology during leaf miner infestation. Our results indicate that aspen productivity will be severely hindered during leaf miner infestation, and that infestation will inhibit the ability of aspen to respond to favorable climate conditions by increasing growth and potentially photosynthesis. This suggests that the productivity, reproduction, and health of aspen in boreal forests, and in turn any related biophysical or carbon sequestration benefits, may become limited under future warming if infestation by leaf miner continues or accelerates.

Process model simulations of the divergence effect

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anchukaitis, K. J.; Evans, M. N.; D'Arrigo, R. D.; Smerdon, J. E.; Hughes, M. K.; Kaplan, A.; Vaganov, E. A.

2007-12-01

We explore the extent to which the Vaganov-Shashkin (VS) model of conifer tree-ring formation can explain evidence for changing relationships between climate and tree growth over recent decades. The VS model is driven by daily environmental forcing (temperature, soil moisture, and solar radiation), and simulates tree-ring growth cell-by-cell as a function of the most limiting environmental control. This simplified representation of tree physiology allows us to examine using a selection of case studies whether instances of divergence may be explained in terms of changes in limiting environmental dependencies or transient climate change. Identification of model-data differences permits further exploration of the effects of tree-ring standardization, atmospheric composition, and additional non-climatic factors.

Rapid warming accelerates tree growth decline in semi-arid forests of Inner Asia.

PubMed

Liu, Hongyan; Park Williams, A; Allen, Craig D; Guo, Dali; Wu, Xiuchen; Anenkhonov, Oleg A; Liang, Eryuan; Sandanov, Denis V; Yin, Yi; Qi, Zhaohuan; Badmaeva, Natalya K

2013-08-01

Forests around the world are subject to risk of high rates of tree growth decline and increased tree mortality from combinations of climate warming and drought, notably in semi-arid settings. Here, we assess how climate warming has affected tree growth in one of the world's most extensive zones of semi-arid forests, in Inner Asia, a region where lack of data limits our understanding of how climate change may impact forests. We show that pervasive tree growth declines since 1994 in Inner Asia have been confined to semi-arid forests, where growing season water stress has been rising due to warming-induced increases in atmospheric moisture demand. A causal link between increasing drought and declining growth at semi-arid sites is corroborated by correlation analyses comparing annual climate data to records of tree-ring widths. These ring-width records tend to be substantially more sensitive to drought variability at semi-arid sites than at semi-humid sites. Fire occurrence and insect/pathogen attacks have increased in tandem with the most recent (2007-2009) documented episode of tree mortality. If warming in Inner Asia continues, further increases in forest stress and tree mortality could be expected, potentially driving the eventual regional loss of current semi-arid forests. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Manipulative experiments demonstrate how long-term soil moisture changes alter controls of plant water use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grossiord, Charlotte; Sevanto, Sanna Annika; Limousin, Jean -Marc

Tree transpiration depends on biotic and abiotic factors that might change in the future, including precipitation and soil moisture status. Although short-term sap flux responses to soil moisture and evaporative demand have been the subject of attention before, the relative sensitivity of sap flux to these two factors under long-term changes in soil moisture conditions has rarely been determined experimentally. We tested how long-term artificial change in soil moisture affects the sensitivity of tree-level sap flux to daily atmospheric vapor pressure deficit ( VPD) and soil moisture variations, and the generality of these effects across forest types and environments usingmore » four manipulative sites in mature forests. Exposure to relatively long-term (two to six years) soil moisture reduction decreases tree sap flux sensitivity to daily VPD and relative extractable water ( REW) variations, leading to lower sap flux even under high soil moisture and optimal VPD. Inversely, trees subjected to long-term irrigation showed a significant increase in their sensitivity to daily VPD and REW, but only at the most water-limited site. The ratio between the relative change in soil moisture manipulation and the relative change in sap flux sensitivity to VPD and REW variations was similar across sites suggesting common adjustment mechanisms to long-term soil moisture status across environments for evergreen tree species. Altogether, our results show that long-term changes in soil water availability, and subsequent adjustments to these novel conditions, could play a critical and increasingly important role in controlling forest water use in the future.« less

Manipulative experiments demonstrate how long-term soil moisture changes alter controls of plant water use

DOE PAGES

Grossiord, Charlotte; Sevanto, Sanna Annika; Limousin, Jean -Marc; ...

2017-12-14

Tree transpiration depends on biotic and abiotic factors that might change in the future, including precipitation and soil moisture status. Although short-term sap flux responses to soil moisture and evaporative demand have been the subject of attention before, the relative sensitivity of sap flux to these two factors under long-term changes in soil moisture conditions has rarely been determined experimentally. We tested how long-term artificial change in soil moisture affects the sensitivity of tree-level sap flux to daily atmospheric vapor pressure deficit ( VPD) and soil moisture variations, and the generality of these effects across forest types and environments usingmore » four manipulative sites in mature forests. Exposure to relatively long-term (two to six years) soil moisture reduction decreases tree sap flux sensitivity to daily VPD and relative extractable water ( REW) variations, leading to lower sap flux even under high soil moisture and optimal VPD. Inversely, trees subjected to long-term irrigation showed a significant increase in their sensitivity to daily VPD and REW, but only at the most water-limited site. The ratio between the relative change in soil moisture manipulation and the relative change in sap flux sensitivity to VPD and REW variations was similar across sites suggesting common adjustment mechanisms to long-term soil moisture status across environments for evergreen tree species. Altogether, our results show that long-term changes in soil water availability, and subsequent adjustments to these novel conditions, could play a critical and increasingly important role in controlling forest water use in the future.« less

Manipulative experiments demonstrate how long-term soil moisture changes alter controls of plant water use

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grossiord, Charlotte; Sevanto, Sanna; Limousin, Jean-Marc

Tree transpiration depends on biotic and abiotic factors that might change in the future, including precipitation and soil moisture status. Although short-term sap flux responses to soil moisture and evaporative demand have been the subject of attention before, the relative sensitivity of sap flux to these two factors under long-term changes in soil moisture conditions has rarely been determined experimentally. We tested how long-term artificial change in soil moisture affects the sensitivity of tree-level sap flux to daily atmospheric vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and soil moisture variations, and the generality of these effects across forest types and environments using fourmore » manipulative sites in mature forests. Exposure to relatively long-term (two to six years) soil moisture reduction decreases tree sap flux sensitivity to daily VPD and relative extractable water (REW) variations, leading to lower sap flux even under high soil moisture and optimal VPD. Inversely, trees subjected to long-term irrigation showed a significant increase in their sensitivity to daily VPD and REW, but only at the most water-limited site. The ratio between the relative change in soil moisture manipulation and the relative change in sap flux sensitivity to VPD and REW variations was similar across sites suggesting common adjustment mechanisms to long-term soil moisture status across environments for evergreen tree species. Overall, our results show that long-term changes in soil water availability, and subsequent adjustments to these novel conditions, could play a critical and increasingly important role in controlling forest water use in the future.« less

Detecting influences on California drought intervals using isotopes in tree-ring cellulose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanner, L. C.; Buenning, N. H.; Stott, L. D.; Stahle, D. W.

2012-12-01

Multi-decadal drought events have characterized climate variability in California over the last century. However, the causes of interannual precipitation variability and the origins of multi-decadal drought in California remain unclear. We utilize the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of tree-ring cellulose in combination with previously developed ring-width measurements to trace the delivery of moisture to the region and investigate ocean-atmosphere patterns that might generate prolonged drought. Of the 36 Quercus douglasii (blue oak) sites in the California central valley, we have focused our work at two locations - one north of Los Angeles (34.74°N, 120°W, 1036 masl) and the other east of San Francisco (37.88°N 121.97°W, 182 masl). Using cores from at least five different trees at each location, tree-ring cellulose δ18O was measured for each year of growth from 1954 to 2004. The δ18O values of tree-ring cellulose range from 29‰ to 34‰ (VSMOW) at both sites and exhibit shared interannual variance (r = 0.43, p < 0.01). To trace changes in moisture delivery, we apply a biophysical model of cellulose δ18O and derive a proxy for rainfall δ18O. A reasonable approximation of rainfall δ18O is soil water δ18O, which, based on the biophysical model, can be estimated using cellulose δ18O, relative humidity, and temperature. High-resolution climate data from PRISM are combined with our cellulose measurements to compute soil water δ18O (and thus rainfall δ18O). Calculated rainfall δ18O is well correlated between the two locations (r = 0.55, p < 0.001) and the variance in δ18O at each site is 6‰. In terms of regional climate changes, our rainfall δ18O proxy exhibits a positive correlation with local precipitation amount, inferred from tree-ring width (r = 0.66, p < 0.001). This positive correlation suggests rainfall amount cannot be the main influence on the isotopic composition because changes in δ18O solely due to amount typically occur in the negative direction (the so-called amount effect usually observed in the tropics). Instead, we hypothesize that shifts in the moisture source region are of primary importance because moisture from high latitude sources has a lower isotopic composition compared to subtropical regions. Using NCAR reanalysis data, wind field anomalies suggest that moisture is derived from the north during dry years (low δ18O) and from the subtropics during wet years (high δ18O). Additional processes such as condensation height and post-condensation effects may also be important in controlling isotopic variability.

Tree-ring chronologies and stable carbon isotopic composition reveal impacts of hydro-climate change on bottomland hardwood forests of South-Central Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deshpande, A. G.; Lafon, C. W.; Hyodo, A.; Boutton, T. W.; Moore, G. W.

2017-12-01

Over the last three decades, South-Central Texas has experienced an increase in frequency and intensity of hydro-climatic anomalies such as extreme droughts and floods. These extreme events can have negative impacts on forest health and can strongly alter a wide range of ecosystem processes. Tree increment growth in bottomland hardwood forests is influenced by droughts and floods, which affects the carbon isotope values (δ13C) in tree-ring cellulose. This study aims to assess the impacts of hydro-climate change on the growth and physiological response of bottomland hardwood forests by investigating variations in radial growth and tree-ring carbon isotopic composition. Annual ring-width chronologies for 41 years (1975-2016) were developed from 24 water oak (Quercus nigra) trees at 4 sites along a 25 km transect located in the San Bernard River watershed. The δ13C values in cellulose were measured from 4-year ring composites including years with anomalously high and low precipitation. Dendroclimatology analysis involved correlating ring-width index with precipitation records and Palmer Drought Sensitivity Index (PDSI). Radial growth was more closely associated with spring-summer (Feb-Aug) precipitation (R2 = 0.42, p<0.001) and PDSI (R2 = 0.39, p<0.001), especially the months of May, June and July. Specifically, ring widths were found to be most sensitive to the drought intensity for July. We found that both excessive drought and excessive wetness induced stress, as indicated by narrower growth rings and increased cellulose δ13C. However, the inter-site variation in δ13C indicated large hydro-climatic variation between sites (2.79-4.24‰ for wet years and 0.53-1.50‰ for drought years). δ13C values showed an increase of 0.78‰ and 2.40‰ from the wettest (1991-1994) to the driest period (2008-2011) at two of our sites, possibly due to drought-induced moisture-deficit-stress. However, at the other two sites, the δ13C values of tree rings from the same periods decreased by 0.65‰ and 1.19‰, possibly emanating from flooding-induced stress caused by waterlogging. This study provides insights on how hydro-climatic variations affect riparian forest health in the region and acts as a baseline for predicting future ecohydrological impacts of floods and droughts on these forests.

UV-laser-based microscopic dissection of tree rings - a novel sampling tool for δ(13) C and δ(18) O studies.

PubMed

Schollaen, Karina; Heinrich, Ingo; Helle, Gerhard

2014-02-01

UV-laser-based microscopic systems were utilized to dissect and sample organic tissue for stable isotope measurements from thin wood cross-sections. We tested UV-laser-based microscopic tissue dissection in practice for high-resolution isotopic analyses (δ(13) C/δ(18) O) on thin cross-sections from different tree species. The method allows serial isolation of tissue of any shape and from millimetre down to micrometre scales. On-screen pre-defined areas of interest were automatically dissected and collected for mass spectrometric analysis. Three examples of high-resolution isotopic analyses revealed that: in comparison to δ(13) C of xylem cells, woody ray parenchyma of deciduous trees have the same year-to-year variability, but reveal offsets that are opposite in sign depending on whether wholewood or cellulose is considered; high-resolution tree-ring δ(18) O profiles of Indonesian teak reflect monsoonal rainfall patterns and are sensitive to rainfall extremes caused by ENSO; and seasonal moisture signals in intra-tree-ring δ(18) O of white pine are weighted by nonlinear intra-annual growth dynamics. The applications demonstrate that the use of UV-laser-based microscopic dissection allows for sampling plant tissue at ultrahigh resolution and unprecedented precision. This new technique facilitates sampling for stable isotope analysis of anatomical plant traits like combined tree eco-physiological, wood anatomical and dendroclimatological studies. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

Cluster analyses of 20th century growth patterns in high elevation Great Basin bristlecone pine in the Snake Mountain Range, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, T. J.; Bruening, J. M.; Bunn, A. G.; Salzer, M. W.; Weiss, S. B.

2015-12-01

Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva) is a useful climate proxy because of the species' long lifespan (up to 5000 years) and the climatic sensitivity of its annually-resolved rings. Past studies have shown that growth of individual trees can be limited by temperature, soil moisture, or a combination of the two depending on biophysical setting at the scale of tens of meters. We extend recent research suggesting that trees vary in their growth response depending on their position on the landscape to analyze how growth patterns vary over time. We used hierarchical cluster analysis to examine the growth of 52 bristlecone pine trees near the treeline of Mount Washington, Nevada, USA. We classified growth of individual trees over the instrumental climate record into one of two possible scenarios: trees belonging to a temperature-sensitive cluster and trees belonging to a precipitation-sensitive cluster. The number of trees in the precipitation-sensitive cluster outnumbered the number of trees in the temperature-sensitive cluster, with trees in colder locations belonging to the temperature-sensitive cluster. When we separated the temporal range into two sections (1895-1949 and 1950-2002) spanning the length of the instrumental climate record, we found that most of the 52 trees remained loyal to their cluster membership (e.g., trees in the temperature-sensitive cluster in 1895-1949 were also in the temperature sensitive cluster in 1950-2002), though not without exception. Of those trees that do not remain consistent in cluster membership, the majority changed from temperature-sensitive to precipitation-sensitive as time progressed. This could signal a switch from temperature limitation to water limitation with warming climate. We speculate that topographic complexity in high mountain environments like Mount Washington might allow for climate refugia where growth response could remain constant over the Holocene.

Predicting tree biomass growth in the temperate-boreal ecotone: is tree size, age, competition or climate response most important?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Foster, Jane R.; Finley, Andrew O.; D'Amato, Anthony W.; Bradford, John B.; Banerjee, Sudipto

2016-01-01

As global temperatures rise, variation in annual climate is also changing, with unknown consequences for forest biomes. Growing forests have the ability to capture atmospheric CO2and thereby slow rising CO2 concentrations. Forests’ ongoing ability to sequester C depends on how tree communities respond to changes in climate variation. Much of what we know about tree and forest response to climate variation comes from tree-ring records. Yet typical tree-ring datasets and models do not capture the diversity of climate responses that exist within and among trees and species. We address this issue using a model that estimates individual tree response to climate variables while accounting for variation in individuals’ size, age, competitive status, and spatially structured latent covariates. Our model allows for inference about variance within and among species. We quantify how variables influence aboveground biomass growth of individual trees from a representative sample of 15 northern or southern tree species growing in a transition zone between boreal and temperate biomes. Individual trees varied in their growth response to fluctuating mean annual temperature and summer moisture stress. The variation among individuals within a species was wider than mean differences among species. The effects of mean temperature and summer moisture stress interacted, such that warm years produced positive responses to summer moisture availability and cool years produced negative responses. As climate models project significant increases in annual temperatures, growth of species likeAcer saccharum, Quercus rubra, and Picea glauca will vary more in response to summer moisture stress than in the past. The magnitude of biomass growth variation in response to annual climate was 92–95% smaller than responses to tree size and age. This means that measuring or predicting the physical structure of current and future forests could tell us more about future C dynamics than growth responses related to climate change alone.

Predicting tree biomass growth in the temperate-boreal ecotone: Is tree size, age, competition, or climate response most important?

PubMed

Foster, Jane R; Finley, Andrew O; D'Amato, Anthony W; Bradford, John B; Banerjee, Sudipto

2016-06-01

As global temperatures rise, variation in annual climate is also changing, with unknown consequences for forest biomes. Growing forests have the ability to capture atmospheric CO2 and thereby slow rising CO2 concentrations. Forests' ongoing ability to sequester C depends on how tree communities respond to changes in climate variation. Much of what we know about tree and forest response to climate variation comes from tree-ring records. Yet typical tree-ring datasets and models do not capture the diversity of climate responses that exist within and among trees and species. We address this issue using a model that estimates individual tree response to climate variables while accounting for variation in individuals' size, age, competitive status, and spatially structured latent covariates. Our model allows for inference about variance within and among species. We quantify how variables influence aboveground biomass growth of individual trees from a representative sample of 15 northern or southern tree species growing in a transition zone between boreal and temperate biomes. Individual trees varied in their growth response to fluctuating mean annual temperature and summer moisture stress. The variation among individuals within a species was wider than mean differences among species. The effects of mean temperature and summer moisture stress interacted, such that warm years produced positive responses to summer moisture availability and cool years produced negative responses. As climate models project significant increases in annual temperatures, growth of species like Acer saccharum, Quercus rubra, and Picea glauca will vary more in response to summer moisture stress than in the past. The magnitude of biomass growth variation in response to annual climate was 92-95% smaller than responses to tree size and age. This means that measuring or predicting the physical structure of current and future forests could tell us more about future C dynamics than growth responses related to climate change alone. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assimilation of pseudo-tree-ring-width observations into an atmospheric general circulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acevedo, Walter; Fallah, Bijan; Reich, Sebastian; Cubasch, Ulrich

2017-05-01

Paleoclimate data assimilation (DA) is a promising technique to systematically combine the information from climate model simulations and proxy records. Here, we investigate the assimilation of tree-ring-width (TRW) chronologies into an atmospheric global climate model using ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) techniques and a process-based tree-growth forward model as an observation operator. Our results, within a perfect-model experiment setting, indicate that the "online DA" approach did not outperform the "off-line" one, despite its considerable additional implementation complexity. On the other hand, it was observed that the nonlinear response of tree growth to surface temperature and soil moisture does deteriorate the operation of the time-averaged EnKF methodology. Moreover, for the first time we show that this skill loss appears significantly sensitive to the structure of the growth rate function, used to represent the principle of limiting factors (PLF) within the forward model. In general, our experiments showed that the error reduction achieved by assimilating pseudo-TRW chronologies is modulated by the magnitude of the yearly internal variability in the model. This result might help the dendrochronology community to optimize their sampling efforts.

Tree-ring analysis of ancient baldcypress trees and subfossil wood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, David W.; Burnette, Dorian J.; Villanueva, Jose; Cerano, Julian; Fye, Falko K.; Griffin, R. Daniel; Cleaveland, Malcolm K.; Stahle, Daniel K.; Edmondson, Jesse R.; Wolff, Kathryn P.

2012-02-01

Ancient baldcypress trees found in wetland and riverine environments have been used to develop a network of exactly dated annual ring-width chronologies extending from the southeastern United States, across Mexico, and into western Guatemala. These chronologies are sensitive to growing season precipitation in spite of frequently flooded site conditions, and have been used to reconstruct moisture levels the southeastern United States and Mexico for over 1000 years. The El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a major influence on the climate reconstructions derived from these baldcypress chronologies, especially in Mexico where some of the most extreme reconstructed droughts occurred during El Nino events. In the Southeast, the ENSO influence on climate and tree growth changes sign from spring to summer, and this change in dynamical forcing is recorded by sub-seasonal chronologies of earlywood and latewood width. Most existing baldcypress chronologies have been extended with tree-ring data from "subfossil" wood recovered from surface and submerged deposits. Well-preserved subfossil logs have also been recovered in quantity from buried deposits of great age, and may permit development of long continuously dated Holocene chronologies and discontinuous "floating" Pleistocene chronologies. The extensive subfossil baldcypress swamp discovered 6 m below the streets of Washington D.C. was overrun by a transgression of the Potomac estuary, possibly during the previous super interglacial (marine OIS 5e), and provides direct evidence for one potential impact of unmitigated anthropogenic warming and sea level rise.

Regional drought shifts (1710-2010) in East Central Asia and linkages with atmospheric circulation recorded in tree-ring δ18O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Guobao; Liu, Xiaohong; Trouet, Valerie; Treydte, Kerstin; Wu, Guoju; Chen, Tuo; Sun, Weizhen; An, Wenling; Wang, Wenzhi; Zeng, Xiaomin; Qin, Dahe

2018-04-01

Drought occurrence and duration in central Asia are of important socioeconomic, ecological, and geophysical significance and have received increasing research attention in recent years. Understanding long-term drought trends and their driving forces require reliable records of past drought variability with broad spatial representativeness. Here, we compiled four tree-ring δ18O records from eastern central Asia (ECA) and composited them into a drought-sensitive proxy to explore regional ECA moisture variations over the past 301 years (1710-2010 CE). A robust regional standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI) reconstruction was established based on the tree-ring cellulose δ18O fractionation mechanism and statistically significant proxy-climate relationships. We identified prominent droughts in 1710-1770, 1810-1830, and the beginning of the twenty-first century, and a regime shift to a persistently wet period from the 1880s to 2000. Our reconstruction reveals the impact of drought and pluvial patterns on the decline of Zhungar Empire, and on historical agricultural and socio-economical activities, including increased migration into ECA during the 1770-1800 pluvial. Our findings also suggest that wet conditions in the twentieth century in ECA were related to a strengthening of the westerly circulation and thus shed light on large-scale atmospheric circulation dynamics in central Asia.

Development of a rainfall sensitive tree-ring chronology in Zimbabwe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stahle, D.W.; Cleaveland, M.K.; Nicholson, S.E.

1997-11-01

This paper reports the discovery of annual tree ring formation in two species of trees in Zimbabwe and describes their paleoclimatic reconstruction potential. Due to the strong influence of El Nino-Southern Oscillation on the climate and crop yields of Zimbabwe and surrenting areas, and the rarity of annual tree ring chronologies in the tropics, the discovery of climatically sensitive growth rings is extremely significant. In particular, the Pterocarpus angolensis shows a strong correlation between the derived tree ring chronology and regional rainfall amounts. Based on sampling at the Sikumi Forest, it is speculated that P. angolensis may routinely achieve overmore » 200 years in age. Four lines of evidence are identified which indicate that the semi-ring porous growth bands in P. angolensis are exactly annual growth rings. 18 refs., 3 figs.« less

An 1800-yr record of decadal-scale hydroclimatic variability in the upper Arkansas River basin from bristlecone pine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodhouse, C.A.; Pederson, G.T.; Gray, S.T.

2011-01-01

Bristlecone pine trees are exceptionally long-lived, and with the incorporation of remnant material have been used to construct multi-millennial length ring-width chronologies. These chronologies can provide valuable information about past temperature and moisture variability. In this study, we outline a method to build a moisture-sensitive bristlecone chronology and assess the robustness and consistency of this sensitivity over the past 1200. yr using new reconstructions of Arkansas River flow (AD 1275-2002 and 1577-2002) and the summer Palmer Drought Sensitivity Index. The chronology, a composite built from parts of three collections in the central Rocky Mountains, is a proxy for decadal-scale moisture variability for the past 18 centuries. Since the sample size is small in some portions of the time series, the chronology should be considered preliminary; the timing and duration of drought events are likely the most robust characteristics. This chronology suggests that the region experienced increased aridity during the medieval period, as did much of western North America, but that the timing and duration of drought episodes within this period were somewhat different from those in other western locations, such as the upper Colorado River basin. ?? 2010 University of Washington.

Herbivory, plant resistance, and climate in the tree ring record: Interactions distort climatic reconstructions

PubMed Central

Trotter, R. Talbot; Cobb, Neil S.; Whitham, Thomas G.

2002-01-01

To understand climate change, dendrochronologists have used tree ring analyses to reconstruct past climates, as well as ecological processes such as herbivore population dynamics. Such reconstructions, however, have been hindered by a lack of experiments that separate the influences of confounding impacts on tree rings, such as herbivores and the interactions of multiple factors. Our long-term experiments with scale insects on resistant and susceptible pines demonstrate three major points that are important to the application of this commonly used tool. (i) Herbivory reduced tree ring growth by 25–35%. (ii) The impact on ring growth distorted climate reconstruction, resulting in the overestimation of past moisture levels by more than 2-fold. Our data suggest that, if distortion because of herbivory has been a problem in previous reconstructions, estimates of the magnitude of recent climate changes are likely to be conservative. (iii) Our studies support a detectible plant resistance × herbivore × climate interaction in the tree ring record. Because resistance and susceptibility to herbivory are known to be genetically based in many systems, the potential exists to incorporate plant genetics into the field of dendrochronology, where it may be used to screen distortions from the tree ring record. PMID:12110729

Total water storage dynamics derived from tree-ring records and terrestrial gravity observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creutzfeldt, Benjamin; Heinrich, Ingo; Merz, Bruno

2015-10-01

For both societal and ecological reasons, it is important to understand past and future subsurface water dynamics but estimating subsurface water storage is notoriously difficult. In this pilot study, we suggest the reconstruction of subsurface water dynamics by a multi-disciplinary approach combining hydrology, dendrochronology and geodesy. In a first step, nine complete years of high-precision gravimeter observations are used to estimate water storage changes in the subsurface at the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell in the Bavarian Forest, Germany. The record is extended to 63 years by calibrating a hydrological model against the 9 years of gravimeter observations. The relationship between tree-ring growth and water storage changes is evaluated as well as that between tree-ring growth and supplementary hydro-meteorological data. Results suggest that tree-ring growth is influenced primarily by subsurface water storage. Other variables related to the overall moisture status (e.g., Standardized Precipitation Index, Palmer Drought Severity Index, streamflow) are also strongly correlated with tree-ring width. While these indices are all indicators of water stored in the landscape, water storage changes of the subsurface estimated by depth-integral measurements give us the unique opportunity to directly reconstruct subsurface water storage dynamics from records of tree-ring width. Such long reconstructions will improve our knowledge of past water storage variations and our ability to predict future developments. Finally, knowing the relationship between subsurface storage dynamics and tree-ring growth improves the understanding of the different signal components contained in tree-ring chronologies.

Spring-Summer Temperatures Since AD 1780 Reconstructed from Stable Oxygen Isotope Ratios in White Spruce Tree-Rings from the Mackenzie Delta, Northwestern Canada

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Porter, Trevor J.; Pisaric, Michael F. J.; Field, Robert D.; Kokelj, Steven V.; Edwards, Thomas W. D.; deMontigny, Peter; Healy, Richard; LeGrande, Allegra N.

2013-01-01

High-latitude delta(exp 18)O archives deriving from meteoric water (e.g., tree-rings and ice-cores) can provide valuable information on past temperature variability, but stationarity of temperature signals in these archives depends on the stability of moisture source/trajectory and precipitation seasonality, both of which can be affected by atmospheric circulation changes. A tree-ring delta(exp 18)O record (AD 1780-2003) from the Mackenzie Delta is evaluated as a temperature proxy based on linear regression diagnostics. The primary source of moisture for this region is the North Pacific and, thus, North Pacific atmospheric circulation variability could potentially affect the tree-ring delta(exp 18)O-temperature signal. Over the instrumental period (AD 1892-2003), tree-ring delta(exp 18)O explained 29% of interannual variability in April-July minimum temperatures, and the explained variability increases substantially at lower-frequencies. A split-period calibration/verification analysis found the delta(exp 18)O-temperature relation was time-stable, which supported a temperature reconstruction back to AD 1780. The stability of the delta(exp 18)O-temperature signal indirectly implies the study region is insensitive to North Pacific circulation effects, since North Pacific circulation was not constant over the calibration period. Simulations from the NASA-GISS ModelE isotope-enabled general circulation model confirm that meteoric delta(exp 18)O and precipitation seasonality in the study region are likely insensitive to North Pacific circulation effects, highlighting the paleoclimatic value of tree-ring and possibly other delta(exp 18)O records from this region. Our delta(exp 18)O-based temperature reconstruction is the first of its kind in northwestern North America, and one of few worldwide, and provides a long-term context for evaluating recent climate warming in the Mackenzie Delta region.

Reconstruction of precipitation variability in Estonia since the eighteenth century, inferred from oak and spruce tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helama, Samuli; Sohar, Kristina; Läänelaid, Alar; Bijak, Szymon; Jaagus, Jaak

2018-06-01

There is plenty of evidence for intensification of the global hydrological cycle. In Europe, the northern areas are predicted to receive more precipitation in the future and observational evidence suggests a parallel trend over the past decades. As a consequence, it would be essential to place the recent trend in precipitation in the context of proxy-based estimates of reconstructed precipitation variability over the past centuries. Tree rings are frequently used as proxy data for palaeoclimate reconstructions. Here we use deciduous ( Quercus robur) and coniferous ( Picea abies) tree-ring width chronologies from western Estonia to deduce past early-summer (June) precipitation variability since 1771. Statistical model transforming our tree-ring data into estimates of precipitation sums explains 42% of the variance in instrumental variability. Comparisons with products of gridded reconstructions of soil moisture and summer precipitation illustrate robust correlations with soil moisture (Palmer Drought Severity Index), but lowered correlation with summer precipitation estimates prior to mid-nineteenth century, these instabilities possibly reflecting the general uncertainties inherent to early meteorological and proxy data. Reconstructed precipitation variability was negatively correlated to the teleconnection indices of the North Atlantic Oscillation and the Scandinavia pattern, on annual to decadal and longer scales. These relationships demonstrate the positive precipitation anomalies to result from increase in zonal inflow and cyclonic activity, the negative anomalies being linked with the high pressure conditions enhanced during the atmospheric blocking episodes. Recently, the instrumental data have demonstrated a remarkable increase in summer (June) precipitation in the study region. Our tree-ring based reconstruction reproduces this trend in the context of precipitation history since eighteenth century and quantifies the unprecedented abundance of June precipitation over the recent years.

Informing tree-ring reconstructions with automated dendrometer data: the case of single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla) from Great Basin National Park, Nevada, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biondi, F.

2012-12-01

One of the most pressing issues in modern tree-ring science is to reduce uncertainty of reconstructions while emphasizing that the composition and dynamics of modern ecosystems cannot be understood from the present alone. I present here the latest results from research on the environmental factors that control radial growth of single-leaf pinyon (Pinus monophylla) in the Great Basin of North America using dendrometer data collected at half-hour intervals during two full growing season, 2010 and 2011. Automated (solar-powered) sensors at the site consisted of 8 point dendrometers installed on 7 trees to measure stem size, together with environmental probes that recorded air temperature, soil temperature and soil moisture. Additional meteorological variables at hourly timesteps were available from the EPA-CASTNET station located within 100 m of the dendrometer site. Daily cycles of stem expansion and contraction were quantified using the approach of Deslauriers et al. 2011, and the amount of daily radial stem increment was regressed against environmental variables. Graphical and numerical results showed that tree growth is relatively insensitive to surface soil moisture during the growing season. This finding corroborates empirical dendroclimatic results that showed how tree-ring chronologies of single-leaf pinyon are mostly a proxy for the balance between winter-spring precipitation supply and growing season evapotranspiration demand, thereby making it an ideal species for drought reconstructions.

Inferring long-term carbon sequestration from tree rings at Harvard Forest: A calibration approach using tree ring widths and geochemistry / flux tower data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belmecheri, S.; Maxwell, S.; Davis, K. J.; Alan, T. H.

2012-12-01

Improving the prediction skill of terrestrial carbon cycle models is important for reducing the uncertainties in global carbon cycle and climate projections. Additional evaluation and calibration of carbon models is required, using both observations and long-term proxy-derived data. Centennial-length data could be obtained from tree-rings archives that provide long continuous series of past forest growth changes with accurate annual resolution. Here we present results from a study conducted at Harvard Forest (Petersham, Massachusetts). The study examines the potential relationship between δ13C in dominant trees and GPP and/or NEE measured by the Harvard Forest flux tower (1992-2010). We have analyzed the δ13C composition of late wood-cellulose over the last 18 years from eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra) trees growing in the flux tower footprint. δ13C values, corrected for the declining trend of atmospheric δ13C, show a decreasing trend from 1992 to 2010 and therefore a significant increase in discrimination (Δ). The intra-cellular CO2 (Ci) calculated from Δ shows a significant increase for both tree species and follows the same rate of atmospheric CO2 (Ca) increase (Ci/Ca increases). Interestingly, the net Ci and Δ increase observed for both species did not result in an increase of the iWUE. Ci/Ca is strongly related to the growing season Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for both species thus indicating a significant relationship between soil moisture conditions and stomatal conductance. The Ci trend is interpreted as a result of higher CO2 assimilation in response to increasing soil moisture allowing a longer stomata opening and therefore stimulating tree growth. This interpretation is consistent with the observed increase in GPP and the strengthening of the carbon sink (more negative NEE). Additionally, the decadal trends of basal area increment (BAI) calculated from tree-ring widths exhibit a positive trend over the last two decade. Tree-ring width and δ13C results show the potential of these parameters as proxies for reconstructions of past CO2 assimilation and carbon sequestration by woody biomass beyond the time span covered by calibration data, and extending to the centennial time scales encompassed by tree-ring records.

The Mexican Drought Atlas: Tree-Ring Reconstructions of the Soil Moisture Balance During the Late Pre-Hispanic, Colonial, and Modern Eras

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stahle, David W.; Cook, Edward R.; Burnette, Dorian J.; Villanueva, Jose; Cerano, Julian; Burns, Jordan N.; Griffin, Daniel; Cook, Benjamin I.; Acuna, Rodolfo; Torbenson, Max C. A.;

The Mexican Drought Atlas: Tree-ring reconstructions of the soil moisture balance during the late pre-Hispanic, colonial, and modern eras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, David W.; Cook, Edward R.; Burnette, Dorian J.; Villanueva, Jose; Cerano, Julian; Burns, Jordan N.; Griffin, Daniel; Cook, Benjamin I.; Acuña, Rodolfo; Torbenson, Max C. A.; Szejner, Paul; Howard, Ian M.

2016-10-01

Mexico has suffered a long history and prehistory of severe sustained drought. Drought over Mexico is modulated by ocean-atmospheric variability in the Atlantic and Pacific, raising the possibility for long-range seasonal climate forecasting, which could help mediate the economic and social impacts of future dry spells. The instrumental record of Mexican climate is very limited before 1920, but tree-ring chronologies developed from old-growth forests in Mexico can provide an excellent proxy representation of the spatial pattern and intensity of past moisture regimes useful for the analysis of climate dynamics and climate impacts. The Mexican Drought Atlas (MXDA) has been developed from an extensive network of 252 climate sensitive tree-ring chronologies in and near Mexico. The MXDA reconstructions extend from 1400 CE-2012 and were calibrated with the instrumental summer (JJA) self-calibrating Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) on a 0.5° latitude/longitude grid extending over land areas from 14 to 34°N and 75-120°W using Ensemble Point-by-Point Regression (EPPR) for the 1944-1984 period. The grid point reconstructions were validated for the period 1920-1943 against instrumental gridded scPDSI values based on the fewer weather station observations available during that interval. The MXDA provides a new spatial perspective on the historical impacts of moisture extremes over Mexico during the past 600-years, including the Aztec Drought of One Rabbit in 1454, the drought of El Año de Hambre in 1785-1786, and the drought that preceded the Mexican Revolution of 1909-1910. The El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most important ocean-atmospheric forcing of moisture variability detected with the MXDA. In fact, the reconstructions suggest that the strongest central equatorial Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) teleconnection to the soil moisture balance over North America may reside in northern Mexico. This ENSO signal has stronger and more time-stable correlations than computed for either the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation or Pacific Decadal Oscillation. The extended Multivariate ENSO Index is most highly correlated with reconstructed scPDSI over northern Mexico, where warm events favor moist conditions during the winter, spring, and early summer. This ENSO teleconnection to northern Mexico has been strong over the past 150 years, but it has been comparatively weak and non-stationary in the MXDA over central and southern Mexico where eastern tropical Pacific and Caribbean/tropical Atlantic SSTs seem to be more important. The ENSO teleconnection to northern Mexico is weaker in the available instrumental PDSI, but analyses based on the millennium climate simulations with the Community Earth System Model suggest that the moisture balance during the winter, spring, and early summer over northern Mexico may indeed be particularly sensitive to ENSO forcing. Nationwide drought is predicted to become more common with anthropogenic climate change, but the MXDA reconstructions indicate that intense "All Mexico" droughts have been rare over the past 600 years and their frequency does not appear to have increased substantially in recent decades.

Runoff variations in Lake Balkhash Basin, Central Asia, 1779-2015, inferred from tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panyushkina, Irina P.; Meko, D. M.; Macklin, M. G.; Toonen, W. H. J.; Mukhamadiev, N. S.; Konovalov, V. G.; Ashikbaev, N. Z.; Sagitov, A. O.

2018-01-01

Long highly-resolved proxies for runoff are in high demand for hydrological forecasts and water management in arid Central Asia. An accurate (R2 = 0.53) reconstruction of October-September discharge of the Ili River in Kazakhstan, 1779-2015, is developed from moisture-sensitive tree rings of spruce sampled in the Tian Shan Mountains. The fivefold extension of the gauged discharge record represents the variability of runoff in the Lake Balkhash Basin for the last 235 years. The reconstruction shows a 40 year long interval of low discharge preceded a recent high peak in the first decade of the 2000s followed by a decline to more recent levels of discharge not seen since the start of the gauged record. Most reconstructed flow extremes (± 2σ) occur outside the instrumental record (1936-2015) and predate the start of large dam construction (1969). Decadal variability of the Ili discharge corresponds well with hydrological records of other Eurasian internal drainages modeled with tree rings. Spectral analysis identifies variance peaks (highest near 42 year) consistent with main hemispheric oscillations of the Eurasian climatic system. Seasonal comparison of the Ili discharge with sea-level-pressure and geopotential height data suggests periods of high flow likely result from the increased contribution of snow to runoff associated with the interaction of Arctic air circulation with the Siberian High-Pressure System and North Atlantic Oscillation.

The influence of summertime fog and overcast clouds on the growth of a coastal Californian pine: a tree-ring study.

PubMed

Williams, A Park; Still, Christopher J; Fischer, Douglas T; Leavitt, Steven W

2008-06-01

The coast of California is home to numerous rare, endemic conifers and other plants that are limited in distribution by drought sensitivity and the summer-dry climate that prevails across most of the state. Ecologists have long assumed that some coastal plant populations survived the early Pleistocene transition to a warmer and drier environment because they benefit from frequent fog and stratus clouds that provide water and shade during the rainless summer. One such population is that of Torrey pine (Pinus torreyana ssp. Insularis) on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park. Here we report that the tree-ring width record from this population indicates strong growth sensitivities to summer fog drip and cloud shading. We quantified the effects of summer cloud cover by comparing ring-width indices to coastal airport cloud-frequency records (1944-2004). For the first time observed, summertime cloud frequency correlated positively with ring-width indices, regardless of whether the effect of rainfall was first removed from the ring-width record. The effect of ground-level fog was strongest in July early mornings (03:00 PST, R(2) = 0.262, P < 0.0002). The effect of clouds high enough to provide shade but not fog water was also strongest in July, but climbed steadily throughout the day before becoming strongest in late afternoon (16:00-18:00 PST, R(2) = 0.148, P < 0.004). Correlations were substantially stronger in years with higher soil moisture, suggesting that growth response to summer clouds is strongly affected by pre-summer rainfall. A change in the height and/or timing of coastal cloud formation with climate change would likely affect this and other populations of California's coastal vegetation.

Imprint of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation on Tree-Ring Widths in Northeastern Asia since 1568

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaochun; Brown, Peter M.; Zhang, Yanni; Song, Laiping

2011-01-01

We present a new tree-ring reconstruction of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) spanning 1568–2007 CE from northeast Asia. Comparison of the instrumental AMO index, an existing tree-ring based AMO reconstruction, and this new record show strongly similar annual to multidecadal patterns of variation over the last 440 years. Warm phases of the AMO are related to increases in growth of Scots pine trees and moisture availability in northeast China and central eastern Siberia. Multi-tape method (MTM) and cross-wavelet analyses indicate that robust multidecadal (∼64–128 years) variability is present throughout the new proxy record. Our results have important implications concerning the influence of North Atlantic sea surface temperatures on East Asian climate, and provide support for the possibility of an AMO signature on global multidecadal climate variability. PMID:21818380

Long-term effects of drought on tree-ring growth and carbon isotope variability in Scots pine in a dry environment.

PubMed

Timofeeva, Galina; Treydte, Kerstin; Bugmann, Harald; Rigling, Andreas; Schaub, Marcus; Siegwolf, Rolf; Saurer, Matthias

2017-08-01

Drought frequency is increasing in many parts of the world and may enhance tree decline and mortality. The underlying physiological mechanisms are poorly understood, however, particularly regarding chronic effects of long-term drought and the response to increasing temperature and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). We combined analyses of radial growth and stable carbon isotope ratios (δ13C) in tree rings in a mature Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest over the 20th century to elucidate causes of tree mortality in one of the driest parts of the European Alps (Pfynwald, Switzerland). We further compared trees that have recently died with living trees in a 10-year irrigation experiment, where annual precipitation was doubled. We found a sustained growth increase and immediate depletion of δ13C values for irrigated trees, indicating higher stomatal conductance and thus indeed demonstrating that water is a key limiting factor for growth. Growth of the now-dead trees started declining in the mid-1980s, when both mean temperature and VPD increased strongly. But growth of these trees was reduced to some extent already several decades earlier, while intrinsic water-use efficiency derived from δ13C values was higher. This indicates a more conservative water-use strategy compared with surviving trees, possibly at the cost of low carbon uptake and long-term reduction of the needle mass. We observed reduced climatic sensitivity of raw tree-ring δ13C for the now-dead in contrast to surviving trees, indicating impaired stomatal regulation, although this difference between the tree groups was smaller after detrending the data. Higher autocorrelation and a lower inter-annual δ13C variability of the now-dead trees further indicates a strong dependence on (low) carbon reserves. We conclude that the recent increase in atmospheric moisture demand in combination with insufficient soil water supply was the main trigger for mortality of those trees that were weakened by long-term reduced carbon uptake. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Climate, Tree Growth, Forest Drought Stress, and Tree Mortality in Forests of Western North America: Long-Term Patterns and Recent Trends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, C. D.; Williams, P.

2012-12-01

Ongoing climate changes are increasingly affecting the world's forests, particularly including high latitude and high elevation coniferous forests. Although forest growth has improved in some regions due to greater growing season length and warmth (perhaps along with increased atmospheric CO2 or N), large growth declines or increased mortality from droughts or hotter temperatures also are being observed. We present and interpret information on regional variation in climate-tree growth relationships and trends, and on patterns and trends of climate-related forest disturbances, from western North America. From 235 tree-ring chronologies in the Southwest US we show that tree-ring growth records from warmer southwestern sites are more sensitive to temperature than tree-ring growth records from cooler southwestern sites. Assessment of 59 tree-ring records from 11 species in the Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest shows that trees growing in cool places respond positively to increased temperature and trees in warm places respond negatively, implying that trees historically not sensitive to temperature may become sensitive as mean temperatures warm. An analysis of 59 white spruce populations in Alaska supports the hypothesis that warming has caused tree growth to lose sensitivity to cold temperatures. Comparing ring widths to temperature during just the coldest 50% of years during the 20th century, tree growth was sensitive to cold temperatures, and this effect was strongest at the coldest sites; whereas during the warmest 50% of years, trees were not at all sensitive to cold temperatures, even at the cold sites. Drought and vapor pressure deficit are among the variables that emerge as being increasingly important to these Alaska boreal forests as mean temperatures rise. Most recently, from 346 tree-ring chronologies in the Southwest US we establish a tree-ring-based Forest Drought Stress Index (FDSI) for the three most widespread conifer species (Pinus edulis, Pinus ponderosa, and Pseudotsuga menziesii) in this region. FDSI responds sensitively and nonlinearly to growing season daily maximum temperatures which increase vapor pressure deficit, resulting in greater tree physiological stress and reduced tree growth. Drought conditions and warming temperatures in the Southwest since ca. 1996 have caused FDSI values in particular years since 2000 to start to exceed the most extreme values reconstructed from tree-rings for the past 1000 years for this region. FDSI demonstrates strong correlations with the spatial extent of major forest disturbances in the Southwest, including high-severity wildfire and bark beetle infestations, which over the past 20 years also have affected historically unprecedented levels. Similar trends of increasing extent and severity of forest disturbances are apparent across large portions of western North America. For the Southwest US, given relatively robust projections of substantial further increases in warmer temperatures and drought stress in coming decades, by ~2050 projected levels of FDSI and associated disturbances would reach extreme values, suggesting that current forest ecosystems likely would be forced to reorganize through wholesale tree mortality and the establishment of new dominant species.

Warm season tree growth and precipitation over Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Therrell, Matthew D.; Stahle, David W.; Cleaveland, Malcolm K.; Villanueva-Diaz, Jose

2002-07-01

We have developed a network of 18 new tree ring chronologies to examine the history of warm season tree growth over Mexico from 1780 to 1992. The chronologies include Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and Montezuma pine (Pinus montezumae Lamb.) latewood width, and Montezuma bald cypress (Taxodium mucronatum Ten.) total ring width. They are located in southwestern Texas, the Sierra Madre Oriental, Sierra Madre Occidental, and southern Mexico as far south as Oaxaca. Seven of these chronologies are among the first precipitation sensitive tree ring records from the American tropics. Principal component analysis of the chronologies indicates that the primary modes of tree growth variability are divided north and south by the Tropic of Cancer. The tree ring data in northern Mexico (PC1) are most sensitive to June-August rainfall, while the data from southern Mexico (PC2) are sensitive to rainfall in April-June. We find that the mode of tree growth variability over southern Mexico is significantly correlated with the onset of the North American Monsoon. Anomalies in monsoon onset, spring precipitation, and tree growth in southern Mexico all tend to be followed by precipitation anomalies of opposite sign later in the summer over most of central Mexico.

The Fate of Aspen in a World with Diminishing Snowpacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kavanagh, K.; Link, T. E.; Seyfried, M. S.; Kemp, K. B.

2010-12-01

Aspen (Populus tremuloides) productivity is tightly coupled with soil moisture. In the mountainous regions of the western USA, annual replenishment of soil moisture commonly occurs during snowmelt. Therefore, snow pack depth and duration can play an important role in sustaining aspen productivity. The presence of almost 50 years of detailed climate data across an elevational transect in the Reynolds Creek Experimental Watershed (RCEW) in southwestern Idaho offers a novel opportunity to better understand the role of shifting precipitation patterns on aspen productivity. Over the past 50 years, the proportion of the precipitation falling in the form of snow decreased by almost a factor of 2 at mid to low elevations in the RCEW, coupled with a roughly four week advance of snow ablation, and decline of large snow drifts that release moisture into the early summer. Results from growth ring increment, stable isotope analysis, sapflux and a process model (Biome BGC), will be used to determine the impact of shifting precipitation patterns on tree productivity along this transect over the past 50 years. Aspen trees located on moist microsites continue to transpire water and maintain high stomatal conductance 21 days later in the growing season relative to individuals on drier microsites. Predictions of net primary productivity (NPP) in aspen are very sensitive to precipitation patterns. NPP becomes negative as early as day 183 (90 days post budbreak) for years with little winter and spring precipitation whereas, in years with ample winter and spring precipitation, NPP remains positive until day 260 when leaf fall occurs. These results give unique insight into the conditions that deciduous tree species will encounter in a warming climate where snow water equivalent continues to diminish and soil moisture declines soon after budbreak occurs.

Geophysical imaging of root-zone, trunk, and moisture heterogeneity.

PubMed

Attia Al Hagrey, Said

2007-01-01

The most significant biotic and abiotic stress agents of water extremity, salinity, and infection lead to wood decay and modifications of moisture and ion content, and density. This strongly influences the (di-)electrical and mechanical properties and justifies the application of geophysical imaging techniques. These are less invasive and have high resolution in contrast to classical methods of destructive, single-point measurements for inspecting stresses in trees and soils. This review presents some in situ and in vivo applications of electric, radar, and seismic methods for studying water status and movement in soils, roots, and tree trunks. The electrical properties of a root-zone are a consequence of their moisture content. Electrical imaging discriminates resistive, woody roots from conductive, soft roots. Both types are recognized by low radar velocities and high attenuation. Single roots can generate diffraction hyperbolas in radargrams. Pedophysical relationships of water content to electrical resistivity and radar velocity are established by diverse infiltration experiments in the field, laboratory, and in the full-scale 'GeoModel' at Kiel University. Subsurface moisture distributions are derived from geophysical attribute models. The ring electrode technique around trunks images the growth ring structure of concentric resistivity, which is inversely proportional to the fluid content. Healthy trees show a central high resistivity within the dry heartwood that strongly decreases towards the peripheral wet sapwood. Observed structural deviations are caused by infection, decay, shooting, or predominant light and/or wind directions. Seismic trunk tomography also differentiates between decayed and healthy woods.

Simulated Tree Growth across the Northern Hemisphere and the Seasonality of Climate Signals Encoded within Tree-ring Widths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; St George, S.

2013-12-01

Both dendrochronological theory and regional and global networks of tree-ring width measurements indicate that trees can respond to climate variations quite differently from one location to another. To explain these geographical differences at hemispheric scale, we used a process-based model of tree-ring formation (the Vaganov-Shashkin model) to simulate tree growth at over 6000 locations across the Northern Hemisphere. We compared the seasonality and strength of climate signals in the simulated tree-ring records against parallel analysis conducted on a hemispheric network of real tree-ring observations, tested the ability of the model to reproduce behaviors that emerge from large networks of tree-ring widths and used the model outputs to explain why the network exhibits these behaviors. The simulated tree-ring records are consistent with observations with respect to the seasonality and relative strength of the encoded climate signals, and time-related changes in these climate signals can be predicted using the modeled relative growth rate due to temperature or soil moisture. The positive imprint of winter (DJF) precipitation is strongest in simulations from the American Southwest and northern Mexico as well as selected locations in the Mediterranean and central Asia. Summer (JJA) precipitation has higher positive correlations with simulations in the mid-latitudes, but some high-latitude coastal sites exhibit a negative association. The influence of summer temperature is mainly positive at high-latitude or high-altitude sites and negative in the mid-latitudes. The absolute magnitude of climate correlations are generally higher in simulations than in observations, but the pattern and geographical differences remain the same, demonstrating that the model has skill in reproducing tree-ring growth response to climate variability in the Northern Hemisphere. Because the model uses only temperature, precipitation and latitude as input and is not adjusted for species or other biological factors, the fact that the climate response of the simulations largely agrees with the observations may imply that climate, rather than biology, is the main factor that influences large-scale patterns of the climate information recorded by tree rings. Our results also suggest that the Vaganov-Shashkin model could be used to estimate the likely climate response of trees in ';frontier' areas that have not been sampled extensively. Seasonal Climate Correlations of Simulated Tree-ring Records

Dendroclimatic potential of plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) from the Northern Great Plains, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Edmonson, Jesse; Friedman, Jonathan; Meko, David; Touchan, Ramzi; Scott, Julian; Edmonson, Alan

2014-01-01

A new 368-year tree-ring chronology (A.D. 1643–2010) has been developed in western North Dakota using plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) growing on the relatively undisturbed floodplain of the Little Missouri River in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We document many slow-growing living trees between 150–370 years old that contradict the common understanding that cottonwoods grow fast and die young. In this northern location, cottonwood produces distinct annual rings with dramatic interannual variability that strongly crossdate. The detrended tree-ring chronology is significantly positively correlated with local growing season precipitation and soil moisture conditions (r  =  0.69). This time series shows periods of prolonged low radial tree growth during the known droughts of the instrumental record (e.g. 1931–1939 and 1980–1981) and also during prehistory (e.g. 1816–1823 and 1856–1865) when other paleoclimate studies have documented droughts in this region. Tree rings of cottonwood will be a useful tool to help reconstruct climate, streamflow, and the floodplain history of the Little Missouri River and other northern river systems.

Using Tree-Ring Data to Develop Critical Scientific and Mathematical Thinking Skills in Undergraduate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fiondella, F.; Davi, N. K.; Wattenberg, F.; Pringle, P. T.; Greidanus, I.; Oelkers, R.

2015-12-01

Tree-ring science provides an engaging, intuitive, and relevant entryway into understanding both climate change and environmental research. It also sheds light on the process of science--from inspiration, to fieldwork, to analysis, to publishing and communication. The basic premise of dendrochronology is that annual rings reflect year-to-year environmental conditions and that by studying long-lived trees we can learn about environmental and climatic conditions going back hundreds to thousands of years. Conceptually, this makes tree-ring studies accessible to students and faculty for a number of reasons. First, in order to collect their data, dendrochronologists often launch expeditions to stunningly picturesque and remote places in search of long-lived, climate sensitive trees. The exciting stories and images that scientists bring back from the field can help connect students to the studies, their motivation, and the data collected. Second, tree rings can be more easily explained as a proxy for climate than ice cores, speleothems and others. Most people have prior knowledge about trees and annual growth rings. It is even possible, for example, for non-expert audiences to see climate variability through time with the naked eye by looking at climate-sensitive tree cores. Third, tree rings are interdisciplinary and illustrate the interplay between the mathematical sciences, the biological sciences, and the geosciences—that is, they show that the biosphere is a fundamental component of the Earth system. Here, we present online, multi-media learning modules for undergraduates that introduce students to several foundational studies in tree-ring science. These include evaluating tree-ring cores from ancient hemlock trees growing on a talus slope in New Paltz, NY to learn about drought in the Northeastern US, evaluating long-term streamflow and drought of the Colorado River based on tree-ring records, and using tree-ring dating techniques to develop construction histories of cliff dwellings and pueblos in the US Southwest. Our modules are designed to give undergraduate students a sense of the scientific process, from fieldwork and logistics, to data processing and data analysis.

Impacts of age-dependent tree sensitivity and dating approaches on dendrogeomorphic time series of landslides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šilhán, Karel; Stoffel, Markus

2015-05-01

Different approaches and thresholds have been utilized in the past to date landslides with growth ring series of disturbed trees. Past work was mostly based on conifer species because of their well-defined ring boundaries and the easy identification of compression wood after stem tilting. More recently, work has been expanded to include broad-leaved trees, which are thought to produce less and less evident reactions after landsliding. This contribution reviews recent progress made in dendrogeomorphic landslide analysis and introduces a new approach in which landslides are dated via ring eccentricity formed after tilting. We compare results of this new and the more conventional approaches. In addition, the paper also addresses tree sensitivity to landslide disturbance as a function of tree age and trunk diameter using 119 common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and 39 Crimean pine (Pinus nigra ssp. pallasiana) trees growing on two landslide bodies. The landslide events reconstructed with the classical approach (reaction wood) also appear as events in the eccentricity analysis, but the inclusion of eccentricity clearly allowed for more (162%) landslides to be detected in the tree-ring series. With respect to tree sensitivity, conifers and broad-leaved trees show the strongest reactions to landslides at ages comprised between 40 and 60 years, with a second phase of increased sensitivity in P. nigra at ages of ca. 120-130 years. These phases of highest sensitivities correspond with trunk diameters at breast height of 6-8 and 18-22 cm, respectively (P. nigra). This study thus calls for the inclusion of eccentricity analyses in future landslide reconstructions as well as for the selection of trees belonging to different age and diameter classes to allow for a well-balanced and more complete reconstruction of past events.

Arctic tree rings as recorders of variations in light availability

PubMed Central

Stine, A. R.; Huybers, P.

2014-01-01

Annual growth ring variations in Arctic trees are often used to reconstruct surface temperature. In general, however, the growth of Arctic vegetation is limited both by temperature and light availability, suggesting that variations in atmospheric transmissivity may also influence tree-ring characteristics. Here we show that Arctic tree-ring density is sensitive to changes in light availability across two distinct phenomena: explosive volcanic eruptions (P<0.01) and the recent epoch of global dimming (P<0.01). In each case, the greatest response is found in the most light-limited regions of the Arctic. Essentially no late 20th century decline in tree-ring density relative to temperature is seen in the least light-limited regions of the Arctic. Consistent results follow from analysis of tree-ring width and from individually analysing each of seven tree species. Light availability thus appears an important control, opening the possibility for using tree rings to reconstruct historical changes in surface light intensity. PMID:24805143

Water, gravity and trees: Relationship of tree-ring widths and total water storage dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Creutzfeldt, B.; Heinrich, I.; Merz, B.; Blume, T.; Güntner, A.

2012-04-01

Water stored in the subsurface as groundwater or soil moisture is the main fresh water source not only for drinking water and food production but also for the natural vegetation. In a changing environment water availability becomes a critical issue in many different regions. Long-term observations of the past are needed to improve the understanding of the hydrological system and the prediction of future developments. Tree ring data have repeatedly proved to be valuable sources for reconstructing long-term climate dynamics, e.g. temperature, precipitation and different hydrological variables. In water-limited environments, tree growth is primarily influenced by total water stored in the subsurface and hence, tree-ring records usually contain information about subsurface water storage. The challenge is to retrieve the information on total water storage from tree rings, because a training dataset of water stored in the sub-surface is required for calibration against the tree-ring series. However, measuring water stored in the subsurface is notoriously difficult. We here present high-precision temporal gravimeter measurements which allow for the depth-integrated quantification of total water storage dynamics at the field scale. In this study, we evaluate the relationship of total water storage change and tree ring growth also in the context of the complex interactions of other meteorological forcing factors. A tree-ring chronology was derived from a Norway spruce stand in the Bavarian Forest, Germany. Total water storage dynamics were measured directly by the superconducting gravimeter of the Geodetic Observatory Wettzell for a 9-years period. Time series were extended to 63-years period by a hydrological model using gravity data as the only calibration constrain. Finally, water storage changes were reconstructed based on the relationship between the hydrological model and the tree-ring chronology. Measurement results indicate that tree-ring growth is primarily controlled by total water storage in the subsurface. But high uncertainties intervals of the correlation coefficient urges for the extension of the measurement period. This multi-disciplinary study, combining hydrology, dendrochronology and geodesy shows that temporal gravimeter measurements may give us the unique opportunity to retrieve the information of total water storage contained in tree-ring records to reconstruct total water storage dynamics. Knowing the relationship of water storage and tree-ring growth can also support the reconstruction of other climate records based on tree-ring series, help with hydrological model testing and can improve our knowledge of long-term variations of water storage in the past.

[Sap flow characteristics of Quercus liaotungensis in response to sapwood area and soil moisture in the loess hilly region, China].

PubMed

Lyu, Jin Lin; He, Qiu Yue; Yan, Mei Jie; Li, Guo Qing; Du, Sheng

2018-03-01

To examine the characteristics of sap flow in Quercus liaotungensis and their response to environmental factors under different soil moisture conditions, Granier-type thermal dissipation probes were used to measure xylem sap flow of trees with different sapwood area in a natural Q. liaotungensis forest in the loess hilly region. Solar radiation, air temperature, relative air humidity, precipitation, and soil moisture were monitored during the study period. The results showed that sap flux of Q. liaotungensis reached daily peaks earlier than solar radiation and vapor pressure deficit. The diurnal dynamics of sap flux showed a similar pattern to those of the environmental factors. Trees had larger sap flux during the period with higher soil moisture. Under the same soil moisture conditions, trees with larger diameter and sapwood areas had significantly higher sap flux than those with smaller diameter and sapwood areas. Sap flux could be fitted with vapor pressure deficit, solar radiation, and the integrated index of the two factors using exponential saturation function. Differences in the fitted curves and parameters suggested that sap flux tended to reach saturation faster under higher soil moisture. Furthermore, trees in the smaller diameter class were more sensitive to the changes of soil moisture. The ratio of daily sap flux per unit vapor pressure deficit under lower soil moisture condition to that under higher soil moisture condition was linearly correlated to sapwood area. The regressive slope in smaller diameter class was larger than that in bigger diameter class, which further indicated the higher sensitivity of trees with smaller diameter class to soil moisture. These results indicated that wider sapwood of larger diameter class provided a buffer against drought stress.

A pseudoproxy assessment of data assimilation for reconstructing the atmosphere-ocean dynamics of hydroclimate extremes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steiger, Nathan J.; Smerdon, Jason E.

2017-10-01

Because of the relatively brief observational record, the climate dynamics that drive multiyear to centennial hydroclimate variability are not adequately characterized and understood. Paleoclimate reconstructions based on data assimilation (DA) optimally fuse paleoclimate proxies with the dynamical constraints of climate models, thus providing a coherent dynamical picture of the past. DA is therefore an important new tool for elucidating the mechanisms of hydroclimate variability over the last several millennia. But DA has so far remained untested for global hydroclimate reconstructions. Here we explore whether or not DA can be used to skillfully reconstruct global hydroclimate variability along with the driving climate dynamics. Through a set of idealized pseudoproxy experiments, we find that an established DA reconstruction approach can in principle be used to reconstruct hydroclimate at both annual and seasonal timescales. We find that the skill of such reconstructions is generally highest near the proxy sites. This set of reconstruction experiments is specifically designed to estimate a realistic upper bound for the skill of this DA approach. Importantly, this experimental framework allows us to see where and for what variables the reconstruction approach may never achieve high skill. In particular for tree rings, we find that hydroclimate reconstructions depend critically on moisture-sensitive trees, while temperature reconstructions depend critically on temperature-sensitive trees. Real-world DA-based reconstructions will therefore likely require a spatial mixture of temperature- and moisture-sensitive trees to reconstruct both temperature and hydroclimate variables. Additionally, we illustrate how DA can be used to elucidate the dynamical mechanisms of drought with two examples: tropical drivers of multiyear droughts in the North American Southwest and in equatorial East Africa. This work thus provides a foundation for future DA-based hydroclimate reconstructions using real-proxy networks while also highlighting the utility of this important tool for hydroclimate research.

Past crops yield dynamics reconstruction from tree-ring chronologies in the forest-steppe zone based on low- and high-frequency components

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babushkina, Elena A.; Belokopytova, Liliana V.; Shah, Santosh K.; Zhirnova, Dina F.

2018-05-01

Interrelations of the yield variability of the main crops (wheat, barley, and oats) with hydrothermal regime and growth of conifer trees ( Pinus sylvestris and Larix sibirica) in forest-steppes were investigated in Khakassia, South Siberia. An attempt has been made to understand the role and mechanisms of climatic impact on plants productivity. It was found that amongst variables describing moisture supply, wetness index had maximum impact. Strength of climatic response and correlations with tree growth are different for rain-fed and irrigated crops yield. Separated high-frequency variability components of yield and tree-ring width have more pronounced relationships between each other and with climatic variables than their chronologies per se. Corresponding low-frequency variability components are strongly correlated with maxima observed after 1- to 5-year time shift of tree-ring width. Results of analysis allowed us to develop original approach of crops yield dynamics reconstruction on the base of high-frequency variability component of the growth of pine and low-frequency one of larch.

Assessing the Factors of Regional Growth Decline of Sugar Maple

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bishop, D. A.; Beier, C. M.; Pederson, N.; Lawrence, G. B.; Stella, J. C.; Sullivan, T. J.

2014-12-01

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh) is among the most ecologically, economically and culturally important trees in North America, but has experienced a decline disease across much of its range. We investigated the climatic and edaphic factors associated with A. saccharum growth in the Adirondack Mountains (USA) using a well-replicated tree-ring network incorporating a range of soil fertility (base cation availability). We found that nearly 3 in 4 A. saccharum trees exhibited declining growth rates during the last several decades, regardless of tree age or size. Although diameter growth was consistently higher on base-rich soils, the negative trends in growth were largely consistent across the soil chemistry gradient. Sensitivity of sugar maple growth to climatic variability was overall weaker than expected, but were also non-stationary during the 20th century. We observed increasingly positive responses to late-winter precipitation, increasingly negative responses to growing season temperatures, and strong positive responses to moisture availability during the 1960s drought that became much weaker during the recent pluvial. Further study is needed of these factors and their interactions as potential mechanisms for sugar maple growth decline.

Stable carbon isotope analysis reveals widespread drought stress in boreal black spruce forests.

PubMed

Walker, Xanthe J; Mack, Michelle C; Johnstone, Jill F

2015-08-01

Unprecedented rates of climate warming over the past century have resulted in increased forest stress and mortality worldwide. Decreased tree growth in association with increasing temperatures is generally accepted as a signal of temperature-induced drought stress. However, variations in tree growth alone do not reveal the physiological mechanisms behind recent changes in tree growth. Examining stable carbon isotope composition of tree rings in addition to tree growth can provide a secondary line of evidence for physiological drought stress. In this study, we examined patterns of black spruce growth and carbon isotopic composition in tree rings in response to climate warming and drying in the boreal forest of interior Alaska. We examined trees at three nested scales: landscape, toposequence, and a subsample of trees within the toposequence. At each scale, we studied the potential effects of differences in microclimate and moisture availability by sampling on northern and southern aspects. We found that black spruce radial growth responded negatively to monthly metrics of temperature at all examined scales, and we examined ∆(13)C responses on a subsample of trees as representative of the wider region. The negative ∆(13)C responses to temperature reveal that black spruce trees are experiencing moisture stress on both northern and southern aspects. Contrary to our expectations, ∆(13)C from trees on the northern aspect exhibited the strongest drought signal. Our results highlight the prominence of drought stress in the boreal forest of interior Alaska. We conclude that if temperatures continue to warm, we can expect drought-induced productivity declines across large regions of the boreal forest, even for trees located in cool and moist landscape positions. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensitivity of ring growth and carbon allocation to climatic variation vary within ponderosa pine trees.

PubMed

Kerhoulas, Lucy P; Kane, Jeffrey M

2012-01-01

Most dendrochronological studies focus on cores sampled from standard positions (main stem, breast height), yet vertical gradients in hydraulic constraints and priorities for carbon allocation may contribute to different growth sensitivities with position. Using cores taken from five positions (coarse roots, breast height, base of live crown, mid-crown branch and treetop), we investigated how radial growth sensitivity to climate over the period of 1895-2008 varies by position within 36 large ponderosa pines (Pinus ponderosa Dougl.) in northern Arizona. The climate parameters investigated were Palmer Drought Severity Index, water year and monsoon precipitation, maximum annual temperature, minimum annual temperature and average annual temperature. For each study tree, we generated Pearson correlation coefficients between ring width indices from each position and six climate parameters. We also investigated whether the number of missing rings differed among positions and bole heights. We found that tree density did not significantly influence climatic sensitivity to any of the climate parameters investigated at any of the sample positions. Results from three types of analyses suggest that climatic sensitivity of tree growth varied with position height: (i) correlations of radial growth and climate variables consistently increased with height; (ii) model strength based on Akaike's information criterion increased with height, where treetop growth consistently had the highest sensitivity and coarse roots the lowest sensitivity to each climatic parameter; and (iii) the correlation between bole ring width indices decreased with distance between positions. We speculate that increased sensitivity to climate at higher positions is related to hydraulic limitation because higher positions experience greater xylem tensions due to gravitational effects that render these positions more sensitive to climatic stresses. The low sensitivity of root growth to all climatic variables measured suggests that tree carbon allocation to coarse roots is independent of annual climate variability. The greater number of missing rings in branches highlights the fact that canopy development is a low priority for carbon allocation during poor growing conditions.

Did the late spring frost in 2007 and 2011 affect tree-ring width and earlywood vessel size in Pedunculate oak (Quercus robur) in northern Poland?

PubMed

Puchałka, Radosław; Koprowski, Marcin; Przybylak, Julia; Przybylak, Rajmund; Dąbrowski, Henryk P

2016-08-01

Trees are sensitive to extreme weather and environmental conditions. This sensitivity is visible in tree-ring widths and cell structure. In our study, we hypothesized that the sudden frost noted at the beginning of May in both 2007 and 2011 affected cambial activity and, consequently, the number and size of vessels in the tree rings. It was decided to test this hypothesis after damage to leaves was observed. The applied response function model did not show any significant relationships between spring temperature and growth. However, this method uses average values for long periods and sometimes misses the short-term effects. This is why we decided to study each ring separately, comparing them with rings unaffected by the late frost. Our study showed that the short-term effect of sudden frost in late spring did not affect tree rings and selected cell parameters. The most likely reasons for this are (i) cambial activity producing the earlywood vessels before the occurrence of the observed leaf damage, (ii) the forest micro-climate protecting the trees from the harsh frost and (iii) the temperature decline being too short-lived an event to affect the oaks. On the other hand, the visible damage may be occasional and not affect cambium activity and tree vitality at all. We conclude that oak is well-adapted to this phenomenon.

Soil moisture and its role in growth-climate relationships across an aridity gradient in semiarid Pinus halepensis forests.

PubMed

Manrique-Alba, Àngela; Ruiz-Yanetti, Samantha; Moutahir, Hassane; Novak, Klemen; De Luis, Martin; Bellot, Juan

2017-01-01

In Mediterranean areas with limited availability of water, an accurate knowledge of growth response to hydrological variables could contribute to improving management and stability of forest resources. The main goal of this study is to assess the temporal dynamic of soil moisture to better understand the water-growth relationship of Pinus halepensis forests in semiarid areas. The estimates of modelled soil moisture and measured tree growth were used at four sites dominated by afforested Pinus halepensis Mill. in south-eastern Spain with 300 to 609mm mean annual precipitation. Firstly, dendrochronological samples were extracted and the widths of annual tree rings were measured to compute basal area increments (BAI). Secondly, soil moisture was estimated over 20 hydrological years (1992-2012) by means of the HYDROBAL ecohydrological model. Finally, the tree growth was linked, to mean monthly and seasonal temperature, precipitation and soil moisture. Results depict the effect of soil moisture on growth (BAI) and explain 69-73% of the variance in semiarid forests, but only 51% in the subhumid forests. This highlights the fact that that soil moisture is a suitable and promising variable to explain growth variations of afforested Pinus halepensis in semiarid conditions and useful for guiding adaptation plans to respond pro-actively to water-related global challenges. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jacoby, G.C.; D`Arrigo, R.D.; Davaajamts, T.

A 450-year tree-ring width chronology of Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica Du Tour) growing at timberline (2450 meters) in the Tarvagatay Mountains in west central Mongolia shows wide annual growth rings for the recent century. Ecological site observations and comparisons with instrumental temperature records indicate that the ring widths of these trees are sensitive to annual temperature variations. Low-frequency variations in the Tarvagatay tree-ring record are similar to those in a reconstruction of Arctic annual temperatures, which is based on 20 tree-ring width series from northern North America, Scandinavia, and western Russia. The results indicate that recent warming is unusual relativemore » to temperatures of the past 450 years. 29 refs., 2 figs.« less

Assessment of tree response to drought: validation of a methodology to identify and test proxies for monitoring past environmental changes in trees.

PubMed

Tene, A; Tobin, B; Dyckmans, J; Ray, D; Black, K; Nieuwenhuis, M

2011-03-01

A thinning experiment stand at Avoca, Ballinvalley, on the east coast of the Republic of Ireland was used to test a developed methodology aimed at monitoring drought stress, based on the analysis of growth rings obtained by coring. The stand incorporated six plots representing three thinning regimes (light, moderate and heavy) and was planted in the spring of 1943 on a brown earth soil. Radial growth (early- and latewood) was measured for the purpose of this study. A multidisciplinary approach was used to assess historic tree response to climate: specifically, the application of statistical tools such as principal component and canonical correlation analysis to dendrochronology, stable isotopes, ring density proxy, blue reflectance and forest biometrics. Results showed that radial growth was a good proxy for monitoring changes to moisture deficit, while maximum density and blue reflectance were appropriate for assessing changes in accumulated temperature for the growing season. Rainfall also influenced radial growth changes but not significantly, and was a major factor in stable carbon and oxygen discrimination, mostly in the latewood formation phase. Stable oxygen isotope analysis was more accurate than radial growth analysis in drought detection, as it helped detect drought signals in both early- and latewood while radial growth analysis only detected the drought signal in earlywood. Many studies have shown that tree rings provide vital information for marking past climatic events. This work provides a methodology to better identify and understand how commonly measured tree proxies relate to environmental parameters, and can best be used to characterize and pinpoint drought events (variously described using parameters such as like moisture deficit, accumulated temperature, rainfall and potential evaporation).

Carbon Allocation of 13CO2-labeled Photoassimilate in Larix gmelinii Saplings - A Physiological Basis for Isotope Dendroclimatology in Eastern Siberia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kagawa, A.; Sugimoto, A.; Maximov, T. C.

2006-12-01

Tree-ring density and widths have been successfully used to reconstruct summer temperatures in high- northern latitudes, although a discrepancy between tree-growth and temperature has been found for recent decades. The so-called "reduced sensitivity" of tree rings to summer temperatures has been observed especially strongly in northern Siberia (Briffa et al., 1998) and drought stress (increased water use efficiency) arose from global warming and/or increasing CO2 are suggested as causes (Barber et al. 2000, Saurer et al. 2004). By using carbon isotope ratio as an indicator of drought stress and ring-width/density as indicators of growth, we can clarify how drought stress caused by recent global warming affects wood formation of Siberian trees. However, isotope dendroclimatology is still in its infancy and our understanding of basic physiological processes of isotope signal transfer from leaves to tree rings is insufficient. In order to understand translocation, storage, and allocation of photoassimilate to different organs of trees, we pulse- labeled ten L. gmelinii growing in a continuous permafrost zone with stable 13CO2. We studied seasonal course of carbon allocation patterns of photoassimilate among needles, branches, stem and roots and also how spring, summer, and autumn photoassimilate is later used for both earlywood and latewood formation. About half of the carbon in new needles was derived from stored material. The starch pool in non- needle parts, which can be used for xylem formation, drew about 43 percent of its carbon from previous year's photoassimilate, suggesting that carbon storage is the key mechanism behind autocorrelation in (isotope) dendroclimatology. Analysis of intra-annual 13C of the tree rings formed after the labeling revealed that earlywood contained photoassimilate from the previous summer and autumn as well as from the current spring. Latewood was mainly composed of photoassimilate from the current year's summer/autumn, although it also relied on stored material in some cases. Carbon isotope chronology of recent 100 years shows that the latewood 13C contains stronger climate signal than the earlywood and is significantly correlated to July temperature and July precipitation, corresponding to the timing of carbon incorporation that constitutes latewood. The results suggest the need for separating earlywood and latewood for isotope dendroclimatological study in Siberia. References: 1) Kagawa A., Sugimoto A., & Maximov, T.C. (2006) 13CO2 pulse-labelling of photoassimilates reveals carbon allocation within and between tree rings. Plant, Cell and Environment 29, 1571-1584. 2) Kagawa A., Sugimoto A., & Maximov, T. C. (2006) Seasonal course of translocation, storage, and remobilization of 13C pulse-labeled photoassimilate in naturally growing Larix gmelinii saplings. New Phytologist 171, 793-804. 3) Kagawa A., Naito D., Sugimoto A. & Maximov T. C. (2003) Effects of spatial and temporal variability in soil moisture on widths and 13C values of eastern Siberian tree rings. Journal of Geophysical Research 108 (D16), 4500, doi:10.1029/2002JD003019.

Diverse growth trends and climate responses across Eurasia’s boreal forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hellmann, Lena; Agafonov, Leonid; Charpentier Ljungqvist, Fredrik; Churakova (Sidorova, Olga; Düthorn, Elisabeth; Esper, Jan; Hülsmann, Lisa; Kirdyanov, Alexander V.; Moiseev, Pavel; Myglan, Vladimir S.; Nikolaev, Anatoly N.; Reinig, Frederick; Schweingruber, Fritz H.; Solomina, Olga; Tegel, Willy; Büntgen, Ulf

2016-07-01

The area covered by boreal forests accounts for ˜16% of the global and 22% of the Northern Hemisphere landmass. Changes in the productivity and functioning of this circumpolar biome not only have strong effects on species composition and diversity at regional to larger scales, but also on the Earth’s carbon cycle. Although temporal inconsistency in the response of tree growth to temperature has been reported from some locations at the higher northern latitudes, a systematic dendroecological network assessment is still missing for most of the boreal zone. Here, we analyze the geographical patterns of changes in summer temperature and precipitation across northern Eurasia >60 °N since 1951 AD, as well as the growth trends and climate responses of 445 Pinus, Larix and Picea ring width chronologies in the same area and period. In contrast to widespread summer warming, fluctuations in precipitation and tree growth are spatially more diverse and overall less distinct. Although the influence of summer temperature on ring formation is increasing with latitude and distinct moisture effects are restricted to a few southern locations, growth sensitivity to June-July temperature variability is only significant at 16.6% of all sites (p ≤ 0.01). By revealing complex climate constraints on the productivity of Eurasia’s northern forests, our results question the a priori suitability of boreal tree-ring width chronologies for reconstructing summer temperatures. This study further emphasizes regional climate differences and their role on the dynamics of boreal ecosystems, and also underlines the importance of free data access to facilitate the compilation and evaluation of massively replicated and updated dendroecological networks.

Pollen reconstructions, tree-rings and early climate data from Minnesota, USA: a cautionary tale of bias and signal attentuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St-Jacques, J. M.; Cumming, B. F.; Smol, J. P.; Sauchyn, D.

2015-12-01

High-resolution proxy reconstructions are essential to assess the rate and magnitude of anthropogenic global warming. High-resolution pollen records are being critically examined for the production of accurate climate reconstructions of the last millennium, often as extensions of tree-ring records. Past climate inference from a sedimentary pollen record depends upon the stationarity of the pollen-climate relationship. However, humans have directly altered vegetation, and hence modern pollen deposition is a product of landscape disturbance and climate, unlike in the past with its dominance of climate-derived processes. This could cause serious bias in pollen reconstructions. In the US Midwest, direct human impacts have greatly altered the vegetation and pollen rain since Euro-American settlement in the mid-19th century. Using instrumental climate data from the early 1800s from Fort Snelling (Minnesota), we assessed the bias from the conventional method of inferring climate from pollen assemblages in comparison to a calibration set from pre-settlement pollen assemblages and the earliest instrumental climate data. The pre-settlement calibration set provides more accurate reconstructions of 19th century temperature than the modern set does. When both calibration sets are used to reconstruct temperatures since AD 1116 from a varve-dated pollen record from Lake Mina, Minnesota, the conventional method produces significant low-frequency (centennial-scale) signal attenuation and positive bias of 0.8-1.7 oC, resulting in an overestimation of Little Ice Age temperature and an underestimation of anthropogenic warming. We also compared the pollen-inferred moisture reconstruction to a four-century tree-ring-inferred moisture record from Minnesota and Dakotas, which shows that the tree-ring reconstruction is biased towards dry conditions and records wet periods relatively poorly, giving a false impression of regional aridity. The tree-ring chronology also suggests varve chronology problems. It remains to be explored how widespread this landscape disturbance problem is when conventional pollen-based inference methods are used, and consequently how seriously regional manifestations of global warming might have been underestimated with traditional pollen-based techniques.

Using Redwood Tree Ring Chronologies to Obtain the Long-View on California's Coastal Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, T. E.; Roden, J. S.; Voelker, S. L.; Johnstone, J. A.; Ambrose, A.

2014-12-01

Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) occupies a long and narrow range at the land-sea interface from the southern Big Bur region to the California-Oregon boarder. Since mature trees can live in excess of 2000 years, using the interannual variability in the oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition of tree rings obtained from trees growing in different parts of the redwood range holds the potential for obtaining a long-term record of California's coastal climate, including the history of temperatures, low cloud / fog, rainfall and associated climatic drivers of their variation. We analyzed the oxygen and carbon stable isotope composition of tree ring cellulose from both tree cores and whole cross-sectional slabs and compared these data to several regional climate indicies and to published growth chronologies to obtain the long-view on California's coastal climate. Several highlights will be presented and discussed. These include: (1) redwoods faithfully record water sources they use in the oxygen stable isotope composition of their tree ring cellulose; (2) these is both strong watershed- and regional-scale coherence; (3) redwood tree ring carbon isotope composition shows its strongest correlations to tree water status, stand-scale humidity, and at the regional scale to what we term "summer precipitation" anomalies (lack of rain with presence of fog); also (4) that carbon stable isotope composition is very sensitive to within tree and stand microclimate while oxygen stable isotope composition seems to be sensitive to topographic site factors like slope position and proximity to riparian / gully habitats; (5) multivariate climatic analyses reveal that summertime drought recorded in the isotope excursions are most strongly linked to atmospheric circulation anomalies; and (6) that redwood tree rings and their isotope composition provide great potential for reconstructing high-resolution paleo-climate along the California coast.

Drought reconstruction in eastern Hulun Buir steppe, China and its linkages to the sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Na; Liu, Yu; Bao, Guang; Bao, Ming; Wang, Yanchao; Zhang, Lizhi; Ge, Yuxiang; Bao, Wurigen; Tian, Heng

2016-01-01

A tree-ring width chronology covering the period 1780-2013 AD was developed from Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica for the eastern Hulun Buir steppe, a region located on the edge of the eastern Mongolian Plateau, China. Climate-growth response analysis revealed drought stress to be the primary limiting factor for tree growth. Therefore, the mean February-July standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was reconstructed over the period 1819-2013, where the reconstruction could account for 32.8% of the variance in the instrumental record over the calibration period 1953-2011. Comparison with other tree-ring-based moisture sequences from nearby areas confirmed a high degree of confidence in our reconstruction. Severe drought intervals since the late 1970s in our study area consisted with the weakening East Asian summer monsoon, which modulating regional moisture conditions in semi-arid zone over northern China. Drought variations in the study area significantly correlated with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in North Pacific Ocean, suggesting a possible connection of regional hydroclimatic variations to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The potential influence associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was primarily analyzed.

Long term changes in Intrinsic Water Use Efficiency, the palaoe record derived from stable carbon isotope measurements from tree rings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagen, Mary; McCarroll, Danny; Loader, Neil; Young, Giles; Robertson, Iain

2015-04-01

Stable carbon isotope (δ13C) measurements from the annual rings of trees are increasingly used to explore long term changes in plant-carbon-water relations, via changes in intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE); the ratio of photosynthetic rate to stomatal conductance. Many studies report a significant increase in iWEU since industrialisation, which tracks rising global atmospheric CO2. Such changes are logical are trees are known to change their stomatal geometry, number and action in response to rising CO2. However, which increasing iWUE suggests physiological changes which should lead to increased growth increasing iWUE is rarely matched by enhanced tree growth when tree rings are measured, despite increases of up to 30% in iWUE over the recent past (van der Sleen et al 2015). Explanations for the mismatch between iWUE and tree growth records encompass questions over the veracity of δ13C records for recording physiological change (Silva and Howarth 2013), suggestions that moisture stress in warming climates becomes a limit to growth and prevents opportunistic use of rising CO2 by trees (Andreu-Hayles et al 2011) and questions regarding the use of tree ring width, which does not record tree height gain, to record growth. Here we present an extensive range of long term iWUE records, derived broadly from the temperate, high latitude and one tropical forest site to explore the palaeoclimatic perspective on the iWUE-fertilization conundrum in a spatio temporally extensive manner.

Dendrochronology and lakes: using tree-rings of alder to reconstruct lake levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van der Maaten, Ernst; Buras, Allan; Scharnweber, Tobias; Simard, Sonia; Kaiser, Knut; Lorenz, Sebastian; van der Maaten-Theunissen, Marieke; Wilmking, Martin

2014-05-01

Climate change is considered a major threat for ecosystems around the world. Assessing its effects is challenging, amongst others, as we are unsure how ecosystems may respond to climate conditions they were not exposed to before. However, increased insight may be obtained by analyzing responses of ecosystems to past climate variability. In this respect, lake ecosystems appear as valuable sentinels, because they provide direct and indirect indicators of change through effects of climate. Lake-level fluctuations of closed catchments, for example, reflect a dynamic water balance, provide detailed insight in past moisture variations, and thereby allow for assessments of effects of anticipated climate change. Up to now, lake-level data are mostly obtained from gauging records and reconstructions from sediments and landforms. However, these records are in many cases only available over relatively short time periods, and, since geoscientific work is highly demanding, lake-level reconstructions are lacking for many regions. Here, we present and discuss an alternative method to reconstruct lake levels, which is based on tree-ring data of black alder (Alnus glutinosa L.). This tree species tolerates permanently waterlogged and temporally flooded conditions (i.e. riparian vegetation), and is often found along lakeshores. As the yearly growth of trees varies depending upon the experienced environmental conditions, annual rings of black alder from lakeshore vegetation likely capture information on variations in water table, and may therefore be used to reconstruct lake levels. Although alder is a relatively short-lived tree species, the frequent use of its' decay-resistant wood in foundations of historical buildings offers the possibility of extending living tree-chronologies back in time for several centuries. In this study, the potential to reconstruct lake-level fluctuations from tree-ring chronologies of black alder is explored for three lake ecosystems in the Mecklenburg Lake District, northeastern Germany. Tree-ring data were collected from black alder forests surrounding the lakes 'Tiefer See', 'Drewitzer See' and 'Großer Fürstenseer See'. At all research sites, increment cores were extracted from at least 15 trees (2 cores per tree) using an increment borer. In the tree-ring lab DendroGreif, these cores were prepared and annual tree-ring widths were measured. Thereafter, site-specific tree-ring chronologies were built using established detrending and standardization procedures. Preliminary results show that the growth of alder reacts upon water level fluctuations. We visually and statistically compare the developed tree-ring chronologies with historical lake-level records, and retrospectively model lake levels. Findings will be presented while critically reflecting upon the quality of these reconstructions.

Nonannual tree rings in a climate-sensitive Prioria copaifera chronology in the Atrato River, Colombia.

PubMed

Herrera-Ramirez, David; Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Del Valle, Jorge I; Santos, Guaciara M; Gonzalez, Paula L M

2017-08-01

In temperate climates, tree growth dormancy usually ensures the annual nature of tree rings, but in tropical environments, determination of annual periodicity can be more complex. The purposes of the work are as follows: (1) to generate a reliable tree-ring width chronology for Prioria copaifera Griseb. (Leguminoceae), a tropical tree species dwelling in the Atrato River floodplains, Colombia; (2) to assess the climate signal recorded by the tree-ring records; and (3) to validate the annual periodicity of the tree rings using independent methods. We used standard dendrochronological procedures to generate the P. copaifera tree-ring chronology. We used Pearson correlations to evaluate the relationship of the chronology with the meteorological records, climate regional indices, and gridded precipitation/sea surface temperature products. We also evaluated 24 high-precision 14 C measurements spread over a range of preselected tree rings, with assigned calendar years by dendrochronological techniques, before and after the bomb spike in order to validate the annual nature of the tree rings. The tree-ring width chronology was statistically reliable, and it correlated significantly with local records of annual and October-December (OND) streamflow and precipitation across the upper river watershed (positive), and OND temperature (negative). It was also significantly related to the Oceanic Niño Index, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the Southern Oscillation Index, as well as sea surface temperatures over the Caribbean and the Pacific region. However, 14 C high-precision measurements over the tree rings demonstrated offsets of up to 40 years that indicate that P. copaifera can produce more than one ring in certain years. Results derived from the strongest climate-growth relationship during the most recent years of the record suggest that the climatic signal reported may be due to the presence of annual rings in some of those trees in recent years. Our study alerts about the risk of applying dendrochronology in species with challenging anatomical features defining tree rings, commonly found in the tropics, without an independent validation of annual periodicity of tree rings. High-precision 14 C measurements in multiple trees are a useful method to validate the identification of annual tree rings.

Detecting and Predicting Climatic Variation from Old-Growth Baldcypress

Treesearch

Gregory A. Reams; Paul C. van Deusen

1998-01-01

Tree-ring data can extend back in time for thousands of years allowing researchers to reconstruct certain environmental factors that have left an imprint or signal in the tree-ring record. Typically, these factors include reconstructions of annual precipitation or temperature for months or seasons to which a particular tree species is sensitive. Over the last several...

Tree- Rings Link Climate and Carbon Storage in a Northern Mixed Hardwood Forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiriboga, A.

2007-12-01

The terrestrial biosphere is a variable sink for atmospheric carbon dioxide. It is important to understand how carbon storage in trees is affected by natural climate variability to better characterize the sink. Quantifying the sensitivity of forest carbon storage to climate will improve carbon budgets and have implications for forest management practices. Here we explore how climate variability affects the ability of a northern mixed hardwood forest in Michigan to sequester atmospheric carbon dioxide in woody tissues. This site is ideal for studies of carbon sequestration; The University of Michigan Biological Station is an Ameriflux site, and has detailed meteorological and biometric records, as well as CO2 flux data. We have produced an 82- year aspen (Populus grandidentata) tree-ring chronology for this site, and measured ring widths at several heights up the bole. These measurements were used to estimate annual wood volume, which represents carbon allocated to aboveground carbon stores. Standard dendroclimatological techniques are used to identify environmental factors (e.g. temperature or precipitation) that drive tree-ring increment variability in the past century, and therefore annual carbon storage in this forest. Preliminary results show that marker years within the tree- ring chronology correspond with years that have cold spring temperatures. This suggests that trees at this site are temperature sensitive.

Relating tree growth to rainfall in Bolivian rain forests: a test for six species using tree ring analysis.

PubMed

Brienen, Roel J W; Zuidema, Pieter A

2005-11-01

Many tropical regions show one distinct dry season. Often, this seasonality induces cambial dormancy of trees, particularly if these belong to deciduous species. This will often lead to the formation of annual rings. The aim of this study was to determine whether tree species in the Bolivian Amazon region form annual rings and to study the influence of the total amount and seasonal distribution of rainfall on diameter growth. Ring widths were measured on stem discs of a total of 154 trees belonging to six rain forest species. By correlating ring width and monthly rainfall data we proved the annual character of the tree rings for four of our study species. For two other species the annual character was proved by counting rings on trees of known age and by radiocarbon dating. The results of the climate-growth analysis show a positive relationship between tree growth and rainfall in certain periods of the year, indicating that rainfall plays a major role in tree growth. Three species showed a strong relationship with rainfall at the beginning of the rainy season, while one species is most sensitive to the rainfall at the end of the previous growing season. These results clearly demonstrate that tree ring analysis can be successfully applied in the tropics and that it is a promising method for various research disciplines.

Individualistic and Time-Varying Tree-Ring Growth to Climate Sensitivity

PubMed Central

Carrer, Marco

2011-01-01

The development of dendrochronological time series in order to analyze climate-growth relationships usually involves first a rigorous selection of trees and then the computation of the mean tree-growth measurement series. This study suggests a change in the perspective, passing from an analysis of climate-growth relationships that typically focuses on the mean response of a species to investigating the whole range of individual responses among sample trees. Results highlight that this new approach, tested on a larch and stone pine tree-ring dataset, outperforms, in terms of information obtained, the classical one, with significant improvements regarding the strength, distribution and time-variability of the individual tree-ring growth response to climate. Moreover, a significant change over time of the tree sensitivity to climatic variability has been detected. Accordingly, the best-responder trees at any one time may not always have been the best-responders and may not continue to be so. With minor adjustments to current dendroecological protocol and adopting an individualistic approach, we can improve the quality and reliability of the ecological inferences derived from the climate-growth relationships. PMID:21829523

[Tree-ring growth responses of Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) to climate change in southern northeast: a case study in Qianshan Mountains].

PubMed

Teng, Li; Xing-Yuan, He; Zhen-Ju, Chen

2014-07-01

Mongolian oak is one of the most important broad-leaved tree species in forests, Northeast China. Based on the methodology of dendrochronology, the variations of tree ring radial growth of Mongolian oak in Qianshan Mountains, south of Northeast China, were analyzed. Combined with the temperature and precipitation data from meteorological stations since 1951, the relationships between standardized tree ring width chronology and main climatic factors were analyzed. In this region, the precipitation between April and July of the current year had an significant relationship with the tree ring width of Mongolian oak, and was the main factor limiting the radial growth. The extreme maximum temperature of May was also a key factor influencing the tree ring width, which had a significant on the tree ring width of Mongolian oak. The precipitation in April had a significant and stable relationship with the growth of Mongolian oak since the 1950s. The 'divergence problem' was found in the study area, which the sensitivity of tree growth to summer temperature reduced since the 1980s. The tree growth response to temperature showed a seasonal change from summer to spring.

Detecting long-term growth trends using tree rings: a critical evaluation of methods.

PubMed

Peters, Richard L; Groenendijk, Peter; Vlam, Mart; Zuidema, Pieter A

2015-05-01

Tree-ring analysis is often used to assess long-term trends in tree growth. A variety of growth-trend detection methods (GDMs) exist to disentangle age/size trends in growth from long-term growth changes. However, these detrending methods strongly differ in approach, with possible implications for their output. Here, we critically evaluate the consistency, sensitivity, reliability and accuracy of four most widely used GDMs: conservative detrending (CD) applies mathematical functions to correct for decreasing ring widths with age; basal area correction (BAC) transforms diameter into basal area growth; regional curve standardization (RCS) detrends individual tree-ring series using average age/size trends; and size class isolation (SCI) calculates growth trends within separate size classes. First, we evaluated whether these GDMs produce consistent results applied to an empirical tree-ring data set of Melia azedarach, a tropical tree species from Thailand. Three GDMs yielded similar results - a growth decline over time - but the widely used CD method did not detect any change. Second, we assessed the sensitivity (probability of correct growth-trend detection), reliability (100% minus probability of detecting false trends) and accuracy (whether the strength of imposed trends is correctly detected) of these GDMs, by applying them to simulated growth trajectories with different imposed trends: no trend, strong trends (-6% and +6% change per decade) and weak trends (-2%, +2%). All methods except CD, showed high sensitivity, reliability and accuracy to detect strong imposed trends. However, these were considerably lower in the weak or no-trend scenarios. BAC showed good sensitivity and accuracy, but low reliability, indicating uncertainty of trend detection using this method. Our study reveals that the choice of GDM influences results of growth-trend studies. We recommend applying multiple methods when analysing trends and encourage performing sensitivity and reliability analysis. Finally, we recommend SCI and RCS, as these methods showed highest reliability to detect long-term growth trends. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Seasonally Resolved Oxygen Isotope Paleoclimate Proxy in Tree-Ring Cellulose from the Southeastern U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, D. L.; Mora, C. I.; Grissino-Mayer, H. D.; Mock, C. J.

2004-12-01

Stable isotopes in precipitation reflect changes in climate, moisture source, and extreme events such as tropical cyclones, and an oxygen isotope proxy record of these changes through time and space is preserved in tree-ring cellulose. Extreme climate events such as droughts and hurricanes are formidable natural disasters in the southeastern United States, and considerable efforts have been made to understand factors controlling their frequency, whether natural or anthropogenic. Tree rings offer an unusually well-resolved, dateable record of climate events extending beyond modern or historical (documentary) records. Oxygen isotopes in alpha-cellulose of shallowly-rooted conifers predominately reflect the composition of precipitation. Tropical storm convection results in marked 18O depletion in storm precipitation, to -15‰ relative to source seawater (~0‰ ). The depletion increases towards the eyewall of the cyclone, however, isotopically depleted precipitation may extend outward many 100's of km. Storm water 18O depletion translates to soil water 18O depletion that may persist for many weeks until ameliorated by soil water evaporation. Tree growth during that time will take up the anomalous isotopic compositions. Distinctive earlywood (EW ~March-June) versus latewood (LW ~July-October) growth allows the rings to be resolved at an intra-annual (seasonal) scale. By comparison to average soil water, droughts result in 18O-enriched soil water compositions. Seasonal drought or years of continued drought will be similarly captured in the isotope compositions of tree-ring cellulose. A 227-year (1770-1997) seasonally-resolved record of tropical cyclone and drought activity was obtained from cross-sections of felled slash pines (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) and remnant longleaf pines (Pinus palustris Mill.) from southern Georgia. Interpretations of drought or hurricane events were tested by comparison with recent, detailed meteorological records. The 227-year record reveals most previously established hurricane events, including Florence (1953) and the Great Hurricane of 1780. Newly recognized tropical storms such as 1857 are also evident. Significant seasonal droughts such as 1955, 1927, 1904 and 1896, are observed for southeastern Georgia. Larger-scale climate oscillations appear to overprint the EW and LW isotope series, displaying periods of relatively large or small differences in EW and LW δ 18O values. The oscillations are interpreted to reflect dominant climate modes that influence moisture source or seasonal temperature variation. The tree-ring record potentially extends many centuries. A preliminary record through a portion of the North American "Little Ice Age" (1580-1650) indicates a significant reduction in tropical cyclone activity.

Contrasting drivers and trends of coniferous and deciduous tree growth in interior Alaska.

PubMed

Cahoon, Sean M P; Sullivan, Patrick F; Brownlee, Annalis H; Pattison, Robert R; Andersen, Hans-Erik; Legner, Kate; Hollingsworth, Teresa N

2018-03-22

The boreal biome represents approximately one third of the world's forested area and plays an important role in global biogeochemical and energy cycles. Numerous studies in boreal Alaska have concluded that growth of black and white spruce is declining as a result of temperature-induced drought stress. The combined evidence of declining spruce growth and changes in the fire regime that favor establishment of deciduous tree species has led some investigators to suggest the region may be transitioning from dominance by spruce to dominance by deciduous forests and/or grasslands. Although spruce growth trends have been extensively investigated, few studies have evaluated long-term radial growth trends of the dominant deciduous species (Alaska paper birch and trembling aspen) and their sensitivity to moisture availability. We used a large and spatially extensive sample of tree cores from interior Alaska to compare long-term growth trends among contrasting tree species (white and black spruce vs. birch and aspen). All species showed a growth peak in the mid-1940s, although growth following the peak varied strongly across species. Following an initial decline from the peak, growth of white spruce showed little evidence of a trend, while black spruce and birch growth showed slight growth declines from ~1970 to present. Aspen growth was much more variable than the other species and showed a steep decline from ~1970 to present. Growth of birch, black and white spruce was sensitive to moisture availability throughout most of the tree-ring chronologies, as evidenced by negative correlations with air temperature and positive correlations with precipitation. However, a positive correlation between previous July precipitation and aspen growth disappeared in recent decades, corresponding with a rise in the population of the aspen leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella), an herbivorous moth, which may have driven growth to a level not seen since the early 20th century. Our results provide important historical context for recent growth and raise questions regarding competitive interactions among the dominant tree species and exchanges of carbon and energy in the warming climate of interior Alaska. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Electrical Imaging of Roots and Trunks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al Hagrey, S.; Werban, U.; Meissner, R.; Ismaeil, A.; Rabbel, W.

2005-05-01

We applied geoelectric and GPR techniques to analyze problems of botanical structures and even processes, e.g., mapping root zones, internal structure of trunks, and water uptake by roots. The dielectric nature of root zones and trunks is generally a consequence of relatively high moisture content. The electric method, applied to root zones, can discriminate between old, thick, isolated roots (high resistivity) and the network of young, active, and hydraulically conductive zones (low resistivity). Both types of roots show low radar velocity and a strong attenuation caused by the dominant effect of moisture (high dielectric constant) on the electromagnetic wave propagation. Single root branches could be observed in radargrams by their reflection and diffraction parabolas. We have perfected the inversion method for perfect and imperfect cylindrical objects, such as trunks, and developed a new multielectrodes (needle or gel) ring array for fast applications on living trees and discs. Using synthetic models we tested the technique successfully and analyzed it as a function of total electrode number and configuration. Measurements at a trunk show a well established inverse relationship between the imaged resistivity and the moisture content determined from cores. The central resistivity maximum of healthy trees strongly decreases toward the rim. This agrees with the moisture decrease to the outside where active sap flow processes take place. Branching, growth anomalies (new or old shoots) and meteorological effects (sunshine and wind direction) lead to deviations of the concentric electric structure. The strongest anomalies are related to infections causing wet, rotting spots or cavities. The heartwood resistivity is highest in olive and oak trunks, intermediate in young fruit trees and lowest in cork oak trunks that are considered to be anomalously wet. Compared to acoustic tomography our electric technique shows a better resolution in imaging internal ring structures where moisture is the most dominating factor. We conclude that our imaging resistivity technique is applicable for investigating or controlling the botanical and physical conditions of endangered trees (health inspection) and capable to monitor dynamic processes of sap flow if adequate tracers are used.

Hydrometeorology organizes intra-annual patterns of tree growth across time, space and species in a montane watershed.

PubMed

Martin, Justin; Looker, Nathaniel; Hoylman, Zachary; Jencso, Kelsey; Hu, Jia

2017-09-01

Tree radial growth is often systematically limited by water availability, as is evident in tree ring records. However, the physiological nature of observed tree growth limitation is often uncertain outside of the laboratory. To further explore the physiology of water limitation, we observed intra-annual growth rates of four conifer species using point dendrometers and microcores, and coupled these data to observations of water potential, soil moisture, and vapor pressure deficit over 2 yr in the Northern Rocky Mountains, USA. The onset of growth limitation in four species was well explained by a critical balance between soil moisture supply and atmospheric demand representing relatively mesic conditions, despite the timing of this threshold response varying by up to 2 months across topographic and elevation gradients, growing locations, and study years. Our findings suggest that critical water deficits impeding tissue growth occurred at relatively high water potential values, often occurring when hydrometeorological conditions were relatively wet during the growing season (e.g. in early spring in some cases). This suggests that species-specific differences in water use strategies may not necessarily affect tree growth, and that tissue growth may be more directly linked to environmental moisture conditions than might otherwise be expected. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Tree ring-based seven-century drought records for the Western Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Ram R.

2013-05-01

The paucity of available instrumental climate records in cold and arid regions of the western Himalaya, India, hampers our understanding of the long-term variability of regional droughts, which seriously affect the agrarian economy of the region. Using ring width chronologies of Cedrus deodara and Pinus gerardiana together from a network of moisture-stressed sites, Palmer Drought Severity Index values for October-May back to 1310 A.D. were developed. The twentieth century features dominant decadal-scale pluvial phases (1981-1995, 1952-1968, and 1918-1934) as compared to the severe droughts in the early seventeenth century (1617-1640) as well as late fifteenth to early sixteenth (1491-1526) centuries. The drought anomalies are positively (negatively) associated with central Pacific (Indo-Pacific Warm Pool) sea surface temperature anomalies. However, non-stationarity in such relationships appears to be the major riddle in the predictability of long-term droughts much needed for the sustainable development of the ecologically sensitive region of the Himalayas.

No growth stimulation of Canada's boreal forest under half-century of combined warming and CO2 fertilization.

PubMed

Girardin, Martin P; Bouriaud, Olivier; Hogg, Edward H; Kurz, Werner; Zimmermann, Niklaus E; Metsaranta, Juha M; de Jong, Rogier; Frank, David C; Esper, Jan; Büntgen, Ulf; Guo, Xiao Jing; Bhatti, Jagtar

2016-12-27

Considerable evidence exists that current global temperatures are higher than at any time during the past millennium. However, the long-term impacts of rising temperatures and associated shifts in the hydrological cycle on the productivity of ecosystems remain poorly understood for mid to high northern latitudes. Here, we quantify species-specific spatiotemporal variability in terrestrial aboveground biomass stem growth across Canada's boreal forests from 1950 to the present. We use 873 newly developed tree-ring chronologies from Canada's National Forest Inventory, representing an unprecedented degree of sampling standardization for a large-scale dendrochronological study. We find significant regional- and species-related trends in growth, but the positive and negative trends compensate each other to yield no strong overall trend in forest growth when averaged across the Canadian boreal forest. The spatial patterns of growth trends identified in our analysis were to some extent coherent with trends estimated by remote sensing, but there are wide areas where remote-sensing information did not match the forest growth trends. Quantifications of tree growth variability as a function of climate factors and atmospheric CO 2 concentration reveal strong negative temperature and positive moisture controls on spatial patterns of tree growth rates, emphasizing the ecological sensitivity to regime shifts in the hydrological cycle. An enhanced dependence of forest growth on soil moisture during the late-20th century coincides with a rapid rise in summer temperatures and occurs despite potential compensating effects from increased atmospheric CO 2 concentration.

Initial period of sexual maturity determines the greater growth rate of male over female in the dioecious tree Juniperus communis subsp. communis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iszkuło, Grzegorz; Boratyński, Adam

2011-03-01

Dioecious species are a very interesting object of study because of predicted differences between male and female individuals. Most dioecious species have a higher reproductive effort in female individuals in comparison with males. The object of this study was common juniper ( Juniperus communis subsp. communis), dioecious shrubs or small trees. This study examined differences in radial growth rate between male and female individuals and the effect of climatic factors on tree-ring width in this species. Wood samples were taken from 30 trees (15 females and 15 males) and subjected to the standard procedure of dendrochronological dating. Females had lower growth rates than males after the age of 17 years. The greatest differences between genders in growth rate were observed between 17 and 25 years. After 26 years, male tree-rings were still wider, but the differences were much smaller. The differentiation of tree-ring width between males and females probably started when the female trees reached sexual maturity and started to produce seed cones. Differences between sexes in tree-ring width were noticed also in their reaction to climatic conditions. When compared to males, female individuals tended to be more sensitive to low temperature and low precipitation. This sensitivity of dioecious species could be one reason for their greater susceptibility to extinction in times of progressive climatic changes.

Climatic signals in stable carbon isotope ratios of Juniper and Oak tree rings from northern Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foroozan, Zeynab; Pourtahmasi, Kambiz; Bräuning, Achim

2018-06-01

Stable isotope ratios in tree rings are increasingly used as palaeoclimatic archive and ecophysiological indicator. We used cross-dated tree-ring series from different tree functional types, i.e. the evergreen conifer Juniperus polycarpus and the deciduous broadleaved Quercus macranthera. The samples were collected from Chaharbagh Gorgon forest in northern Iran, where oaks and junipers grow on north-facing and south-facing slopes, respectively. We extracted α-cellulose from the whole wood of annually separated tree rings and evaluated their potential for palaeoclimate reconstructions by examining the relationships between variations of δ13C in tree-ring cellulose and climate parameters. Based on tree-ring δ13C, we calculated intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE) and evaluated changes in water availability at the study site over the past 50 years. We found significant negative relationships between tree-ring δ13C values in oak and juniper and precipitation in April and spring (only in junipers), while no significant correlations of tree-ring δ13C with temperature occurred. A strong negative relationship between tree-ring δ13C and summer Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) was found at the drier site, indicating that juniper growing on south-facing slopes is a better indicator of drought stress in semiarid environments. A continuous increase in iWUE in both species was observed. δ13C variations in both species reflect the combined influence of climate and local site conditions. The interplay between climatic conditions and species behavior determines the inter-annual δ13C patterns of oak and juniper trees. Due to its more enriched mean δ13C (i.e., less negative average δ13C) and its higher climatic sensitivity, juniper is a more suitable proxy for paleoclimatic reconstructions in northern Iran.

Annual increments of juniper dwarf shrubs above the tree line on the central Tibetan Plateau: a useful climatic proxy.

PubMed

Liang, Eryuan; Lu, Xiaoming; Ren, Ping; Li, Xiaoxia; Zhu, Liping; Eckstein, Dieter

2012-03-01

Dendroclimatology is playing an important role in understanding past climatic changes on the Tibetan Plateau. Forests, however, are mainly confined to the eastern Tibetan Plateau. On the central Tibetan Plateau, in contrast, shrubs and dwarf shrubs need to be studied instead of trees as a source of climate information. The objectives of this study were to check the dendrochronological potential of the dwarf shrub Wilson juniper (Juniperus pingii var. wilsonii) growing from 4740 to 4780 m a.s.l. and to identify the climatic factors controlling its radial growth. Forty-three discs from 33 stems of Wilson juniper were sampled near the north-eastern shore of the Nam Co (Heavenly Lake). Cross-dating was performed along two directions of each stem, avoiding the compression-wood side as far as possible. A ring-width chronology was developed after a negative exponential function or a straight line of any slope had been fit to the raw measurements. Then, correlations were calculated between the standard ring-width chronology and monthly climate data recorded by a weather station around 100 km away. Our study has shown high dendrochronological potential of Wilson juniper, based on its longevity (one individual was 324 years old), well-defined growth rings, reliable cross-dating between individuals and distinct climatic signals reflected by the ring-width variability. Unlike dwarf shrubs in the circum-arctic tundra ecosystem which positively responded to above-average temperature in the growing season, moisture turned out to be growth limiting for Wilson juniper, particularly the loss of moisture caused by high maximum temperatures in May-June. Because of the wide distribution of shrub and dwarf shrub species on the central Tibetan Plateau, an exciting prospect was opened up to extend the presently existing tree-ring networks far up into one of the largest tundra regions of the world.

Tree Ring Analyses Unlock a Century of Hydroclimatic Variability Across the Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunello, C. F.; Andermann, C.; Helle, G.; Comiti, F.; Tonon, G.; Hovius, N.

2017-12-01

Climate change has altered precipitation patterns and impacted the spatio-temporal distribution and availability of water in high mountain environments. For example, intensification of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) increases the potential for moisture laden air to breach the Himalayan orographic barrier and penetrate into the arid, elevated southern Tibetan Plateau, with geomorphological and hydrological consequences. Such trends should be considered against a solid background, but a consistent record of centennial monsoon dynamics in the trans-Himalayan region has never been developed. Instrumental data are sparse and only cover a limited time period as well as remotely sensed information. Meanwhile, models have major systematic bias and substantial uncertainty in reproducing ISM interannual variability. In this context, hydro-climatic proxies, such as oxygen stable isotope ratios in cellulose of tree rings, are a valuable source of data, especially because isotope mass spectroscopy can unlock yearly resolved information by tracing the isotopic signature (18O) stored within each growth ring. Here we present three centennial records of monsoon dynamics, along a latitudinal transect, spanning a pronounced precipitation gradient across the Himalayan orogen. Three sites were selected along the Kali Gandaki valley in the central Himalayas (Nepal), this valley connects the wet, monsoon dominated Gangetic plain with the arid Tibetan Plateau. Our transect covers the sensitive northern end of the precipitation gradient, located in the upper part of the catchment. Our results show that inter-annual variation of monsoon strength can be reconstructed by tree ring δ18O. The inferred monsoon dynamics are compared against independent constraints on precipitation, snow cover and river discharge. Different water sources contribute disproportionally at the three sites, reflecting spatial and temporal shifts of the westerlies and the Indian summer monsoon. These two dominant sources of humidity are complemented by recycled continental circulation characterizing pre-monsoon rainfall. Our yearly resolved records of monsoon strength provide insights into anomalous hydro-climatic years and highlight the importance of precipitation variability for the hydrological processes in high mountain regions.

Tree-ring reconstructions of hydroclimatic variability in the Upper Colorado River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hidalgo-Leon, Hugo

Three major sources of improvements in tree-ring analysis and reconstruction of hydroclimatic variables are presented for the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) in the southwestern U.S.: (1) Cross validation statistics are used for identifying optimal reconstruction models based on different alternatives of PCA-based regression. Results showed that a physically-consistent parsimonious model with low mean square error can be obtained by using strict rules for principal component selection and cross validation statistics. The improved methods were used to produce a ˜500 year high-resolution reconstruction of the UCRB's streamflow and compared with results of a previous reconstruction based on traditional procedures. (2) Tree-species' type was found to be a factor for determining chronology selection from dendrohydroclimatic models. The relative sensitivity of six tree species (Pinus edulis, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus ponderosa, Pinus flexilis, Pinus aristata, and Picea engelmanni) to hydroclimatic extreme variations was determined using contingency table scores of tree-ring growth (at different lags) against hydroclimatic observations. Pinus edulis and Pseudotsuga menziesii were found to be the species most sensitive to low water. Results showed that tree-rings are biased towards greater sensitivity to hot-dry conditions and less responsive to cool-moist conditions. Resulted also showed higher streamflow response scores compared to precipitation implying a good integration and persistence representation of the basin through normal hydrological processes. (3) Previous reconstructions on the basin used data extending only up to 1963. This is an important limitation since hydroclimatic records from 1963 to the present show significantly different variation than prior to 1963. The changes are caused by variations in the strength of forcing mechanisms from the Pacific Ocean. A comparative analysis of the influence of North Pacific variation and El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) showed that the responses of Tropical and North Pacific forcing in UCRB's hydroclimate are different for annual precipitation and total streamflow and that these relationships have changed at decadal time scales. Furthermore, most of the few tree-rings available up to 1985, present the same shifts as the hydroclimatic variables studied. To capture the full range of variability observed in instrumental data is necessary to collect new tree-ring samples.

Fuel Treatment Effects on Water Use Efficiency in Western Pine Forests Under Fire Suppression Evaluated Using Tree Ring Carbon Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, A. H.; Belmecheri, S.; Harris, L. B.

2016-12-01

We identified variation on water use efficiency interpreted from carbon 13 in tree ring cellulose in dense ponderosa pines forests in Washington and Arizona. Historically, these forests burned every decade until fires were suppressed beginning in the early twentieth century. The reduction in fire caused large increases in forest density and forest biomass and potential for intense fire. Forests with hazardous fuels are common in the western United States and these types of forests are treated with mechanical thinning and mechanical thinning and burning to reduce hazardous fuels and fire intensity. At each site we extracted tree ring samples from five trees in each treatment type and a control to identify the effects of fuel treatment of concentration of carbon 13 in tree ring cellulose. Water use efficiency as measured by carbon 13 increased after fuel treatments. Treatment effects were larger for the mechanical plus burn treatment than for the mechanical treatment in each study area compared to the control stands Our results suggest that fuel treatments reduce sensitivity of tree growth to climate and increase water use efficiency. Since tree ring carbon 13 is related to plant productivity, carbon 13 in tree rings can be used as a metric of change in ecosystem function for evaluating fuel treatments.

A new method for separating the climatic and biological trend components from tree ring series, with implications for paleoclimate reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouldin, J.

2010-12-01

In the reconstruction of past climates from tree rings multi-decadal to multi-centennial periods, one longstanding problem is the confounding of the natural biological growth trend of the tree with any existing long term trends in the climate. No existing analytical method is capable of resolving these two change components, so it remains unclear how accurate existing ring series standardizations are, and by implication, climate reconstructions based upon them. For example, dendrochronological at the ITRDB are typically standardized by detrending, at each site, each individual tree core, using a relatively stiff deterministic function such as a negative exponential curve or smoothing spline. Another approach, referred to as RCS (Regional Curve Standardization) attempts to solve some problems of the individual series detrending, by constructing a single growth curve from the aggregated cambial ages of the rings of the cores at a site (or collection of sites). This curve is presumed to represent the “ideal” or expected growth of the trees from which it is derived. Although an improvement in some respects, this method will be degraded in direct proportion to the lack of a mixture of tree sizes or ages throughout the span of the chronology. I present a new method of removing the biological curve from tree ring series, such that temporal changes better represent the environmental variation captured by the tree rings. The method institutes several new approaches, such as the correction for the estimated number of missed rings near the pith, and the use of tree size and ring area relationships instead of the traditional tree ages and ring widths. The most important innovation is a careful extraction of the existing information on the relationship between tree size (basal area) and ring area that exists within each single year of the chronology. This information is, by definition, not contaminated by temporal climatic changes, and so when removed, leaves the climatically caused, and random error components of the chronology. A sophisticated algorithm, based on pair-wise ring comparisons in which tree size is standardized both within and between years, forms the basis of the method. Evaluations of the method are underway with both simulated and actual (ITRDB) data, to evaluate the potentials and drawbacks of the method relative to existing methods. The ITRDB test data consists of a set of about 50 primarily high elevation sites from across western North America. Most of these sites show a pronounced 20th Century warming relative to earlier centuries, in accordance with current understanding, albeit at a non-global scale. A relative minority show cooling, occasionally strongly. Current and future work emphasizes evaluation of the method with varying, simulated data, and more thorough empirical evaluations of the method in situations where the type, and intensity, of the primary environmentally limiting factor varies (e.g temperature versus soil moisture limited sites).

Floodplain ecohydrology: Climatic, anthropogenic, and local physical controls on partitioning of water sources to riparian trees.

PubMed

Singer, Michael Bliss; Sargeant, Christopher I; Piégay, Hervé; Riquier, Jérémie; Wilson, Rob J S; Evans, Cristina M

2014-05-01

Seasonal and annual partitioning of water within river floodplains has important implications for ecohydrologic links between the water cycle and tree growth. Climatic and hydrologic shifts alter water distribution between floodplain storage reservoirs (e.g., vadose, phreatic), affecting water availability to tree roots. Water partitioning is also dependent on the physical conditions that control tree rooting depth (e.g., gravel layers that impede root growth), the sources of contributing water, the rate of water drainage, and water residence times within particular storage reservoirs. We employ instrumental climate records alongside oxygen isotopes within tree rings and regional source waters, as well as topographic data and soil depth measurements, to infer the water sources used over several decades by two co-occurring tree species within a riparian floodplain along the Rhône River in France. We find that water partitioning to riparian trees is influenced by annual (wet versus dry years) and seasonal (spring snowmelt versus spring rainfall) fluctuations in climate. This influence depends strongly on local (tree level) conditions including floodplain surface elevation and subsurface gravel layer elevation. The latter represents the upper limit of the phreatic zone and therefore controls access to shallow groundwater. The difference between them, the thickness of the vadose zone, controls total soil moisture retention capacity. These factors thus modulate the climatic influence on tree ring isotopes. Additionally, we identified growth signatures and tree ring isotope changes associated with recent restoration of minimum streamflows in the Rhône, which made new phreatic water sources available to some trees in otherwise dry years. Water shifts due to climatic fluctuations between floodplain storage reservoirsAnthropogenic changes to hydrology directly impact water available to treesEcohydrologic approaches to integration of hydrology afford new possibilities.

Floodplain ecohydrology: Climatic, anthropogenic, and local physical controls on partitioning of water sources to riparian trees

PubMed Central

Singer, Michael Bliss; Sargeant, Christopher I; Piégay, Hervé; Riquier, Jérémie; Wilson, Rob J S; Evans, Cristina M

2014-01-01

Seasonal and annual partitioning of water within river floodplains has important implications for ecohydrologic links between the water cycle and tree growth. Climatic and hydrologic shifts alter water distribution between floodplain storage reservoirs (e.g., vadose, phreatic), affecting water availability to tree roots. Water partitioning is also dependent on the physical conditions that control tree rooting depth (e.g., gravel layers that impede root growth), the sources of contributing water, the rate of water drainage, and water residence times within particular storage reservoirs. We employ instrumental climate records alongside oxygen isotopes within tree rings and regional source waters, as well as topographic data and soil depth measurements, to infer the water sources used over several decades by two co-occurring tree species within a riparian floodplain along the Rhône River in France. We find that water partitioning to riparian trees is influenced by annual (wet versus dry years) and seasonal (spring snowmelt versus spring rainfall) fluctuations in climate. This influence depends strongly on local (tree level) conditions including floodplain surface elevation and subsurface gravel layer elevation. The latter represents the upper limit of the phreatic zone and therefore controls access to shallow groundwater. The difference between them, the thickness of the vadose zone, controls total soil moisture retention capacity. These factors thus modulate the climatic influence on tree ring isotopes. Additionally, we identified growth signatures and tree ring isotope changes associated with recent restoration of minimum streamflows in the Rhône, which made new phreatic water sources available to some trees in otherwise dry years. Key Points Water shifts due to climatic fluctuations between floodplain storage reservoirs Anthropogenic changes to hydrology directly impact water available to trees Ecohydrologic approaches to integration of hydrology afford new possibilities PMID:25506099

Application of a Hybrid Forest Growth Model to Evaluate Climate Change Impacts on Productivity, Nutrient Cycling and Mortality in a Montane Forest Ecosystem.

PubMed

Seely, Brad; Welham, Clive; Scoullar, Kim

2015-01-01

Climate change introduces considerable uncertainty in forest management planning and outcomes, potentially undermining efforts at achieving sustainable practices. Here, we describe the development and application of the FORECAST Climate model. Constructed using a hybrid simulation approach, the model includes an explicit representation of the effect of temperature and moisture availability on tree growth and survival, litter decomposition, and nutrient cycling. The model also includes a representation of the impact of increasing atmospheric CO2 on water use efficiency, but no direct CO2 fertilization effect. FORECAST Climate was evaluated for its ability to reproduce the effects of historical climate on Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine growth in a montane forest in southern British Columbia, Canada, as measured using tree ring analysis. The model was subsequently used to project the long-term impacts of alternative future climate change scenarios on forest productivity in young and established stands. There was a close association between predicted sapwood production and measured tree ring chronologies, providing confidence that model is able to predict the relative impact of annual climate variability on tree productivity. Simulations of future climate change suggest a modest increase in productivity in young stands of both species related to an increase in growing season length. In contrast, results showed a negative impact on stemwood biomass production (particularly in the case of lodgepole pine) for established stands due to increased moisture stress mortality.

Application of a Hybrid Forest Growth Model to Evaluate Climate Change Impacts on Productivity, Nutrient Cycling and Mortality in a Montane Forest Ecosystem

PubMed Central

Seely, Brad; Welham, Clive; Scoullar, Kim

2015-01-01

Climate change introduces considerable uncertainty in forest management planning and outcomes, potentially undermining efforts at achieving sustainable practices. Here, we describe the development and application of the FORECAST Climate model. Constructed using a hybrid simulation approach, the model includes an explicit representation of the effect of temperature and moisture availability on tree growth and survival, litter decomposition, and nutrient cycling. The model also includes a representation of the impact of increasing atmospheric CO2 on water use efficiency, but no direct CO2 fertilization effect. FORECAST Climate was evaluated for its ability to reproduce the effects of historical climate on Douglas-fir and lodgepole pine growth in a montane forest in southern British Columbia, Canada, as measured using tree ring analysis. The model was subsequently used to project the long-term impacts of alternative future climate change scenarios on forest productivity in young and established stands. There was a close association between predicted sapwood production and measured tree ring chronologies, providing confidence that model is able to predict the relative impact of annual climate variability on tree productivity. Simulations of future climate change suggest a modest increase in productivity in young stands of both species related to an increase in growing season length. In contrast, results showed a negative impact on stemwood biomass production (particularly in the case of lodgepole pine) for established stands due to increased moisture stress mortality. PMID:26267446

Tree density and permafrost thaw depth influence water limitations on stomatal conductance in Siberian Arctic boreal forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kropp, H.; Loranty, M. M.; Natali, S.; Kholodov, A. L.; Alexander, H. D.; Zimov, N.

2017-12-01

Boreal forests may experience increased water stress under global climate change as rising air temperatures increase evaporative demand and decrease soil moisture. Increases in plant water stress can decrease stomatal conductance, and ultimately, decrease primary productivity. A large portion of boreal forests are located in Siberia, and are dominated by deciduous needleleaf trees, Larix spp. We investigated the variability and drivers of canopy stomatal conductance in upland Larix stands with different stand density that arose from differing fire severity. Our measurements focus on an open canopy stand with low tree density and deep permafrost thaw depth, and a closed canopy stand with high tree density and shallow permafrost thaw depth. We measured canopy stomatal conductance, soil moisture, and micrometeorological variables. Our results demonstrate that canopy stomatal conductance was significantly lower in the closed canopy stand with a significantly higher sensitivity to increases in atmospheric evaporative demand. Canopy stomatal conductance in both stands was tightly coupled to precipitation that occurred over the previous week; however, the closed canopy stand showed a significantly greater sensitivity to increases in precipitation compared to the open canopy stand. Differences in access to deep versus shallow soil moisture and the physical characteristics of the soil profile likely contribute to differences in sensitivity to precipitation between the two stands. Our results indicate that Larix primary productivity may be highly sensitive to changes in evaporative demand and soil moisture that can result of global climate change. However, the effect of increasing air temperatures and changes in precipitation will differ significantly depending on stand density, thaw depth, and the hydraulic characteristics of the soil profile.

Does Forest Continuity Enhance the Resilience of Trees to Environmental Change?

PubMed

von Oheimb, Goddert; Härdtle, Werner; Eckstein, Dieter; Engelke, Hans-Hermann; Hehnke, Timo; Wagner, Bettina; Fichtner, Andreas

2014-01-01

There is ample evidence that continuously existing forests and afforestations on previously agricultural land differ with regard to ecosystem functions and services such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and biodiversity. However, no studies have so far been conducted on possible long-term (>100 years) impacts on tree growth caused by differences in the ecological continuity of forest stands. In the present study we analysed the variation in tree-ring width of sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) trees (mean age 115-136 years) due to different land-use histories (continuously existing forests, afforestations both on arable land and on heathland). We also analysed the relation of growth patterns to soil nutrient stores and to climatic parameters (temperature, precipitation). Tree rings formed between 1896 and 2005 were widest in trees afforested on arable land. This can be attributed to higher nitrogen and phosphorous availability and indicates that former fertilisation may continue to affect the nutritional status of forest soils for more than one century after those activities have ceased. Moreover, these trees responded more strongly to environmental changes - as shown by a higher mean sensitivity of the tree-ring widths - than trees of continuously existing forests. However, the impact of climatic parameters on the variability in tree-ring width was generally small, but trees on former arable land showed the highest susceptibility to annually changing climatic conditions. We assume that incompletely developed humus horizons as well as differences in the edaphon are responsible for the more sensitive response of oak trees of recent forests (former arable land and former heathland) to variation in environmental conditions. We conclude that forests characterised by a long ecological continuity may be better adapted to global change than recent forest ecosystems.

Does Forest Continuity Enhance the Resilience of Trees to Environmental Change?

PubMed Central

von Oheimb, Goddert; Härdtle, Werner; Eckstein, Dieter; Engelke, Hans-Hermann; Hehnke, Timo; Wagner, Bettina; Fichtner, Andreas

2014-01-01

There is ample evidence that continuously existing forests and afforestations on previously agricultural land differ with regard to ecosystem functions and services such as carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling and biodiversity. However, no studies have so far been conducted on possible long-term (>100 years) impacts on tree growth caused by differences in the ecological continuity of forest stands. In the present study we analysed the variation in tree-ring width of sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.) trees (mean age 115–136 years) due to different land-use histories (continuously existing forests, afforestations both on arable land and on heathland). We also analysed the relation of growth patterns to soil nutrient stores and to climatic parameters (temperature, precipitation). Tree rings formed between 1896 and 2005 were widest in trees afforested on arable land. This can be attributed to higher nitrogen and phosphorous availability and indicates that former fertilisation may continue to affect the nutritional status of forest soils for more than one century after those activities have ceased. Moreover, these trees responded more strongly to environmental changes – as shown by a higher mean sensitivity of the tree-ring widths – than trees of continuously existing forests. However, the impact of climatic parameters on the variability in tree-ring width was generally small, but trees on former arable land showed the highest susceptibility to annually changing climatic conditions. We assume that incompletely developed humus horizons as well as differences in the edaphon are responsible for the more sensitive response of oak trees of recent forests (former arable land and former heathland) to variation in environmental conditions. We conclude that forests characterised by a long ecological continuity may be better adapted to global change than recent forest ecosystems. PMID:25494042

Modeling tree growth and stable isotope ratios of white spruce in western Alaska.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boucher, Etienne; Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Field, Robert; Oelkers, Rose; D'Arrigo, Rosanne

2017-04-01

Summer temperatures are assumed to exert a dominant control on physiological processes driving forest productivity in interior Alaska. However, despite the recent warming of the last few decades, numerous lines of evidence indicate that the enhancing effect of summer temperatures on high latitude forest populations has been weakening. First, satellite-derived indices of photosynthetic activity, such as the Normalized-Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI, 1982-2005), show overall declines in productivity in the interior boreal forests. Second, some white spruce tree ring series strongly diverge from summer temperatures during the second half of the 20th century, indicating a persistent loss of temperature sensitivity of tree ring proxies. Thus, the physiological response of treeline forests to ongoing climate change cannot be accurately predicted, especially from correlation analysis. Here, we make use of a process-based dendroecological model (MAIDENiso) to elucidate the complex linkages between global warming and increases in atmospheric CO2 concentration [CO2] with the response of treeline white spruce stands in interior Alaska (Seward). In order to fully capture the array of processes controlling tree growth in the area, multiple physiological indicators of white spruce productivity are used as target variables: NDVI images, ring widths (RW), maximum density (MXD) and newly measured carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios from ring cellulose. Based on these data, we highlight the processes and mechanisms responsible for the apparent loss of sensitivity of white spruce trees to recent climate warming and [CO2] increase in order to elucidate the sensitivity and vulnerability of these trees to climate change.

The response of relative humidity to centennial-scale warming over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from tree-ring width chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Chunming; Daux, Valérie; Li, Zongshan; Wu, Xiuchen; Fan, Tianyi; Ma, Qian; Wu, Xiaoxu; Tian, Huaiyu; Carré, Matthieu; Ji, Duoying; Wang, Wenli; Rinke, Annette; Gong, Wei; Liu, Yan; Chen, Yating; Masson-Delmotte, Valérie

2018-02-01

Understanding the past variability in atmospheric moisture associated with global warming is essential for reducing the uncertainties in climate projections. Such understanding is especially necessary in the Asian monsoon region in the context of increasing anthropogenic forcing. Here, we average four tree-ring width chronologies from the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP) over their common intervals and reconstruct the variability in regional relative humidity (RH) from the previous May to the current March over 1751-2005. In contrast to the summer drying associated with centennial-scale warming and the weakening of the Asian summer monsoon, our RH reconstruction shows no significant centennial trend from the 1820s through the 2000s. This absence of a consistent signal is due to the combined effects of contrasting moisture trends during the monsoonal and non-monsoonal seasons, which are controlled by summer monsoon precipitation and local convective precipitation, respectively. The interannual and decadal variability of our RH reconstruction is modulated by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO); however, these links are unstable over time. Two rapid increases in moisture are found to have occurred around the 1820s and 1980s; the latter increase caused the variability in RH during the 1980s-2000s to be the largest over the entire reconstruction period.

Using Tree-Ring Data, Research, and Expeditions as an Accessible, Hands-on "Bridge" into Climate Studies for Diverse Audiences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davi, N. K.; Wattenberg, F.; Pringle, P. T.; Tanenbaum, J.; O'Brien, A.; Greidanus, I.; Perry, M.

2012-12-01

Tree-ring research provides an engaging, intuitive, and relevant entryway into understanding both climate-change and environmental research, as well as the process of science from inspiration, to fieldwork, to analysis, to publishing and communicating. The basic premise of dendrochronology is that annual rings reflect environmental conditions year-by-year and that by studying long-lived trees we can learn about past environments and climates for hundreds-to-thousands of years in the past. Conceptually, this makes tree-ring studies accessible to students and faculty for a number of reasons. First, in order to collect their data, dendrochronologists often launch expeditions to stunningly picturesque and remote places in search of long-lived, climate sensitive trees. Scientist exciting stories and images from the field can be leveraged to connect students to the study and the data. Second, tree-rings can be more easily explained as a proxy for climate than other methods (ice cores, carbon-isotope ratios, etc.), and most people have prior-knowledge about trees and annual growth rings. It is even possible, for example, for non-expert audiences to see climate variability through time with the naked eye by looking at climate sensitive tree cores. Third, tree-rings are interdisciplinary and illustrate the interplay between the mathematical sciences, the biological sciences, and the geosciences—that is, they show that the biosphere is a fundamental component of the Earth system. Here, we will present several projects have been initiated for a range of audiences, including; elementary school, where 5th graders visited a local forest to collect samples and apply their samples and what they learned to math and science classes. 5th grade students also leaned how to use Climate Explorer (KNMI), an online tool that allows scientist and students the opportunity to access and visualize global climate data within a few clicks. Geared to 2 and 4 year colleges, we are also collaboratively developing new interdisciplinary science and mathematical curriculum, interactive game modules, and multi-media that focus on using tree-ring expeditions and research projects that have real-world applications related to societal concerns (drought, warming, or in some cases, finances) to support student-centered inquiry-based learning. We are also creating professional development guides for teachers.

High sensitivity of northeastern broadleaf forest trees to water availability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levesque, M.; Pederson, N.; Andreu-Hayles, L.

2015-12-01

Temperate deciduous forests of eastern US provide goods and services to millions of people and play a vital role in the terrestrial carbon and hydrological cycles. However, ongoing climate change and increased in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere (ca) are expected to alter growth and gas exchange of trees, and ultimately forest productivity. Still, the magnitude of these effects is unclear. A better comprehension of the species-specific responses to environmental changes will better inform models and managers on the vulnerability and resiliency of these forests. Tree-ring analysis was combined with δ¹³C and δ18O measurements to investigate growth and physiological responses of red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) in northeastern US to changes in water availability and ca for the period 1950-2014. We found very strong correlations between summer climatic water balance (June-August) and isotopic tree-ring series for δ¹³C (r = -0.65 and -0.73), and δ18O (r = -0.59 and -0.70), for red oak and tulip poplar, respectively. In contrast, tree-ring width was less sensitive to summer water availability (r = 0.33-0.39). Prior to the mid 1980s, low water availability resulted in low stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and growth. Since that period, pluvial conditions occurring in northeastern US have increased stomatal conductance, carbon uptake, and growth of both species. These findings demonstrate that broadleaf trees in this region could be more sensitive to drought than expected. This appears especially true since much of the calibration period looks wet in a multi-centennial perspective. Further, stronger spatial correlations were found between climate data with tree-ring isotopes than with tree-ring width and the geographical area of the observed δ18O-precipitation response (i.e. the area over which correlations are > 0.5) covers most of the northeastern US. Given the good fit between the isotopic time series and water availability, the robustness of the hydroclimatic reconstructions in this region could be improved considerably with further isotopic research. Overall, the results indicate that stable isotopes yield valuable climatic and physiological information that could be undetected when using solely tree-ring width.

Tree-ring isotopes reveal drought sensitivity in trees killed by spruce beetle outbreaks in south-central Alaska.

PubMed

Csank, Adam Z; Miller, Amy E; Sherriff, Rosemary L; Berg, Edward E; Welker, Jeffrey M

2016-10-01

Increasing temperatures have resulted in reduced growth and increased tree mortality across large areas of western North American forests. We use tree-ring isotope chronologies (δ 13 C and δ 18 O) from live and dead trees from four locations in south-central Alaska, USA, to test whether white spruce trees killed by recent spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) outbreaks showed evidence of drought stress prior to death. Trees that were killed were more sensitive to spring/summer temperature and/or precipitation than trees that survived. At two of our sites, we found greater correlations between the δ 13 C and δ 18 O chronologies and spring/summer temperatures in dead trees than in live trees, suggesting that trees that are more sensitive to temperature-induced drought stress are more likely to be killed. At one site, the difference between δ 13 C in live and dead trees was related to winter/spring precipitation, with dead trees showing stronger correlations between δ 13 C and precipitation, again suggesting increased water stress in dead trees. At all sites where δ 18 O was measured, δ 18 O chronologies showed the greatest difference in climate response between live and dead groups, with δ 18 O in live trees correlating more strongly with late winter precipitation than dead trees. Our results indicate that sites where trees are already sensitive to warm or dry early growing-season conditions experienced the most beetle-kill, which has important implications for forecasting future mortality events in Alaska. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Imprints of climate signals in a 204 year 18O tree-ring record of Nothofagus pumilio from Perito Moreno Glacier, southern Patagonia (50°S).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grießinger, Jussi; Langhamer, Lukas; Schneider, Christoph; Saß, Björn-Lukas; Steger, David; Skvarca, Pedro; Braun, Matthias H.; Meier, Wolfgang J.-H.; Srur, Ana M.; Hochreuther, Philipp

2018-04-01

A 204 year-long record of 18O in tree-ring cellulose of southern beech (Nothofagus pumilio) from a site near Perito Moreno Glacier (50°S) in southern Patagonia was established to assess its potential for a climate reconstruction. The annually resolved oxygen isotope chronology is built out of seven individual tree-ring 18O series with a significant mean inter-series correlation (r = 0.61) and is the first of its kind located in Southern America south of 50°S. Over a common period from 1960 to 2013 of available stationary and high-resolution gridded CRU TS v. 4.01 data, the 18O chronology exhibits a strong sensitivity towards hydroclimatic as well as temperature parameters as revealed by correlation analyses. Among these, positive correlations with maximum temperature in the first part of the summer season (CRU rONDJ = 0.51, p<0.01) and negative correlations with precipitation in the latter half of the vegetation period (CRU rONDJ = - 0.54, p<0.01) show the highest sensitivities. A strong supra-regional influence of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) is clearly recorded in this chronology as indicated by significant positive correlations during the vegetation period (rONDJ = 0.62, p<0.01). This indicates that the presented 18O-chronology shows great promise to reconstruct the influence and variability of the SAM within the last two centuries in southern South America. The modulation of positive and negative anomalies within this series can be interlinked to changes in moisture source origin as revealed by backward trajectory modeling. Additionally, these anomalies can be directly associated to positive or negative phases of the Antarctic Oscillation Index (AAOI) and therefore the strength of the Westerlies. Aligned by the analysis on the influence of different main weather types on the 18O chronology it is shown that such time-series hold the potential to additionally capture their respective influence and change during the last centuries.

Climate Drivers of Blue Intensity from Two Eastern North American Conifers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rayback, S. A.; Kilbride, J.; Pontius, J.; Tait, E.; Little, J.

2016-12-01

Gaining a comprehensive understanding of the climatic factors that drive tree radial growth over time is important in the context of global climate change. Herein, we explore minimum blue intensity (BI), a measure of lignin context in the latewood of tree rings, with the objective of developing BI chronologies for two eastern North American conifers to identify and explore climatic drivers and to compare BI-climate relationships to those of tree-ring widths (TRW). Using dendrochronological techniques, Tsuga canadensis and Picea rubens TRW and BI chronologies were developed at Abbey Pond (ABP) and The Cape National Research Area (CAPE), Vermont, USA, respectively. Climate drivers (1901-2010) were investigated using correlation and response function analyses and generalized linear mixed models. The ABP T. canadensis BI model explained the highest amount of variance (R2 = 0.350, adjR2=0.324) with September Tmin and June total percent cloudiness as predictors. The ABP T. canadensis TRW model explained 34% of the variance (R2 = 0.340, adjR2=0.328) with summer total precipitation and June PDSI as predictors. The CAPE P. rubens TRW and BI models explained 31% of the variance (R2 = 0.33, adjR2=0.310), based on p July Tmax, p August Tmean and fall Tmin as predictors, and 7% (R2 = 0.068, adjR2=0.060) based on Spring Tmin as the predictor, respectively. Moving window analyses confirm the moisture sensitivity of T. canadensis TRW and now BI and suggest an extension of the growing season. Similarly, P. rubens TRW responded consistently negative to high growing season temperatures, but TRW and BI benefited from a longer growing season. This study introduces two new BI chronologies, the first from northeastern North America, and highlights shifts underway in tree response to changing climate.

Features of Scots pine radial growth in conditions of provenance trial.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmin, Sergey; Kuzmina, Nina

2013-04-01

Provenance trial of Scots pine in Boguchany forestry of Krasnoyarsk krai is conducted on two different soils - dark-grey loam forest soil and sod-podzol sandy soil. Complex of negative factors for plant growth and development appears in dry conditions of sandy soil. It could results in decrease of resistance to diseases. Sandy soils in different climatic zones have such common traits as low absorbing capacity, poorness of elemental nutrition, low microbiological activity and moisture capacity, very high water permeability. But Scots pine trees growing in such conditions could have certain advantages and perspectives of use. In the scope of climate change (global warming) the study of Scots pine growth on sandy soil become urgent because of more frequent appearance of dry seasons. Purpose of the work is revelation of radial growth features of Scots pine with different origin in dry conditions of sandy soil and assessment of external factors influence. The main feature of radial growth of majority of studied pine provenances in conditions of sandy soil is presence of significant variation of increment with distinct decline in 25-years old with loss of tree rings in a number of cases. The reason of it is complex of factors: deficit of June precipitation and next following outbreak of fungal disease. Found «frost rings» for all trees of studied clymatypes in 1992 are the consequence of temperature decline from May 21 to June 2 - from 23 down to 2 degree Celsius. Perspective climatypes with biggest radial increments and least sensitivity to fungal disease were revealed. Eniseysk and Vikhorevka (from Krasnoyarsk krai and Irkutsk oblast)provenances of pine have the biggest radial increments, the least sensitivity to Cenangium dieback and smallest increments decline. These climatypes are in the group of perspective provenances and in present time they are recommended for wide trial in the region for future use in plantation forest growing. Kandalaksha (Murmansk oblast) climatype from northern taiga with good resistance to pathogen have nonsignificant decline in radial increment during epiphytoty in comparison with local and southern climatypes. Southern Chemal provenance (Altai) after influence of Cenangium dieback has more than others losses of tree rings as the result of nonresistance to this fungal disease.

No growth stimulation of Canada’s boreal forest under half-century of combined warming and CO2 fertilization

PubMed Central

Girardin, Martin P.; Hogg, Edward H.; Kurz, Werner; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Metsaranta, Juha M.; de Jong, Rogier; Frank, David C.; Esper, Jan; Büntgen, Ulf; Guo, Xiao Jing; Bhatti, Jagtar

2016-01-01

Considerable evidence exists that current global temperatures are higher than at any time during the past millennium. However, the long-term impacts of rising temperatures and associated shifts in the hydrological cycle on the productivity of ecosystems remain poorly understood for mid to high northern latitudes. Here, we quantify species-specific spatiotemporal variability in terrestrial aboveground biomass stem growth across Canada’s boreal forests from 1950 to the present. We use 873 newly developed tree-ring chronologies from Canada’s National Forest Inventory, representing an unprecedented degree of sampling standardization for a large-scale dendrochronological study. We find significant regional- and species-related trends in growth, but the positive and negative trends compensate each other to yield no strong overall trend in forest growth when averaged across the Canadian boreal forest. The spatial patterns of growth trends identified in our analysis were to some extent coherent with trends estimated by remote sensing, but there are wide areas where remote-sensing information did not match the forest growth trends. Quantifications of tree growth variability as a function of climate factors and atmospheric CO2 concentration reveal strong negative temperature and positive moisture controls on spatial patterns of tree growth rates, emphasizing the ecological sensitivity to regime shifts in the hydrological cycle. An enhanced dependence of forest growth on soil moisture during the late-20th century coincides with a rapid rise in summer temperatures and occurs despite potential compensating effects from increased atmospheric CO2 concentration. PMID:27956624

Coupled soil respiration and transpiration dynamics from tree-scale to catchment scale in dry Rocky Mountain pine forests and the role of snowpack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berryman, E.; Barnard, H. R.; Brooks, P. D.; Adams, H.; Burns, M. A.; Wilson, W.; Stielstra, C. M.

2013-12-01

A current ecohydrological challenge is quantifying the exact nature of carbon (C) and water couplings across landscapes. An emerging framework of understanding places plant physiological processes as a central control over soil respiration, the largest source of CO2 to the atmosphere. In dry montane forests, spatial and temporal variability in forest physiological processes are governed by hydrological patterns. Critical feedbacks involving respiration, moisture supply and tree physiology are poorly understood and must be quantified at the landscape level to better predict carbon cycle implications of regional drought under future climate change. We present data from an experiment designed to capture landscape variability in key coupled hydrological and C processes in forests of Colorado's Front Range. Sites encompass three catchments within the Boulder Creek watershed, range from 1480 m to 3021 m above sea level and are co-located with the DOE Niwot Ridge Ameriflux site and the Boulder Creek Critical Zone Observatory. Key hydrological measurements (soil moisture, transpiration) are coupled with soil respiration measurements within each catchment at different landscape positions. This three-dimensional study design also allows for the examination of the role of water subsidies from uplands to lowlands in controlling respiration. Initial findings from 2012 reveal a moisture threshold response of the sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature. This threshold may derive from tree physiological responses to variation in moisture availability, which in turn is controlled by the persistence of snowpack. Using data collected in 2013, first, we determine whether respiration moisture thresholds represent triggers for transpiration at the individual tree level. Next, using stable isotope ratios of soil respiration and xylem and soil water, we compare the depths of respiration to depths of water uptake to assign tree vs. understory sources of respiration. This will help determine whether tree root-zone respiration exhibits a similar moisture threshold. Lastly, we examine whether moisture thresholds to temperature sensitivity are consistent across a range of snowpack persistence. Findings are compared to data collected from sites in Arizona and New Mexico to better establish the role of winter precipitation in governing growing season respiration rates. The outcome of this study will contribute to a better understanding of linkages among water, tree physiology, and soil respiration with the ultimate goal of scaling plot-level respiration fluxes to entire catchments.

Temperate tree species show identical response in tree water deficit but different sensitivities in sap flow to summer soil drying.

PubMed

Brinkmann, Nadine; Eugster, Werner; Zweifel, Roman; Buchmann, Nina; Kahmen, Ansgar

2016-12-01

Temperate forests are expected to be particularly vulnerable to drought and soil drying because they are not adapted to such conditions and perform best in mesic environments. Here we ask (i) how sensitively four common temperate tree species (Fagus sylvatica, Picea abies, Acer pseudoplatanus and Fraxinus excelsior) respond in their water relations to summer soil drying and seek to determine (ii) if species-specific responses to summer soil drying are related to the onset of declining water status across the four species. Throughout 2012 and 2013 we determined tree water deficit (TWD) as a proxy for tree water status from recorded stem radius changes and monitored sap flow rates with sensors on 16 mature trees studied in the field at Lägeren, Switzerland. All tree species responded equally in their relative maximum TWD to the onset of declining soil moisture. This implies that the water supply of all tree species was affected by declining soil moisture and that none of the four species was able to fully maintain its water status, e.g., by access to alternative water sources in the soil. In contrast we found strong and highly species-specific responses of sap flow to declining soil moisture with the strongest decline in P. abies (92%), followed by F. sylvatica (53%) and A. pseudoplatanus (48%). F. excelsior did not significantly reduce sap flow. We hypothesize the species-specific responses in sap flow to declining soil moisture that occur despite a simultaneous increase in relative TWD in all species reflect how fast these species approach critical levels of their water status, which is most likely influenced by species-specific traits determining the hydraulic properties of the species tree. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Recent Responses of Western North American Forests and Hydroclimate to Pacific Storm Track Position and Intensity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannenberg, M. P.; Wise, E.

2017-12-01

Much of the precipitation delivered to western North America arrives during the October to March cool season via midlatitude Pacific storm tracks, which may shift in the future due to climate change. Using historical climate, tree-ring, and remote sensing data, we assessed the sensitivity of western North American hydroclimate and ecosystems to the position and intensity of cool-season Pacific storm tracks. From 1980-2014, mean annual cool-season storm tracks entered western North America between approximately 41°N to 53°N, with substantial interannual variability in both the position and intensity of the storm tracks. We examined relationships between storm tracks and two hydroclimatic variables: the cool-season standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index and April snow water equivalent. We also assessed how historical storm track variability affected ecosystems using forest growth estimates from a large tree-ring network as well as land surface phenology and wildfire estimates from AVHRR and Landsat, respectively. Cool-season moisture supply and snowpack responded strongly to storm track position, with positive correlations to storm track latitude in eastern Alaska and northwestern Canada but negative correlations in the northwestern U.S. These hydroclimatic impacts were largely driven by the latitudinal position of storm tracks during the "shoulder" seasons (i.e., autumn and early spring). Ecosystems of the western U.S. tended to be greener and more productive following winters with south-shifted storm tracks, while Canadian ecosystems were greener in years when the cool-season storm track was shifted to the north. On average, larger areas of the northwestern U.S. were burned by moderate to high severity wildfires when storm tracks were displaced north, and the average burn area per fire also tended to be higher in years with north-shifted storm tracks. Assuming that these historical relationships continue to hold under future climate scenarios, our results suggest that projected long-term shifts of Pacific storm tracks over the 21st century would likely alter hydroclimatic and ecological regimes in western North America, particularly in the northwestern U.S., where moisture supply and ecosystem processes are highly sensitive to the position of cool-season storm tracks.

Synoptic-scale circulation patterns during summer derived from tree rings in mid-latitude Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seim, Andrea; Schultz, Johannes A.; Leland, Caroline; Davi, Nicole; Byambasuren, Oyunsanaa; Liang, Eryuan; Wang, Xiaochun; Beck, Christoph; Linderholm, Hans W.; Pederson, Neil

2017-09-01

Understanding past and recent climate and atmospheric circulation variability is vital for regions that are affected by climate extremes. In mid-latitude Asia, however, the synoptic climatology is complex and not yet fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate dominant synoptic-scale circulation patterns during the summer season using a multi-species tree-ring width (TRW) network comprising 78 sites from mid-latitude Asia. For each TRW chronology, we calculated an atmospheric circulation tree-ring index (ACTI), based on 1000 hPa geopotential height data, to directly link tree growth to 13 summertime weather types and their associated local climate conditions for the period 1871-1993. Using the ACTI, three groups of similarly responding tree-ring sites can be associated with distinct large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns: 1. growth of drought sensitive trees is positively affected by a cyclone over northern Russia; 2. temperature sensitive trees show positive associations to a cyclone over northwestern Russia and an anticyclone over Mongolia; 3. trees at two high elevation sites show positive relations to a zonal cyclone extending from mid-latitude Eurasia to the West Pacific. The identified synoptic-scale circulation patterns showed spatiotemporal variability in their intensity and position, causing temporally varying climate conditions in mid-latitude Asia. Our results highlight that for regions with less pronounced atmospheric action centers during summer such as the occurrence of large-scale cyclones and anticyclones, synoptic-scale circulation patterns can be extracted and linked to the Northern Hemisphere circulation system. Thus, we provide a new and solid envelope for climate studies covering the past to the future.

Anatomical, chemical, and ecological factors affecting tree species choice in dendrochemistry studies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cutter, B.E.; Guyette, R.P.

1993-07-01

Recently, element concentrations in tree rings have been used to monitor metal contamination, fertilization, and the effects of acid precipitation on soils. This has stimulated interest in which tree species may be suitable for use in studies of long-term trends in environmental chemistry. Potential radial translocation of elements across living boundaries can be a confounding factor in assessing environmental change. The selection of species which minimizes radial translocation of elements can be critical to the success of dendrochemical research. Criteria for selection of species with characteristics favorable for dendrochemical analysis are categorized into (1) habitat-based factors, (2) xylem-based factors, andmore » (3) element-based factors. A wide geographic range and ecological amplitude provide an advantage in calibration and better controls on the effects of soil chemistry. The most important xylem-based criteria are heartwood moisture content, permeability, and the nature of the sapwood-heartwood transition. The element of interest is important in determining suitable tree species because all elements are not equally mobile or detectable in the xylem. Ideally, the tree species selected for dendrochemical study will be long-lived, grow on a wide range of sites over a large geographic distribution, have a distinct heartwood with a low number of rings in the sapwood, a low heartwood moisture content, and have low radial permeability. Recommended temperate zone North American species include white oak (Quercus alba L.), post oak (Q. stellate Wangenh.), eastern redcedar (funiperus virginiana L.), old-growth Douglas-fir [Pseudoaugu menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] and big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.). In addition, species such as bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata Engelm. syn. longaeva), old-growth redwood [Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.], and giant sequoia [S. gigantea (Lindl.) Deene] may be suitable for local purposes. 118 refs., 2 tabs.« less

Features of Scots pine radial growth in conditions of provenance trial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzmin, S.

2012-12-01

Provenance trial of Scots pine in Boguchany forestry of Krasnoyarsk krai is conducted on two different soils - dark-grey loam forest soil and sod-podzol sandy soil. Complex of negative factors for plant growth and development appears in dry conditions of sandy soil. It could results in decrease of resistance to diseases. Sandy soils in different climatic zones have such common traits as low absorbing capacity, poorness of elemental nutrition, low microbiological activity and moisture capacity, very high water permeability. But Scots pine trees growing in such conditions could have certain advantages and perspectives of use. In the scope of climate change (global warming) the study of Scots pine growth on sandy soil become urgent because of more frequent appearance of dry seasons. Purpose of the work is revelation of radial growth features of Scots pine with different origin in dry conditions of sandy soil and assessment of external factors influence. The main feature of radial growth of majority of studied pine provenances in conditions of sandy soil is presence of significant variation of increment with distinct decline in 25-years old with loss of tree rings in a number of cases. The reason of it is complex of factors: deficit of June precipitation and next following outbreak of fungal disease. Found «frost rings» for all trees of studied clymatypes in 1992 are the consequence of temperature decline from May 21 to June 2 - from 23 C degrees up to 2 C. Perspective climatypes with biggest radial increments and least sensitivity to fungal disease were revealed.

Forecasting the forest and the trees: consequences of drought in competitive forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clark, J. S.

2015-12-01

Models that translate individual tree responses to distribution and abundance of competing populations are needed to understand forest vulnerability to drought. Currently, biodiversity predictions rely on one scale or the other, but do not combine them. Synthesis is accomplished here by modeling data together, each with their respective scale-dependent connections to the scale needed for prediction—landscape to regional biodiversity. The approach we summarize integrates three scales, i) individual growth, reproduction, and survival, ii) size-species structure of stands, and iii) regional forest biomass. Data include 24,347 USDA Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots and 135 Long-term Forest Demography plots. Climate, soil moisture, and competitive interactions are predictors. We infer and predict the four-dimensional size/species/space/time (SSST) structure of forests, where all demographic rates respond to winter temperature, growing season length, moisture deficits, local moisture status, and competition. Responses to soil moisture are highly non-linear and not strongly related to responses to climatic moisture deficits over time. In the Southeast the species that are most sensitive to drought on dry sites are not the same as those that are most sensitive on moist sites. Those that respond most to spatial moisture gradients are not the same as those that respond most to regional moisture deficits. There is little evidence of simple tradeoffs in responses. Direct responses to climate constrain the ranges of few tree species, north or south; there is little evidence that range limits are defined by fecundity or survival responses to climate. By contrast, recruitment and the interactions between competition and drought that affect growth and survival are predicted to limit ranges of many species. Taken together, results suggest a rich interaction involving demographic responses at all size classes to neighbors, landscape variation in moisture, and regional climate change.

Climate Controls on Tree Growth in the Western Mediterranean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Touchan, Ramzi; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Meko, David M.; Kerchouche, Dalila; Slimani, Said; Ilmen, Rachid; Hasnaoui, Fouad; Guibal, Frederic; Canarerim Hesys Hykui; Sanchez-Salguero, Raul;

Influence of hydrologic modifications on Fraxinus pennsylvanica in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gee, Hugo K.W.; King, Sammy L.; Keim, Richard F.

2015-01-01

We used tree-ring analysis to examine radial growth response of a common, moderately flood-tolerant species (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marshall) to hydrologic and climatic variability for > 40 years before and after hydrologic modifications affecting two forest stands in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (USA): a stand without levees below dams and a stand within a ring levee. At the stand without levees below dams, spring flood stages decreased and overall growth increased after dam construction, which we attribute to a reduction in flood stress. At the stand within a ring levee, growth responded to the elimination of overbank flooding by shifting from being positively correlated with river stage to not being correlated with river stage. In general, growth in swales was positively correlated with river stage and Palmer Drought Severity Index (an index of soil moisture) for longer periods than flats. Growth decreased after levee construction, but swales were less impacted than flats likely because of differences in elevation and soils provide higher soil moisture. Results of this study indicate that broad-scale hydrologic processes differ in their effects on the flood regime, and the effects on growth of moderately flood-tolerant species such as F. pennsylvanica can be mediated by local-scale factors such as topographic position, which affects soil moisture.

Identifying Threshold Temperatures Associated with Bristlecone Pine Growth Signals in the Great Basin, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiss, S. B.; Bunn, A. G.; Tran, T. J.; Bruening, J. M.; Salzer, M. W.; Hughes, M. K.

2016-12-01

The interpretation of ring-width patterns in high elevation Great Basin bristlecone pine is hampered by the presence of sharp ecophysiological gradients that can lead to mixed growth signals depending on topographic setting of individual trees. We have identified a temperature threshold near the upper forest border above which trees are limited more strongly by temperature, and below which trees tend to be moisture limited. We combined temperature loggers and GIS modeling at a scale of tens of meters to examine trees with different limiting factors. We found that the dual-signal patterns in radial growth can be partially explained by the topoclimate setting of individual trees, with trees in locations where growing season mean temperatures below about 7.4°C to 8°C were more strongly associated with temperature variability than with moisture availability. Using this threshold we show that it is possible to build both temperature and drought reconstructions over the common era from bristlecone pine near the alpine treeline. While our findings might allow for a better physiological understanding of bristlecone pine growth, they also raise questions about the interpretation of temperature reconstructions given the threshold nature of the growth response and the dynamic nature of the treeline ecotone over past millennia.

Investigation of decadal-scale divergence in tree-ring density chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaccaro, A.; Emile-Geay, J.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; Wang, J.

2013-12-01

Tree-ring data from certain forest sites at northern circumpolar latitudes and from some at higher elevation show an anomalous decrease in temperature-sensitivity of tree growth starting in the mid-20th century. This phenomenon, known as the ';divergence problem' (DP), leads to tree-ring reconstructions that underestimate the warming trend exhibited by instrumental measurements over recent decades (e.g. D'Arrigo et al. 2008). In a study conducted in 1998, Briffa et al. discovered a type of divergence wherein latewood density (MXD) chronologies from an early manifestation of the Schweingruber tree-ring dataset showed strong interannual correlation to summer temperature measurements, but increasing divergence between the decadal-scale trends of the tree-rings and temperature records during the second half of the 20th century. This low-frequency divergence suggests that although tree-rings may accurately trace year-to-year changes in temperature, they might not capture longer-term warming trends, making them unsuitable for reconstructions of long-term climate variations. There is reason to believe, however, that the divergence found by Briffa (1998) is at least partly due to detrending or related statistical issues (Esper et al. 2009). Herein, we will investigate the distribution of this decadal-scale ';Briffa-style' divergence to see if it is confined to the earlier chronologies in the Schweingruber dataset or if it is persistent throughout more recent tree-ring data as well. Following the methodology of previous DP investigations (e.g. Briffa et al. 1998), we will draw comparisons between a network of MXD data and instrumental temperature records over an early period (1850-1960) and a recent period (1961-2000) to detect decadal-scale divergence in recent decades. We will apply the Mann et al. 2009 (M09) style of RegEM reconstruction to the M09 dataset, with and without controlling for divergence, and also to a new tree-ring database assembled using strict, objective criteria, including most of the updated Schweingruber network. Other climate field reconstruction (CFR) methods as described by Wang et al. (2013) will be used on our new tree-ring network to check for robustness. The tree-ring data will be independently compared to instrumental temperature series derived from the GHCN-monthly, HadCRUT4, and the M09 infilled HadCRUT3v temperature datasets for cross-validation. Implications for large-scale temperature reconstructions of the Common Era will be discussed. Briffa, K.R., F. H. Schweingruber, P.D. Jones, T.J. Osborn, S.G. Shiyatov, and E.A. Vaganov (1998),Reduced sensitivity of recent tree-growth to temperature at high northern latitudes, Nature, 391, 678-682. D'Arrigo, R., R. Wilson, B. Liepert, and P. Cherubini (2008), On the ';Divergence Problem' in Northern Forests: A review of the tree-ring evidence and possible causes, GAPC, 60, 289-305. Esper, J. and D. Frank (2009), Divergence pitfalls in tree-ring research, Climate Change, 94, 261-266. Mann, M.E., Z. Zhang, M.K. Hughes, R.S. Bradley, S.K. Miller, S. Rutherford, and F. Ni (2009), Proxy-based reconstructions of hemispheric and global surface temperature variations over the past two millennia, PNAS, 105 (36) 13252-13257. Wang, J., J. Emile-Geay, D. Guillot, and J. E. Smerdon (2013), Evaluating climate field reconstruction techniques using improved emulations of real-world conditions. CPD, 9, 3015-3060.

Reconciling Eddy Flux and Tree Ring Estimates of Forest Water-Use Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehr, R. A.; Belmecheri, S.; Commane, R.; Munger, J. W.; Wofsy, S. C.; Saleska, S. R.

2016-12-01

Eddy flux measurements of ecosystem-atmosphere CO2 and water vapor exchange suggest that rising atmospheric CO2 levels have caused plant endogenous water-use efficiency (WUE) to increase strongly over the last 20 years at sites including the Harvard Forest.1 On the other hand, tree ring 13C isotope measurements at the Harvard Forest seem to suggest that endogenous WUE has not increased.2 Several potential reasons for this discrepancy have been proposed,2,3 including: (1) the definitional difference between the "inherent WUE" calculated from eddy fluxes and the "intrinsic WUE" calculated from tree rings, (2) neglect of factors that affect the isotopic composition of tree ring carbon (e.g. mesophyll conductance, photorespiration, post-photosynthetic fractionation), and (3) temporal mismatch between the instantaneous CO2 flux and seasonally-integrated tree ring carbon. Here we test those proposed explanations by combining tree-ring 13C measurements, 13CO2 eddy flux measurements, and recently developed estimates of transpiration, photosynthesis, and canopy stomatal conductance. We first compute both inherent and intrinsic WUE from eddy flux data and show that their definitional difference does not explain the discrepancy between eddy flux and tree ring estimates of WUE. We further investigate the impact of mesophyll conductance, photorespiration, and mitochondrial respiration on the seasonal isotopic composition of assimilated carbon to elucidate the mismatch between eddy flux- and tree ring-derived water use efficiencies. 1. Keenan, T. F. et al. Increase in forest water-use efficiency as atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations rise. Nature 499, 324-327 (2013). 2. Belmecheri, S. et al. Tree-ring δ13C tracks flux tower ecosystem productivity estimates in a NE temperate forest. Environ. Res. Lett. 9, 074011 (2014). 3. Seibt, U. et al. Carbon isotopes and water use efficiency: sense and sensitivity. Oecologia 155, 441-454 (2008).

[Dendroclimatic potentials for the tree rings of Huangshan pine (Pinus taiwanensis ) at Xiaolinhai in the western Dabie Mountains, China].

PubMed

Peng, Jian-Feng; Li, Guo-Dong; Li, Ling-Ling

2014-07-01

By using the dendrochronology research methods, this paper developed the 1915-2011 tree ring-width standard chronology of the Huangshan pine (Pinus taiwanesis) at the north slope of western Dabie Mountains in the junction of Hubei, Henan and Anhui provinces. High mean sensitivity (MS) indicated that there was conspicuous high-frequency climate signals and high first-order autocorrelation (AC) showed there were significant lag-effects of tree previous growth. The higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and expressed population signal (EPS) indicated that the trees had high levels of common climate signals. Correlations between the tree ring-width standard chronology and climatic factors (1959-2011) revealed the significant influences of temperature, precipitation and relative humidity on the tree width growth of Huangshan pine by the end of growing season (September and October). Significant positive correlations were found between the tree-ring indices and the Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) of current September and October. In conclusion, the combination of water and heat of September and October is the major effect factor for the growth of Huangshan pine in western Dabie Mountains.

Can tree-ring isotopes (δ18O and δ13C) improve our understanding of hydroclimate variability in the Columbia River Basin?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Csank, A. Z.; Wise, E.; McAfee, S. A.

2015-12-01

The trajectory of incoming storms from the Pacific Ocean has a strong impact on hydroclimate in the Pacific Northwest. Shifts between zonal and meridional flow are a key influence on drought and pluvial regimes in both the PNW and the western United States as a whole. Circulation-dependent variability in the isotopic composition of precipitation can be recorded and potentially reconstructed using δ18O records derived from tree-rings. Here we present isotopic records of δ18O and δ13C from ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) for the period 1950-2013 from six sites located in the lee of the Cascades in eastern Washington. Because of the orientation of the Cascades, zonal flow will result in an intensified rain shadow whereas meridional flow allows moisture to penetrate at a lower elevation leading to a lower rainout effect. This means zonal flow results in drier conditions in eastern Washington and the converse for meridional flow. We hypothesized that more depleted precipitation δ18O values will occur with periods of more zonal flow across the PNW and will be recorded by trees at our sites. Results show a strong relationship between our δ18O chronologies and winter precipitation (R = -0.50; p<0.001). δ13C chronologies from the same trees showed a relationship to prior fall/winter (pOct-pDec) precipitation (R = -0.46; p<0.005) suggesting a possible link to antecedent moisture conditions. With a focus on years with clear zonal and meridional flow regimes, we regressed the tree-ring δ18O anomaly against the instrumental record of total precipitation and compared the residual series to records of storm track for the period 1978-2008, and we found a detectable signal where the most depleted δ18O was generally associated with zonal flow and the most enriched δ18O with meridional flow. However, there are still some years where the relationship is unclear. Further work is aimed at understanding these anomalous years and extending our record beyond the instrumental period.

Long-term Hydroclimate and Pacific Salmon Population Linkages Across a Headwater-to-Coast Continuum in Northern British Columbia, Canada: A Perspective From Multiple Tree-Ring Proxy Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welsh, C.; Smith, D. J.; Edwards, T.; Prowse, T.

2016-12-01

Ongoing climate change is expected to have lasting impacts on the runoff behaviour of rivers in northern British Columbia, Canada. Of particular concern is the loss of mountain snowpack and greater rainfall totals altering hydrograph characteristics. Sustained deviations in seasonal streamflow will pose significant challenges for effective watershed management. These ongoing changes highlight the importance of improving our understanding of the long-term biophysical linkages between the storage and release of water and downstream freshwater ecosystems. Such integrated research is particularly relevant to fisheries management as fluctuations in populations of Pacific salmon represent a complex and management-relevant biophysical issue in northern Canada. Unfortunately, hydroclimate and salmon productivity records in this region are sparse and of short duration, constraining our understanding of the impact of climate-induced hydrologic changes and biological responses to the last century. Proxy records derived from tree-rings provide annually or seasonally resolved data and have played a prominent role in attempts to establish how hydroclimate has varied in the past. The objective of my doctoral research is to reconstruct the prehistoric hydroclimate and salmon population trends in the Skeena, Nass and Stikine Watersheds using multiple tree-ring proxies to investigate the long-term biophysical linkages extending across a headwater-to-coast continuum in northern British Columbia, Canada. Ring-width, wood density and stable isotope chronologies using a number of mid-to high-elevation tree species will be constructed across each basin and sub-basin area for the purposes of reconstrucing the predominent temperature and precipiation signature that influence streamflow. Preliminary tree-ring δ18O and δ13C-isotope results indicate a strong negative association with mean monthly relative humidity values, suggesting a physiological control by moisture loss. The results of this study highlight the importance of combining several tree-ring parameters and species in order to strengthen streamflow reconstructions. This study is ongoing and has an estimated completion timeframe of spring 2018.

Suwannee River flow variability 1550-2005 CE reconstructed from a multispecies tree-ring network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harley, Grant L.; Maxwell, Justin T.; Larson, Evan; Grissino-Mayer, Henri D.; Henderson, Joseph; Huffman, Jean

2017-01-01

Understanding the long-term natural flow regime of rivers enables resource managers to more accurately model water level variability. Models for managing water resources are important in Florida where population increase is escalating demand on water resources and infrastructure. The Suwannee River is the second largest river system in Florida and the least impacted by anthropogenic disturbance. We used new and existing tree-ring chronologies from multiple species to reconstruct mean March-October discharge for the Suwannee River during the period 1550-2005 CE and place the short period of instrumental flows (since 1927 CE) into historical context. We used a nested principal components regression method to maximize the use of chronologies with varying time coverage in the network. Modeled streamflow estimates indicated that instrumental period flow conditions do not adequately capture the full range of Suwannee River flow variability beyond the observational period. Although extreme dry and wet events occurred in the gage record, pluvials and droughts that eclipse the intensity and duration of instrumental events occurred during the 16-19th centuries. The most prolonged and severe dry conditions during the past 450 years occurred during the 1560s CE. In this prolonged drought period mean flow was estimated at 17% of the mean instrumental period flow. Significant peaks in spectral density at 2-7, 10, 45, and 85-year periodicities indicated the important influence of coupled oceanic-atmospheric processes on Suwannee River streamflow over the past four centuries, though the strength of these periodicities varied over time. Future water planning based on current flow expectations could prove devastating to natural and human systems if a prolonged and severe drought mirroring the 16th and 18th century events occurred. Future work in the region will focus on updating existing tree-ring chronologies and developing new collections from moisture-sensitive sites to improve understandings of past hydroclimate in the region.

Declines in low-elevation subalpine tree populations outpace growth in high-elevation populations with warming

DOE PAGES

Conlisk, Erin; Castanha, Cristina; Germino, Matthew J.; ...

2017-02-08

Species distribution shifts in response to climate change require that recruitment increase beyond current range boundaries. For trees with long life spans, the importance of climate-sensitive seedling establishment to the pace of range shifts has not been demonstrated quantitatively. Using spatially explicit, stochastic population models combined with data from long-term forest surveys, we explored whether the climate-sensitivity of recruitment observed in climate manipulation experiments was sufficient to alter populations and elevation ranges of two widely distributed, high-elevation North American conifers. Empirically observed, warming-driven declines in recruitment led to rapid modelled population declines at the low-elevation, ‘warm edge’ of subalpine forestmore » and slow emergence of populations beyond the high-elevation, ‘cool edge’. Because population declines in the forest occurred much faster than population emergence in the alpine, we observed range contraction for both species. For Engelmann spruce, this contraction was permanent over the modelled time horizon, even in the presence of increased moisture. For limber pine, lower sensitivity to warming may facilitate persistence at low elevations – especially in the presence of increased moisture – and rapid establishment above tree line, and, ultimately, expansion into the alpine. Synthesis. Assuming 21st century warming and no additional moisture, population dynamics in high-elevation forests led to transient range contractions for limber pine and potentially permanent range contractions for Engelmann spruce. Thus, limitations to seedling recruitment with warming can constrain the pace of subalpine tree range shifts.« less

Declines in low-elevation subalpine tree populations outpace growth in high-elevation populations with warming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Conlisk, Erin; Castanha, Cristina; Germino, Matthew J.

Species distribution shifts in response to climate change require that recruitment increase beyond current range boundaries. For trees with long life spans, the importance of climate-sensitive seedling establishment to the pace of range shifts has not been demonstrated quantitatively. Using spatially explicit, stochastic population models combined with data from long-term forest surveys, we explored whether the climate-sensitivity of recruitment observed in climate manipulation experiments was sufficient to alter populations and elevation ranges of two widely distributed, high-elevation North American conifers. Empirically observed, warming-driven declines in recruitment led to rapid modelled population declines at the low-elevation, ‘warm edge’ of subalpine forestmore » and slow emergence of populations beyond the high-elevation, ‘cool edge’. Because population declines in the forest occurred much faster than population emergence in the alpine, we observed range contraction for both species. For Engelmann spruce, this contraction was permanent over the modelled time horizon, even in the presence of increased moisture. For limber pine, lower sensitivity to warming may facilitate persistence at low elevations – especially in the presence of increased moisture – and rapid establishment above tree line, and, ultimately, expansion into the alpine. Synthesis. Assuming 21st century warming and no additional moisture, population dynamics in high-elevation forests led to transient range contractions for limber pine and potentially permanent range contractions for Engelmann spruce. Thus, limitations to seedling recruitment with warming can constrain the pace of subalpine tree range shifts.« less

Declines in low-elevation subalpine tree populations outpace growth in high-elevation populations with warming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conlisk, Erin; Castanha, Cristina; Germino, Matthew J.; Veblen, Thomas T; Smith, Jeremy M.; Kueppers, Lara M.

2017-01-01

Species distribution shifts in response to climate change require that recruitment increase beyond current range boundaries. For trees with long life spans, the importance of climate-sensitive seedling establishment to the pace of range shifts has not been demonstrated quantitatively.Using spatially explicit, stochastic population models combined with data from long-term forest surveys, we explored whether the climate-sensitivity of recruitment observed in climate manipulation experiments was sufficient to alter populations and elevation ranges of two widely distributed, high-elevation North American conifers.Empirically observed, warming-driven declines in recruitment led to rapid modelled population declines at the low-elevation, ‘warm edge’ of subalpine forest and slow emergence of populations beyond the high-elevation, ‘cool edge’. Because population declines in the forest occurred much faster than population emergence in the alpine, we observed range contraction for both species. For Engelmann spruce, this contraction was permanent over the modelled time horizon, even in the presence of increased moisture. For limber pine, lower sensitivity to warming may facilitate persistence at low elevations – especially in the presence of increased moisture – and rapid establishment above tree line, and, ultimately, expansion into the alpine.Synthesis. Assuming 21st century warming and no additional moisture, population dynamics in high-elevation forests led to transient range contractions for limber pine and potentially permanent range contractions for Engelmann spruce. Thus, limitations to seedling recruitment with warming can constrain the pace of subalpine tree range shifts.

Converging Climate Sensitivities of European Forests Between Observed Radial Tree Growth and Vegetation Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Zhen; Babst, Flurin; Bellassen, Valentin; Frank, David; Launois, Thomas; Tan, Kun; Ciais, Philippe; Poulter, Benjamin

2017-01-01

The impacts of climate variability and trends on European forests are unevenly distributed across different bioclimatic zones and species. Extreme climate events are also becoming more frequent and it is unknown how they will affect feed backs of CO2 between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere. An improved understanding of species differences at the regional scale of the response of forest productivity to climate variation and extremes is thus important for forecasting forest dynamics. In this study, we evaluate the climate sensitivity of above ground net primary production (NPP) simulated by two dynamic global vegetation models (DGVM; ORCHIDEE and LPJ-wsl) against tree ring width (TRW) observations from about1000 sites distributed across Europe. In both the model simulations and the TRW observations, forests in northern Europe and the Alps respond positively to warmer spring and summer temperature, and their overall temperature sensitivity is larger than that of the soil-moisture-limited forests in central Europe and Mediterranean regions. Compared with TRW observations, simulated NPP from ORCHIDEE and LPJ-wsl appear to be overly sensitive to climatic factors. Our results indicate that the models lack biological processes that control time lags, such as carbohydrate storage and remobilization, that delay the effects of radial growth dynamics to climate. Our study highlights the need for re-evaluating the physiological controls on the climate sensitivity of NPP simulated by DGVMs. In particular, DGVMs could be further enhanced by a more detailed representation of carbon reserves and allocation that control year-to year variation in plant growth.

Using intra annual density fluctuations and d13C to assess the impact of summer drought on Mediterranean ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battipaglia, G.; Brand, W. A.; Linke, P.; Schaefer, I.; Noetzli, M.; Cherubini, P.

2009-04-01

Tree- ring growth and wood density have been used extensively as indicators of climate change, and tree-ring has been commonly applied as a proxy estimate for seasonal integration of temperatures and precipitation with annual resolution (Hughes 2002). While these relationships have been well established in temperate ecosystems (Fritts, 1976; Schweingruber, 1988, Briffa et al., 1998, 2004), in Mediterranean region dendrochronological studies are still scarce (Cherubini et al, 2003). In Mediterranean environment, trees may form intra-annual density fluctuations, also called "false rings" or "double rings" (Tingley 1937; Schulman 1938). They are usually induced by sudden drought events, occurring during the vegetative period, and, allowing intra-annual resolution, they may provide detailed information at a seasonal level, as well as species-specific sensitivity to drought. We investigated the variability of tree- ring width and carbon stable isotopes of a Mediterranean species, Arbutus unedo L., sampled on Elba island, (Tuscany, Italy). The samples were taken at two different sites, one characterized by wet and one by dry conditions. d13C was measured using Laser- Ablation- Combustion -GC-IRMS. Here, we present first results showing the impact of drought on tree growth and on false ring formation at the different sites and we underline the importance of using Laser Ablation to infer drought impact at the intra -annual level. Briffa KR, Schweingruber FH, Jones PD, Osborn TJ, Harris IC, Shiyatov SG, Vaganov EA, Grudd H (1998) Trees tell of past climates: but are they speaking less clearly today? Phil Transact Royal Soc London 353:65-73 Briffa KR, Osborn TJ, Schweingruber FH (2004) Large-scale temperature inferences from tree rings: a review. Glob Panet Change 40:11-26 Cherubini, P., B.L. Gartner, R. Tognetti, O.U. Bräker, W. Schoch & J.L. Innes. 2003. Identification, measurement and interpretation of tree rings in woody species from Mediterranean climates. Biol. Rev. 78: 119-14 Fritts, H.C. 1976. Tree rings and climate. Academic Press, London, UK. Hughes, M.K. 2002. Dendrochronology in climatology - the state of the art. Dendrochronologia 20: 95-116. Schulman, E. 1938. Classification of false annual rings in Monterey pine. Tree-Ring Bull. 4:4-7 Schweingruber FH (1988) Tree-ring: Basics and applications of dendrochronology. Reidel. Publ., Dordrecht, 276 p Tingley, M.A. 1937. Double growth rings in Red Astrachan. Proc. Am. Soc. Hort. Sci. 34: 61.

Climate and Streamflow Reconstruction on the São Francisco Basin, Brazil, Using Tree-Ring Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, G. D. A.; Barbosa, A. C. M. C.; Granato-Souza, D.; Stahle, D. W.; Torbenson, M.; dos Santos, R. M.; Rodrigues Alves Delfino Barbosa, J. P.

2017-12-01

The São Francisco River crosses the most drought-prone region of Brazil and regional economic dynamics are dependent on the water availability in the basin. The seasonally dry forests are widely distributed in the basin, where Cedrela fissilis Vell (cedro) are frequently found. This semi-arid region provides a favorable setting where the deciduous cedro trees form well-defined semi-ring porous annual rings that can be exactly crossdated and used to build climate sensitive chronologies. Therefore, we have developed chronologies of cedro from seasonally dry forest fragments of three sites located in the middle-sector of the São Francisco River basin and south limit of the Brazilian Drought Polygon. The samples were analyzed according to standard procedures: sample preparation, ring count, crossdating and measurement of the tree rings. Dating quality was tested using the computer program COFECHA and ring-width time series where detrended and standardized to produce the final index chronology using the ARSTAN program. The results show that crossdating within and among trees from different sites demonstrate the potential to expand the spatial sampling. The tree-ring chronologies are sensitive with wet season precipitation totals (October - March), and can explain approximately 40% of the variance (1961-2015). Significant correlation was also observed with total annual discharge of the Rio São Francisco River measured at Barra (r=0.48; 1961-2015). However, the correlation disapears after 1993 (r=0.64 for 1961-1993, but r=-0.004 for 1994-2015) and we suspect that the stream gage at Barra has been impacted by human activity. Tree-ring chronologies can provide important information on climate and streamflow variability of São Francisco River, where hydrological records are often short and discontinuous. This chronology is now being extended with 150-yr old trees from the region and may be used to reconstruct climate and streamflow records back to the pre-instrumental period, in order to help understanding the impact and magnitude of hidroclimatic changes over the third largest Brazilian basin. (This research was funded by the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa de Minas Gerais - FAPEMIG project number APQ-02541-14 and NSF P2C2 award number AGS-1501321).

Magnetic record associated with tree ring density: Possible climate proxy

PubMed Central

Kletetschka, Gunther; Pruner, Petr; Venhodova, Daniela; Kadlec, Jaroslav

2007-01-01

A magnetic signature of tree rings was tested as a potential paleo-climatic indicator. We examined wood from sequoia tree, located in Mountain Home State Forest, California, whose tree ring record spans over the period 600 – 1700 A.D. We measured low and high-field magnetic susceptibility, the natural remanent magnetization (NRM), saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), and stability against thermal and alternating field (AF) demagnetization. Magnetic investigation of the 200 mm long sequoia material suggests that magnetic efficiency of natural remanence may be a sensitive paleoclimate indicator because it is substantially higher (in average >1%) during the Medieval Warm Epoch (700–1300 A.D.) than during the Little Ice Age (1300–1850 A.D.) where it is <1%. Diamagnetic behavior has been noted to be prevalent in regions with higher tree ring density. The mineralogical nature of the remanence carrier was not directly detected but maghemite is suggested due to low coercivity and absence of Verwey transition. Tree ring density, along with the wood's magnetic remanence efficiency, records the Little Ice Age (LIA) well documented in Europe. Such a record suggests that the European LIA was a global phenomenon. Magnetic analysis of the thermal stability reveals the blocking temperatures near 200 degree C. This phenomenon suggests that the remanent component in this tree may be thermal in origin and was controlled by local thermal condition. PMID:17381844

Decadal record of monsoon dynamics across the Himalayas using tree ring data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunello, Camilla Francesca; Andermann, Christoff; Helle, Gerhard; Comiti, Francesco; Tonon, Giustino; Ventura, Maurizio; Hovius, Niels

2017-04-01

The temporal variability of the Indian monsoon penetrating through the Himalayan range and into the southern Tibetan Plateau is poorly understood. Intermittent ingress of wet monsoon air masses into the otherwise arid and deserted landscapes beyond the orographic barrier can have consequences for erosion and flooding, as well as for water availability. Furthermore, the latitudinal rainfall distribution across the mountain range is crucial to better understand the hydrological cycles of rivers originating there. Because instrumental measurements are rare in the High Himalayas and on the Plateau, hydro-climatic sensitive proxies, such as oxygen stable isotope ratios in cellulose of tree-rings, are a valuable source of data covering decades to centuries. Here we present new findings on how often and how far the Indian monsoon penetrated into trans-Himalayan region over the last century. To cope with the lack of direct measurements, we strive to reconstruct a record of intense monsoon years based on tree-ring width chronologies along a latitudinal gradient. Thus, we need to answer whether water availability is the main driver of tree growth in the trans-Himalayan region and how dendro-isotopic data relate to seasonal precipitation inputs and sources. In order to study the monsoon dynamics, we selected four sites along the Kali Gandaki River valley in the central Himalayas (Nepal). This valley connects the very wet, monsoon dominated south Himalayan front with the arid trans-Himalayan region and the southern Tibetan Plateau. Our study area covers the sensitive northern end of the precipitation gradient, located in the upper part of the catchment. Water availability, which drastically varies at each site, was explored by using the climate signal- and isotope-transfer within arboreal systems composed of Juniperus sp., Cupressus sp. and Pinus sp. Results from continuous dendrometer measurements for the entire growing season (Mar-Oct) allowed us to assess the link between tree growth and precipitation, confirming the sensitivity of the trees to water availability. A set of cores from at least 20 individual trees was collected at each site. Dating revealed records with lengths from 80 to 500 years. Tree-ring width measurements were detrended to minimize the ecological influence on growth, and analyzed against local climate parameters such as temperature and precipitation. The site chronologies were compared to highlight the propagation of the monsoonal events along the latitudinal transect. Additionally, 80-year tree-ring oxygen isotope records from the lowest site (Lete, 2500 m a.s.l.) of the transect were compared with precipitation patterns derived from historical rain gauge and satellite data. This study provides first insights into the relationship among tree-ring width, cellulose isotopes and monsoon signature, shedding light on decadal variations of precipitation in the high-elevated arid area of the High Himalayas.

Multicentury Reconstruction of Precipitations (1300-2014) in Eastern Canada from Tree-Ring Width and Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giguère, Claudie; Boucher, Étienne; Bergeron, Yves

2016-04-01

Tree ring series enabling long hydroclimatic reconstructions are scarce in Northeastern America, mostly because most boreal species are rather thermo-dependant. Here we propose a new multi-proxy analysis (tree-ring, δ13C and δ18O) from one of the oldest Thuja occidentalis population in NE America (lake Duparquet, Quebec). These rare precipitation-sensitive, long-living trees (> 800 years) grow on xeric rocky shores and their potential for paleo-hydroclimatic reconstructions (based on ring widths solely) was previously assessed. The objectives of this study are twofold i) to strengthen the hydroclimatic signal of this long tree-ring chronology by adding analysis of stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ18O) and ii) to reconstruct summer precipitation back to 1300 AD, which will represent, by far, the longest high-resolution hydroclimatic reconstruction in this region. A tree-ring chronology was constructed from 61 trees sampled in standing position. Eleven trees were also sampled to produce pooled carbon and oxygen isotope chronologies (annually resolved) with a replication of five to six trees per year. Signal analysis (correlation between climatic data and proxy values) confirms that growth is positively influenced by spring precipitations (May-June), while δ13C is negatively correlated to summer precipitation (June to August) and positively to June temperature. Adding δ18O analysis will strengthen the signal even more, since wood cellulose should be enriched in δ18O when high evapotranspiration conditions prevail. Based on a multi-proxy approach, a summer precipitation reconstruction was developed and compared to other temperature reconstructions from this region as well as to southernmost hydroclimatic reconstructions (e.g. Cook et al). A preliminary analysis of external and internal forcing is proposed in conclusion.

Inferring Spatio-temporal Variations in the Risk of Extreme Precipitation in the Western United States from Tree-ring Chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinschneider, S.; Ho, M.; Cook, E. R.; Lall, U.

2017-12-01

This work explores how extreme cold-season precipitation dynamics along the west coast of the United States have varied in the past under natural climate variability through an analysis of the moisture anomalies recorded by tree-ring chronologies across the coast and interior of the western U.S. Winters with high total precipitation amounts in the coastal regions are marked by a small number of extreme storms that exhibit distinct spatial patterns of precipitation across the coast and further inland. Building from this observation, this work develops a novel application of dendroclimatic evidence to explore the following questions: a) how is extreme precipitation variability expressed in a network of tree-ring chronologies; b) can this information provide insight on the space-time variability of storm tracks that cause these extreme events; and c) how can the joint variability of extreme precipitation and storm tracks be modeled to develop consistent, multi-centennial reconstructions of both? We use gridded, tree-ring based reconstructions of the summer Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) extending back 500 years within the western U.S. to build and test a novel statistical framework for reconstructing the space-time variability of coastal extreme precipitation and the associated wintertime storm tracks. Within this framework, we (1) identify joint modes of variability of extreme precipitation fields and tree-ring based PDSI reconstructions; (2) relate these modes to previously identified, unique storm track patterns associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are the dominant type of storm that is responsible for extreme precipitation in the region; and (3) determine latitudinal variations of landfalling ARs across the west coast and their relationship to the these joint modes. To our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to leverage information on storm track patterns stored in a network of paleoclimate proxies to improve reconstruction fidelity.

Inferring Spatio-temporal Variations in the Risk of Extreme Precipitation in the Western United States from Tree-ring Chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steinschneider, S.; Ho, M.; Cook, E. R.; Lall, U.

2016-12-01

This work explores how extreme cold-season precipitation dynamics along the west coast of the United States have varied in the past under natural climate variability through an analysis of the moisture anomalies recorded by tree-ring chronologies across the coast and interior of the western U.S. Winters with high total precipitation amounts in the coastal regions are marked by a small number of extreme storms that exhibit distinct spatial patterns of precipitation across the coast and further inland. Building from this observation, this work develops a novel application of dendroclimatic evidence to explore the following questions: a) how is extreme precipitation variability expressed in a network of tree-ring chronologies; b) can this information provide insight on the space-time variability of storm tracks that cause these extreme events; and c) how can the joint variability of extreme precipitation and storm tracks be modeled to develop consistent, multi-centennial reconstructions of both? We use gridded, tree-ring based reconstructions of the summer Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) extending back 500 years within the western U.S. to build and test a novel statistical framework for reconstructing the space-time variability of coastal extreme precipitation and the associated wintertime storm tracks. Within this framework, we (1) identify joint modes of variability of extreme precipitation fields and tree-ring based PDSI reconstructions; (2) relate these modes to previously identified, unique storm track patterns associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are the dominant type of storm that is responsible for extreme precipitation in the region; and (3) determine latitudinal variations of landfalling ARs across the west coast and their relationship to the these joint modes. To our knowledge, this work is the first attempt to leverage information on storm track patterns stored in a network of paleoclimate proxies to improve reconstruction fidelity.

Fire and climate variation in western North America from fire-scar and tree-ring networks

Treesearch

Donald A. Falk; E. K. Heyerdahl; P. M. Brown; T. W. Swetnam; E. K. Sutherland; Z. Gedalof; L. Yocom; T. J. Brown

2010-01-01

Fire regimes (i.e., the pattern, frequency and intensity of fire in a region) reflect a complex interplay of bottom-up and top-down controls (Lertzman et al., 1998; Mc Kenzie et al., in press). Bottom-up controls include local variations in topographic, fuel and weather factors at the time of a burn (e.g., fuel moisture and continuity, ignition density and local wind...

[Dendrochronology of Chinese pine in Mulan-Weichang, Hebei Province: a primary study].

PubMed

Cui, Ming-xing; He, Xing-yuan; Chen, Wei; Chen, Zhen-ju; Zhou, Chang-hong; Wu, Tao

2008-11-01

Dendroclimatic methods were used to investigate the relationships between the growth of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) and the climatic parameters in Mulan-Weichang of Hebei Province. The results showed that Chinese pine presented high sensitivity to climatic changes, and its earlywood width showed the highest sensitivity. There was a significant negative correlation between the tree-ring width chronology of Chinese pine and the air temperature in May-June. The precipitation and relative humidity in June had strong positive effects on the growth of earlywood, the precipitation from September to next September had significant positive effects on Chinese pine growth, and the relative humidity in winter more strongly affected the growth of latewood than of earlywood. There was a definite correlation between the tree-ring width chronology of Chinese pine and the large scale climate fluctuation. From 1951 to 2006, the increase of air temperature in study area was significant, and the sensitivity of Chinese pine to the variations of local temperature and precipitation decreased, presenting an inverse transforming trend with increasing temperature. Greater differences were observed between the reconstructed and observed data of mean temperature in May - June in a century scale, suggesting that the tree-ring growth of Chinese pine in study area had a greater fluctuation of sensitivity to the variation of climatic factors.

Divergent climate response on hydraulic-related xylem anatomical traits of Picea abies along a 900-m altitudinal gradient.

PubMed

Castagneri, Daniele; Petit, Giai; Carrer, Marco

2015-12-01

Climate change can induce substantial modifications in xylem structure and water transport capacity of trees exposed to environmental constraints. To elucidate mechanisms of xylem plasticity in response to climate, we retrospectively analysed different cell anatomical parameters over tree-ring series in Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.). We sampled 24 trees along an altitudinal gradient (1200, 1600 and 2100 m above sea level, a.s.l.) and processed 2335 ± 1809 cells per ring. Time series for median cell lumen area (MCA), cell number (CN), tree-ring width (RW) and tree-ring-specific hydraulic conductivity (Kr) were crossed with daily temperature and precipitation records (1926-2011) to identify climate influence on xylem anatomical traits. Higher Kr at the low elevation site was due to higher MCA and CN. These variables were related to different aspects of intra-seasonal climatic variability under different environmental conditions, with MCA being more sensitive to summer precipitation. Winter precipitation (snow) benefited most parameters in all the sites. Descending the gradient, sensitivity of xylem features to summer climate shifted mostly from temperature to precipitation. In the context of climate change, our results indicate that higher summer temperatures at high elevations will benefit cell production and xylem hydraulic efficiency, whereas reduced water availability at lower elevations could negatively affect tracheids enlargement and thus stem capacity to transport water. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Tree-Ring Reconstruction of Wet Season Rainfall Totals in the Amazon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, D. W.; Lopez, L.; Granato-Souza, D.; Barbosa, A. C. M. C.; Torbenson, M.; Villalba, R.; Pereira, G. D. A.; Feng, S.; Schongart, J.; Cook, E. R.

2017-12-01

The Amazon Basin is a globally important center of deep atmospheric convection, energy balance, and biodiversity, but only a handful of weather stations in this vast Basin have recorded rainfall measurements for at least 50 years. The available rainfall and river level observations suggest that the hydrologic cycle in the Amazon may have become amplified in the last 40-years, with more extreme rainfall and streamflow seasonality, deeper droughts, and more severe flooding. These changes in the largest hydrological system on earth may be early evidence of the expected consequences of anthropogenic climate change and deforestation in the coming century. Placing these observed and simulated changes in the context of natural climate variability during the late Holocene is a significant challenge for high-resolution paleoclimatology. We have developed exactly dated and well-replicated annual tree-ring chronologies from two native Amazonian tree species (Cedrela sp and Centrolobium microchaete). These moisture sensitive chronologies have been used to compute two reconstructions of wet season rainfall totals, one in the southern Amazon based on Centrolobium and another in the eastern equatorial Amazon using Cedrela. Both reconstructions are over 200-years long and extend the available instrumental observations in each region by over 150-years. These reconstructions are well correlated with the same regional and large-scale climate dynamics that govern the inter-annual variability of the instrumental wet season rainfall totals. Increased multi-decadal variability is reconstructed after 1950 with the Centrolobium chronologies in the southern Amazon. The Cedrela reconstruction from the eastern Amazon exhibits changes in the spatial pattern of correlation with regional rainfall stations and the large-scale sea surface temperature field after 1990 that may be consistent with recent changes in the mean position of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone in March over the western Atlantic and South American sector.

Sensitivity of proxies on non-linear interactions in the climate system

PubMed Central

Schultz, Johannes A.; Beck, Christoph; Menz, Gunter; Neuwirth, Burkhard; Ohlwein, Christian; Philipp, Andreas

2015-01-01

Recent climate change is affecting the earth system to an unprecedented extent and intensity and has the potential to cause severe ecological and socioeconomic consequences. To understand natural and anthropogenic induced processes, feedbacks, trends, and dynamics in the climate system, it is also essential to consider longer timescales. In this context, annually resolved tree-ring data are often used to reconstruct past temperature or precipitation variability as well as atmospheric or oceanic indices such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) or the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). The aim of this study is to assess weather-type sensitivity across the Northern Atlantic region based on two tree-ring width networks. Our results indicate that nonstationarities in superordinate space and time scales of the climate system (here synoptic- to global scale, NAO, AMO) can affect the climate sensitivity of tree-rings in subordinate levels of the system (here meso- to synoptic scale, weather-types). This scale bias effect has the capability to impact even large multiproxy networks and the ability of these networks to provide information about past climate conditions. To avoid scale biases in climate reconstructions, interdependencies between the different scales in the climate system must be considered, especially internal ocean/atmosphere dynamics. PMID:26686001

Missing Rings, Synchronous Growth, and Ecological Disturbance in a 36-Year Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) Provenance Study.

PubMed

Leland, Caroline; Hom, John; Skowronski, Nicholas; Ledig, F Thomas; Krusic, Paul J; Cook, Edward R; Martin-Benito, Dario; Martin-Fernandez, Javier; Pederson, Neil

2016-01-01

Provenance studies are an increasingly important analog for understanding how trees adapted to particular climatic conditions might respond to climate change. Dendrochronological analysis can illuminate differences among trees from different seed sources in terms of absolute annual growth and sensitivity to external growth factors. We analyzed annual radial growth of 567 36-year-old pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) trees from 27 seed sources to evaluate their performance in a New Jersey Pine Barrens provenance experiment. Unexpectedly, missing rings were prevalent in most trees, and some years-1992, 1999, and 2006-had a particularly high frequency of missing rings across the plantation. Trees from local seed sources (<55 km away from the plantation) had a significantly smaller percentage of missing rings from 1980-2009 (mean: 5.0%), relative to northernmost and southernmost sources (mean: 9.3% and 7.9%, respectively). Some years with a high frequency of missing rings coincide with outbreaks of defoliating insects or dry growing season conditions. The propensity for missing rings synchronized annual variations in growth across all trees and might have complicated the detection of potential differences in interannual variability among seed sources. Average ring width was significantly larger in seed sources from both the southernmost and warmest origins compared to the northernmost and coldest seed sources in most years. Local seed sources had the highest average radial growth. Adaptation to local environmental conditions and disturbances might have influenced the higher growth rate found in local seed sources. These findings underscore the need to understand the integrative impact of multiple environmental drivers, such as disturbance agents and climate change, on tree growth, forest dynamics, and the carbon cycle.

Missing Rings, Synchronous Growth, and Ecological Disturbance in a 36-Year Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) Provenance Study

PubMed Central

Leland, Caroline; Hom, John; Skowronski, Nicholas; Krusic, Paul J.; Cook, Edward R.; Martin-Benito, Dario; Martin-Fernandez, Javier; Pederson, Neil

2016-01-01

Provenance studies are an increasingly important analog for understanding how trees adapted to particular climatic conditions might respond to climate change. Dendrochronological analysis can illuminate differences among trees from different seed sources in terms of absolute annual growth and sensitivity to external growth factors. We analyzed annual radial growth of 567 36-year-old pitch pine (Pinus rigida Mill.) trees from 27 seed sources to evaluate their performance in a New Jersey Pine Barrens provenance experiment. Unexpectedly, missing rings were prevalent in most trees, and some years—1992, 1999, and 2006—had a particularly high frequency of missing rings across the plantation. Trees from local seed sources (<55 km away from the plantation) had a significantly smaller percentage of missing rings from 1980–2009 (mean: 5.0%), relative to northernmost and southernmost sources (mean: 9.3% and 7.9%, respectively). Some years with a high frequency of missing rings coincide with outbreaks of defoliating insects or dry growing season conditions. The propensity for missing rings synchronized annual variations in growth across all trees and might have complicated the detection of potential differences in interannual variability among seed sources. Average ring width was significantly larger in seed sources from both the southernmost and warmest origins compared to the northernmost and coldest seed sources in most years. Local seed sources had the highest average radial growth. Adaptation to local environmental conditions and disturbances might have influenced the higher growth rate found in local seed sources. These findings underscore the need to understand the integrative impact of multiple environmental drivers, such as disturbance agents and climate change, on tree growth, forest dynamics, and the carbon cycle. PMID:27182599

Recognizing Non-Stationary Climate Response in Tree Growth for Southern Coastal Alaska, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wiles, G. C.; Jarvis, S. K.; D'Arrigo, R.; Vargo, L. J.; Appleton, S. N.

2012-12-01

Stationarity in growth response of trees to climate over time is assumed in dendroclimatic studies. Recent studies of Alaskan yellow-cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis (D. Don) Spach) have identified warming-induced early loss of insulating snowpack and frost damage as a mechanism that can lead to decline in tree growth, which for this species is documented over the last century. A similar stress may be put on temperature-sensitive mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carrière) trees at low elevations, which in some cases show a decline in tree growth with warming temperatures. One of the challenges of using tree-ring based SAT, SST, PDO and PNA-related reconstructions for southern coastal Alaska has been understanding the response of tree-ring chronologies to the warming temperatures over the past 50 years. Comparisons of tree growth with long meteorological records from Sitka Alaska that extend back to 1830 suggest many mountain hemlock sites at low elevations are showing decreasing ring-widths, at mid elevations most sites show a steady increasing growth tracking warming, and at treeline a release is documented. The recognition of this recent divergence or decoupling of tree-ring and temperature trends allows for divergence-free temperature reconstructions using trees from moderate elevations. These reconstructions now provide a better perspective for comparing recent warming to Medieval warming and a better understanding of forest dynamics as biomes shift in response to the transition from the Little Ice Age to contemporary warming. Reconstructed temperatures are consistent with well-established, entirely independent tree-ring dated ice advances of land-terminating glaciers along the Gulf of Alaska providing an additional check for stationarity in the reconstructed interval.

Stable isotope distribution in precipitation in Romania and its relevance for palaeoclimatic studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perşoiu, Aurel; Nagavciuc, Viorica; Bădăluţă, Carmen

2014-05-01

A surge of recent studies in Romania have targeted various aspects of palaeoclimate (based on stable isotopes in ice, speleothems, tree rings), mineral water origin, wine and other juices provenance. However, while much needed, these studies lack a stable isotope in precipitation background, with only two LMWL's being published so far. In this paper we discuss the links between the stable isotopic composition of precipitation (δ18O and δ2H), climate (air temperature, precipitation amount and large scale circulation) and their relevance for the palaeocllimatic interpretation of stable isotope values in cave ice, cryogenic calcite and tree rings from different sites in Romania. Most of the precipitation in Romania is delivered by the Westerlies, bringing moisture from the North Atlantic; however, their influence is greatly reduced in the eastern half of the country where local evaporative sources play an important role in the precipitation balance. The SW is dominated by water masses from the Mediterranean Sea, while the SE corner clearly draws most of the moisture from the Black Sea and strongly depleted North Atlantic vapor masses. In 2012, Romania experienced the worst draught in 60 years, possibly due to a northward shift of the jest stream associated to blocking conditions in summer, which led to a more northern penetration of the Mediterranean-derived air masses, as well increased precipitation of re-evaporated waters. We have further analyzed cave drip water (δ18O and δ2H), cryogenic cave calcite (δ18O and δ13C) and tree rings (δ18O and δ13C) from selected sites across NW Romania, where the water isotopes in precipitation showed the best (and easiest to understand, given the climatic conditions in 2012) correlation with climatic parameters. Our results that 1) δ18O and δ2H in cave ice are a good proxy for late summer through early winter air temperature; 2) δ13C in cryogenic cave calcite are possible indicators of soil humidity and 3) δ18O in pine tree rings is a good proxy for air temperature during the growing season. Acknowledgements: RO-2013-0014, LP2012-27/2012, PN-II-RU-TE-2011-3-0235.

Maritime Coastlines: A New Ecosystem for Dendrochronological Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, C. S.; Trepanier, J. C.; Harley, G. L.; DeLong, K. L.

2017-12-01

Research at the forefront of dendrochronology is investigating the usefulness of coastal tree-ring chronologies as climatic and environmental proxies. We hypothesize trees growing on the margin of freshwater-brackish environments are sensitive to climate variability similar to those in other climatically stressed regions (e.g., the arid Southwest U.S.) and can be used for dendrochronological analyses. This study explores rings from Pinus elliottii var. elliottii trees in the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (GBNERR) growing less than 2 km from the Gulf of Mexico. Interseries correlations (r=0.68, p<0.01) and average mean sensitivities (r=0.57, p<0.01) for these trees are higher than most Southeast U.S. tree-ring studies. P. elliottii growth in this study is significantly correlated to Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI; r=0.5, p<0.05) during this species' growing season (May-October). Though precipitation and temperatures in the region are favorable for tree growth, coastal processes (e.g., saltwater intrusion, brackish groundwater, aerosolized salt) are substantial regulators of growth to the maritime trees at GBNERR, which makes individuals sensitive to climate variability. Significant correlations with pressure regimes during these trees' growing season suggest that as pressure decreases over the northern Gulf of Mexico coast, thus producing precipitation, pressure increases over the Caribbean. Previous research proposes that the Central U.S. receives important precipitation sources from the Caribbean through the `Maya Express', and our results show that this precipitation may also be important to northern Gulf of Mexico coastal ecosystems. P. elliottii growth in this study is significantly correlated to tropical cyclone storm surge and is not significantly correlated to tropical cyclone high winds, which supports other studies' hypotheses that Pinus spp. are susceptible to saltwater intrusion and not high winds. Additionally, growth in trees rebounds to above average following years of tropical cyclone induced growth suppressions, and the largest storm surges cause the largest suppressions in growth, thus supporting the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis.

Long-term growth decline in Toona ciliata in a moist tropical forest in Bangladesh: Impact of global warming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Mizanur; Islam, Rofiqul; Islam, Mahmuda

2017-04-01

Tropical forests are carbon rich ecosystems and small changes in tropical forest tree growth substantially influence the global carbon cycle. Forest monitoring studies report inconsistent growth changes in tropical forest trees over the past decades. Most of the studies highlighted changes in the forest level carbon gain, neglecting the species-specific growth changes which ultimately determine community-level responses. Tree-ring analysis can provide historical data on species-specific tree growth with annual resolution. Such studies are inadequate in Bangladesh, which is one of the most climate sensitive regions in the tropics. In this study, we investigated long-term growth rates of Toona ciliata in a moist tropical forest of Bangladesh by using tree-ring analysis. We sampled 50 trees of varying size, obtained increment cores from these trees and measured tree-ring width. Analyses of growth patterns revealed size-dependent growth increments. After correcting for the effect of tree size on tree growth (ontogenetic changes) by two different methods we found declining growth rates in T. ciliata from 1960 to 2013. Standardized ring-width index (RWI) was strongly negatively correlated with annual mean and maximum temperatures suggesting that rising temperature might cause the observed growth decline in T. ciliata. Assuming that global temperatures will rise at the current rate, the observed growth decline is assumed to continue. The analysis of stable carbon and oxygen isotopes may reveal more insight on the physiological response of this species to future climatic changes.

Climate change at upper treeline: How do trees on the edge react to increasing temperatures?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jochner, Matthias; Bugmann, Harald; Nötzli, Magdalena; Bigler, Christof

2017-04-01

Treeline ecotones are thought to be particularly sensitive to climate warming, and an alteration of their growth conditions may have important implications for the ecosystem services they supply in mountain regions. We use a novel approach to quantify effects of a changing climate on tree growth, using case studies in the European Alps. We compiled tree-ring data from almost 600 trees of four species at treeline in three climate regions of Switzerland. Temperature loggers installed along transects provided data for a precise interpolation of temperatures experienced by the sampled trees. To assess the influence of temperature on annual growth, we used linear mixed-effects models, allowing us to quantify effect sizes and to account for between-tree growth variability. After removing biological growth trends, we isolated temporal trends of ring-width indices. Furthermore, we fitted non-linear regression models to radial growth rates of individual years with temperature and tree age as predicting covariates for a fine-scale investigation of the temperature dependency of tree growth. For all species, climate-growth linear mixed-effects models indicated strong positive responses of ring-width indices to temperature in early summer and previous year's autumn, featuring considerable between-tree variability. All species showed positive ring-width index trends at treeline but different interactions with elevation: Larix decidua exhibited a declining ring-width index trend with decreasing elevation, whereas Picea abies, Pinus cembra and Pinus mugo showed increasing and/or stable trends. Not only reflected our findings the effects of ameliorated growth conditions, they might have also revealed suspected negative and positive feedbacks of climate change on growth, and increased the knowledge about the functional form and parameterization of the temperature dependency of tree growth.

Drivers of radial growth and carbon isotope discrimination of bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.) across continental gradients in precipitation, vapour pressure deficit and irradiance.

PubMed

Voelker, Steven L; Meinzer, Frederick C; Lachenbruch, Barbara; Brooks, J Renée; Guyette, Richard P

2014-03-01

Tree-ring characteristics are commonly used to reconstruct climate variables, but divergence from the assumption of a single biophysical control may reduce the accuracy of these reconstructions. Here, we present data from bur oaks (Quercus macrocarpa Michx.) sampled within and beyond the current species bioclimatic envelope to identify the primary environmental controls on ring-width indices (RWIs) and carbon stable isotope discrimination (Δ(13) C) in tree-ring cellulose. Variation in Δ(13) C and RWI was more strongly related to leaf-to-air vapour pressure deficit (VPD) at the centre and western edge of the range compared with the northern and wettest regions. Among regions, Δ(13) C of tree-ring cellulose was closely predicted by VPD and light responses of canopy-level Δ(13) C estimated using a model driven by eddy flux and meteorological measurements (R(2)  = 0.96, P = 0.003). RWI and Δ(13) C were positively correlated in the drier regions, while they were negatively correlated in the wettest region. The strength and direction of the correlations scaled with regional VPD or the ratio of precipitation to evapotranspiration. Therefore, the correlation strength between RWI and Δ(13) C may be used to infer past wetness or aridity from paleo wood by determining the degree to which carbon gain and growth have been more limited by moisture or light. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensitivity of Beech Trees to Global Environmental Changes at Most North-Eastern Latitude of Their Occurrence in Europe

PubMed Central

Augustaitis, Algirdas; Jasineviciene, Dalia; Girgzdiene, Rasele; Kliucius, Almantas; Marozas, Vitas

2012-01-01

The present study aimed to detect sensitivity of beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) to meteorological parameters and air pollution by acidifying species as well as to surface ozone outside their north-eastern distribution range. Data set since 1981 of Preila EMEP station enabled to establish that hot Summers, cold dormant, and dry and cold first-half of vegetation periods resulted in beech tree growth reduction. These meteorological parameters explained 57% variation in beech tree ring widths. Acidifying species had no significant effect on beech tree growth. Only ozone was among key factors contributing to beech stand productivity. Phytotoxic effect of this pollutant increased explanation rate of beech tree ring variation by 18%, that is, up to 75%. However, due to climate changes the warmer dormant periods alone are not the basis ensuring favourable conditions for beech tree growth. Increase in air temperature in June-August and decrease in precipitation amount in the first half of vegetation period should result in beech tree radial increment reduction. Despite the fact that phytotoxic effect of surface ozone should not increase due to stabilization in its concentration, it is rather problematic to expect better environmental conditions for beech tree growth at northern latitude of their pervasion. PMID:22649321

Increasing carbon discrimination rates and depth of water uptake favor the growth of Mediterranean evergreen trees in the ecotone with temperate deciduous forests.

PubMed

Barbeta, Adrià; Peñuelas, Josep

2017-12-01

Tree populations at the low-altitudinal or -latitudinal limits of species' distributional ranges are predicted to retreat toward higher altitudes and latitudes to track the ongoing changes in climate. Studies have focused on the climatic sensitivity of the retreating species, whereas little is known about the potential replacements. Competition between tree species in forest ecotones will likely be strongly influenced by the ecophysiological responses to heat and drought. We used tree-ring widths and δ 13 C and δ 18 O chronologies to compare the growth rates and long-term ecophysiological responses to climate in the temperate-Mediterranean ecotone formed by the deciduous Fagus sylvatica and the evergreen Quercus ilex at the low altitudinal and southern latitudinal limit of F. sylvatica (NE Iberian Peninsula). F. sylvatica growth rates were similar to those of other southern populations and were surprisingly not higher than those of Q. ilex, which were an order of magnitude higher than those in nearby drier sites. Higher Q. ilex growth rates were associated with high temperatures, which have increased carbon discrimination rates in the last 25 years. In contrast, stomatal regulation in F. sylvatica was proportional to the increase in atmospheric CO 2 . Tree-ring δ 18 O for both species were mostly correlated with δ 18 O in the source water. In contrast to many previous studies, relative humidity was not negatively correlated with tree-ring δ 18 O but had a positive effect on Q. ilex tree-ring δ 18 O. Furthermore, tree-ring δ 18 O decreased in Q. ilex over time. The sensitivity of Q. ilex to climate likely reflects the uptake of deep water that allowed it to benefit from the effect of CO 2 fertilization, in contrast to the water-limited F. sylvatica. Consequently, Q. ilex is a strong competitor at sites currently dominated by F. sylvatica and could be favored by increasingly warmer conditions. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sensitivity cycling in physically dormant seeds of the Neotropical tree Senna multijuga (Fabaceae).

PubMed

Rodrigues-Junior, A G; Baskin, C C; Baskin, J M; Garcia, Q S

2018-03-23

Cycling of sensitivity to physical dormancy (PY) break has been documented in herbaceous species. However, it has not been reported in tree seeds, nor has the effect of seed size on sensitivity to PY-breaking been evaluated in any species. Thus, the aims of this study were to investigate how PY is broken in seeds of the tropical legume tree Senna multijuga, if seeds exhibit sensitivity cycling and if seed size affects induction into sensitivity. Dormancy and germination were evaluated in intact and scarified seeds from two collections of S. multijuga. The effects of temperature, moisture and seed size on induction of sensitivity to dormancy-breaking were assessed, and seasonal changes in germination and persistence of buried seeds were determined. Reversal of sensitivity was also investigated. Fresh seeds were insensitive to dormancy break at wet-high temperatures, and an increase in sensitivity occurred in buried seeds after they experienced low temperatures during winter (dry season). Temperatures ≤20 °C increased sensitivity, whereas temperatures ≥30 °C decreased it regardless of moisture conditions. Dormancy was broken in sensitive seeds by incubating them at 35 °C. Sensitivity could be reversed, and large seeds were more sensitive than small seeds to sensitivity induction. Seeds of S. multijuga exhibit sensitivity cycling to PY-breaking. Seeds become sensitive during winter and can germinate with the onset of the spring-summer rainy season in Brazil. Small seeds are slower to become sensitive than large ones, and this may be a mechanism by which germination is spread over time. Sensitive seeds that fail to germinate become insensitive during exposure to drought during summer. This is the first report of sensitivity cycling in a tree species. © 2018 German Society for Plant Sciences and The Royal Botanical Society of the Netherlands.

Climate Response of Tree Radial Growth at Different Timescales in the Qinling Mountains.

PubMed

Sun, Changfeng; Liu, Yu

2016-01-01

The analysis of the tree radial growth response to climate is crucial for dendroclimatological research. However, the response relationships between tree-ring indices and climatic factors at different timescales are not yet clear. In this study, the tree-ring width of Huashan pine (Pinus armandii) from Huashan in the Qinling Mountains, north-central China, was used to explore the response differences of tree growth to climatic factors at daily, pentad (5 days), dekad (10 days) and monthly timescales. Correlation function and linear regression analysis were applied in this paper. The tree-ring width showed a more sensitive response to daily and pentad climatic factors. With the timescale decreasing, the absolute value of the maximum correlation coefficient between the tree-ring data and precipitation increases as well as temperature (mean, minimum and maximum temperature). Compared to the other three timescales, pentad was more suitable for analysing the response of tree growth to climate. Relative to the monthly climate data, the association between the tree-ring data and the pentad climate data was more remarkable and accurate, and the reconstruction function based on the pentad climate was also more reliable and stable. We found that the major climatic factor limiting Huashan pine growth was the precipitation of pentads 20-35 (from April 6 to June 24) rather than the well-known April-June precipitation. The pentad was also proved to be a better timescale for analysing the climate and tree growth in the western and eastern Qinling Mountains. The formation of the earlywood density of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) from Shimenshan in western Qinling was mainly affected by the maximum temperature of pentads 28-32 (from May 16 to June 9). The maximum temperature of pentads 28-33 (from May 16 to June 14) was the major factor affecting the ring width of Chinese pine from Shirenshan in eastern Qinling.

Pluvials, droughts, the Mongol Empire, and modern Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pederson, Neil; Hessl, Amy E.; Baatarbileg, Nachin; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Di Cosmo, Nicola

2014-03-01

Although many studies have associated the demise of complex societies with deteriorating climate, few have investigated the connection between an ameliorating environment, surplus resources, energy, and the rise of empires. The 13th-century Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in world history. Although drought has been proposed as one factor that spurred these conquests, no high-resolution moisture data are available during the rapid development of the Mongol Empire. Here we present a 1,112-y tree-ring reconstruction of warm-season water balance derived from Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) trees in central Mongolia. Our reconstruction accounts for 56% of the variability in the regional water balance and is significantly correlated with steppe productivity across central Mongolia. In combination with a gridded temperature reconstruction, our results indicate that the regional climate during the conquests of Chinggis Khan's (Genghis Khan's) 13th-century Mongol Empire was warm and persistently wet. This period, characterized by 15 consecutive years of above-average moisture in central Mongolia and coinciding with the rise of Chinggis Khan, is unprecedented over the last 1,112 y. We propose that these climate conditions promoted high grassland productivity and favored the formation of Mongol political and military power. Tree-ring and meteorological data also suggest that the early 21st-century drought in central Mongolia was the hottest drought in the last 1,112 y, consistent with projections of warming over Inner Asia. Future warming may overwhelm increases in precipitation leading to similar heat droughts, with potentially severe consequences for modern Mongolia.

Pluvials, droughts, the Mongol Empire, and modern Mongolia.

PubMed

Pederson, Neil; Hessl, Amy E; Baatarbileg, Nachin; Anchukaitis, Kevin J; Di Cosmo, Nicola

2014-03-25

Although many studies have associated the demise of complex societies with deteriorating climate, few have investigated the connection between an ameliorating environment, surplus resources, energy, and the rise of empires. The 13th-century Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in world history. Although drought has been proposed as one factor that spurred these conquests, no high-resolution moisture data are available during the rapid development of the Mongol Empire. Here we present a 1,112-y tree-ring reconstruction of warm-season water balance derived from Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) trees in central Mongolia. Our reconstruction accounts for 56% of the variability in the regional water balance and is significantly correlated with steppe productivity across central Mongolia. In combination with a gridded temperature reconstruction, our results indicate that the regional climate during the conquests of Chinggis Khan's (Genghis Khan's) 13th-century Mongol Empire was warm and persistently wet. This period, characterized by 15 consecutive years of above-average moisture in central Mongolia and coinciding with the rise of Chinggis Khan, is unprecedented over the last 1,112 y. We propose that these climate conditions promoted high grassland productivity and favored the formation of Mongol political and military power. Tree-ring and meteorological data also suggest that the early 21st-century drought in central Mongolia was the hottest drought in the last 1,112 y, consistent with projections of warming over Inner Asia. Future warming may overwhelm increases in precipitation leading to similar heat droughts, with potentially severe consequences for modern Mongolia.

Pluvials, droughts, the Mongol Empire, and modern Mongolia

PubMed Central

Pederson, Neil; Hessl, Amy E.; Baatarbileg, Nachin; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Di Cosmo, Nicola

2014-01-01

Although many studies have associated the demise of complex societies with deteriorating climate, few have investigated the connection between an ameliorating environment, surplus resources, energy, and the rise of empires. The 13th-century Mongol Empire was the largest contiguous land empire in world history. Although drought has been proposed as one factor that spurred these conquests, no high-resolution moisture data are available during the rapid development of the Mongol Empire. Here we present a 1,112-y tree-ring reconstruction of warm-season water balance derived from Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) trees in central Mongolia. Our reconstruction accounts for 56% of the variability in the regional water balance and is significantly correlated with steppe productivity across central Mongolia. In combination with a gridded temperature reconstruction, our results indicate that the regional climate during the conquests of Chinggis Khan’s (Genghis Khan’s) 13th-century Mongol Empire was warm and persistently wet. This period, characterized by 15 consecutive years of above-average moisture in central Mongolia and coinciding with the rise of Chinggis Khan, is unprecedented over the last 1,112 y. We propose that these climate conditions promoted high grassland productivity and favored the formation of Mongol political and military power. Tree-ring and meteorological data also suggest that the early 21st-century drought in central Mongolia was the hottest drought in the last 1,112 y, consistent with projections of warming over Inner Asia. Future warming may overwhelm increases in precipitation leading to similar heat droughts, with potentially severe consequences for modern Mongolia. PMID:24616521

Tree Rings: Timekeepers of the Past.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phipps, R. L.; McGowan, J.

One of a series of general interest publications on science issues, this booklet describes the uses of tree rings in historical and biological recordkeeping. Separate sections cover the following topics: dating of tree rings, dating with tree rings, tree ring formation, tree ring identification, sample collections, tree ring cross dating, tree…

Moisture rivals temperature in limiting photosynthesis by trees establishing beyond their cold-edge range limit under ambient and warmed conditions.

PubMed

Moyes, Andrew B; Germino, Matthew J; Kueppers, Lara M

2015-09-01

Climate change is altering plant species distributions globally, and warming is expected to promote uphill shifts in mountain trees. However, at many cold-edge range limits, such as alpine treelines in the western United States, tree establishment may be colimited by low temperature and low moisture, making recruitment patterns with warming difficult to predict. We measured response functions linking carbon (C) assimilation and temperature- and moisture-related microclimatic factors for limber pine (Pinus flexilis) seedlings growing in a heating × watering experiment within and above the alpine treeline. We then extrapolated these response functions using observed microclimate conditions to estimate the net effects of warming and associated soil drying on C assimilation across an entire growing season. Moisture and temperature limitations were each estimated to reduce potential growing season C gain from a theoretical upper limit by 15-30% (c. 50% combined). Warming above current treeline conditions provided relatively little benefit to modeled net assimilation, whereas assimilation was sensitive to either wetter or drier conditions. Summer precipitation may be at least as important as temperature in constraining C gain by establishing subalpine trees at and above current alpine treelines as seasonally dry subalpine and alpine ecosystems continue to warm. © 2015 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2015 New Phytologist Trust.

Regional Assessment of Ozone Sensitive Tree Species Using Bioindicator Plants

Treesearch

John W. Coulston; Gretchen C. Smith; William D. Smith

2003-01-01

Tropospheric ozone occurs at phytotoxic levels in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Quantifying possible regional-scale impacts of ambient ozone on forest tree species is difficult and is confounded by other factors, such as moisture and light, which influence the uptake of ozone by plants. Biomonitoring provides an approach to document...

Climate-Induced Mortality of Siberian Pine and Fir in the Lake Baikal Watershed, Siberia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharuk, Viacheslav I.; Im, Sergei T.; Petrova, IIya A.; Golyukov, Alexei S.; Ranson, Kenneth J.; Yagunov, Mikhail N.

2016-01-01

Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) and fir (Abies sibirica) (so called "dark needle conifers", DNC) showed decreased radial growth increment within the Lake Baikal watershed since the 1980s with increasing mortality recorded since the year 2000. Tree ring width was strongly correlated with vapor pressure deficit, aridity and root zone moisture. Water stress from droughts made trees more susceptible to insect attacks causing mortality in about 10% of DNC stands within the Lake Baikal watershed. Within Siberia DNC mortality increased in the southern part of the DNC range. Biogeographically, tree mortality was located within the DNC - forest-steppes transition. Tree mortality was significantly correlated with drought and soil moisture anomalies. Within the interior of the DNC range mortality occurred within relief features with high water stress risk (i.e., steep convex south facing slopes with shallow well-drained soils). In general, DNC mortality in Siberia was induced by increased aridity and severe drought (inciting factors) in synergy with biotic attacks (contributing factor). In future climate scenarios with predicted increase in aridity DNC could be eliminated from the southern part of its current range and will be replaced by drought-resistant conifers and broadleaf species (e.g., Larix sibirica, Pinus silvestris, and Betula pubescence).

Climate-induced mortality of "dark needle conifer" in Siberian taiga

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharuk, Viacheslav; Im, Sergei; Petrov, Ilya

2017-04-01

Within Siberia fir (Abies sibirica) and Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) (so called "dark needle conifers", DNC) mortality increased in the southern part of the DNC range. Siberian pine and fir showed decreased radial growth increment within southern Siberia since the 1980s with increasing mortality recorded since the year 2000. Tree ring width was strongly correlated with vapor pressure deficit, aridity and root zone moisture. Water stress from droughts made trees more susceptible to insect attacks causing mortality in about 10% of DNC stands in southern Siberia. Biogeographically, tree mortality was located within the DNC - forest-steppes transition. Tree mortality was significantly correlated with drought and soil moisture anomalies. Within the interior of the DNC range mortality occurred within relief features with high water stress risk (i.e., steep convex south facing slopes with shallow well-drained soils). In general, DNC mortality in Siberia was induced by increased aridity and severe drought (inciting factors) in synergy with biotic attacks (contributing factor). In particular, bark beetle Polygraphus proximus made a strong input on the fir mortality. In future climate scenarios with predicted increase in aridity DNC could be eliminated from the southern part of its current range and will be replaced by drought-resistant conifers and broadleaf species (e.g., Larix sibirica, Pinus sylvestris, and Betula pubescence).

Climate-Induced Mortality of Siberian Pine and Fir in the Lake Baikal Watershed, Siberia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kharuk, Viacheslav I.; Im, Sergei T.; Petrov, Ilya A.; Golyukov, Alexei S.; Ranson, Kenneth J.; Yagunov, Mikhail N.

2016-01-01

Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) and fir (Abies sibirica) (so called ''dark needle conifers", DNC) showed decreased radial growth increment within the Lake Baikal watershed since the 1980s with increasing mortality recorded since the year 2000. Tree ring width was strongly correlated with vapor pressure deficit, aridity and root zone moisture. Water stress from droughts made trees more susceptible to insect attacks causing mortality in about 10% of DNC stands within the Lake Baikal watershed. Within Siberia DNC mortality increased in the southern part of the DNC range. Biogeographically, tree mortality was located within the DNC - forest-steppes transition. Tree mortality was significantly correlated with drought and soil moisture anomalies. Within the interior of the DNC range mortality occurred within relief features with high water stress risk (i.e., steep convex south facing slopes with shallow well-drained soils). In general, DNC mortality in Siberia was induced by increased aridity and severe drought (inciting factors) in synergy with biotic attacks (contributing factor). In future climate scenarios with predicted increase in aridity DNC could be eliminated from the southern part of its current range and will be replaced by drought-resistant conifers and broadleaf species (e.g., Larix sibirica, Pinus silvestris, and Betula pubescence).

Temperature is a potent driver of regional forest drought stress, disturbance, and tree mortality (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, P.; Allen, C. D.; Macalady, A.; Griffin, D.; Woodhouse, C. A.; Meko, D. M.; Swetnam, T. W.; Rauscher, S.; Seager, R.; Grissino-Mayer, H.; Dean, J.; Cook, E. R.; Gangodagamage, C.; Cai, M.; McDowell, N. G.

2013-12-01

I present a forest drought-stress index (FDSI) for the Southwestern United States using a comprehensive set of regional tree-ring records for AD 1000-2007. Comparing the last century of FDSI data to observed climate records, regional FDSI appears approximately equally influenced by warm-season atmospheric moisture demand (mostly controlled by temperature) and cold-season precipitation, together explaining an astounding 82% of southwestern FDSI variability. When atmospheric moisture demand intensifies, so does forest drought stress. Importantly, intensified moisture demand is not only associated with decreased tree growth; it is also associated with increased mortality. In particular, among a suite of drought-related climate variables, warm-season moisture demand has been the best predictor of annual forest area burned by stand-replacing wildfires since at least 1984. Further, the relationship between moisture demand and burned area is exponential, where incremental increases in moisture demand correspond to increasingly large influences on area burned. Using climate observations to update FDSI through 2013, I show that the current Southwestern drought-stress event, which began in 2000, is the most severe in over 400 years, but not as severe as those that occurred during the infamous 'Megadroughts' of AD 1000-1600. Like the Megadroughts of the past, the current drought will come to an end, but unlike the Megadroughts of the past, the current drought and those that will follow will be superimposed upon a warming-induced trend toward increased moisture demand and intensified forest drought stress, disturbance, and mortality. If atmospheric moisture demand continues increasing as projected by climate models, then mean annual Southwestern US climate by the 2050s will be less suitable for forest growth and survival than it was during the worst years of last millennium's Megadroughts. An intense La-Niña driven drought anomaly superimposed upon mean conditions in the 2050s would lead to forest drought stress, mortality, and wildfire conditions that are far more disastrous than those observed thusfar. These results foreshadow 21st-century transitions of Southwestern forests, and probably forests elsewhere, toward distributions unfamiliar to modern civilization.

Tree-ring growth and wood chemistry response to manipulated precipitation variation for two temperate Quercus species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wagner, Rebekah J.; Kaye, Margot W.; Abrams, Marc D.

2012-01-01

We examined the relationship among ambient and manipulated precipitation, wood chemistry, and their relationship with radial growth for two oak species in eastern Tennessee. The study took place on the Walker Branch Throughfall Displacement Experiment (TDE) site, located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, TN. Two dominant species, white oak (Quercus alba) and chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), were selected for study from a 13-year experiment of whole-stand precipitation manipulation (wet, ambient and dry). The relationships between tree-ring width and climate were compared for both species to determine the impact of precipitation manipulations on ring width index. Thismore » study used experimental spectroscopy techniques to measure the sensitivity of tree-ring responses to directional changes in precipitation over 13 years, and the results suggest that oaks at this study site are resilient to imposed changes, but sensitive to inter-annual variations in climate. Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) allowed us to measure nutrient intensities (similar to element concentrations) at 0.5-1.0 mm spacing along the radial growth axis of trees growing in the wet, ambient, and dry treatment sites. A difference in stemwood nutrient levels was observed between the two oak species and among the three treatments. Significant variation in element intensity was observed across treatments for some elements (Ca, K, Mg, Na, N and P) suggesting the potential for long-term impacts on growth under a changing climate regimes for southeastern oaks.« less

Drought-induced weakening of growth-temperature associations in high-elevation Iberian pines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diego Galván, J.; Büntgen, Ulf; Ginzler, Christian; Grudd, Håkan; Gutiérrez, Emilia; Labuhn, Inga; Julio Camarero, J.

2015-01-01

The growth/climate relationship of theoretically temperature-controlled high-elevation forests has been demonstrated to weaken over recent decades. This is likely due to new tree growth limiting factors, such as an increasing drought risk for ecosystem functioning and productivity across the Mediterranean Basin. In addition, declining tree growth sensitivity to spring temperature may emerge in response to increasing drought stress. Here, we evaluate these ideas by assessing the growth/climate sensitivity of 1500 tree-ring width (TRW) and 102 maximum density (MXD) measurement series from 711 and 74 Pinus uncinata trees, respectively, sampled at 28 high-elevation forest sites across the Pyrenees and two relict populations of the Iberian System. Different dendroclimatological standardization and split period approaches were used to assess the high- to low-frequency behavior of 20th century tree growth in response to temperature means, precipitation totals and drought indices. Long-term variations in TRW track summer temperatures until about 1970 but diverge afterwards, whereas MXD captures the recent temperature increase in the low-frequency domain fairly well. On the other hand summer drought has increasingly driven TRW along the 20th century. Our results suggest fading temperature sensitivity of Iberian high-elevation P. uncinata forest growth, and reveal the importance of summer drought that is becoming the emergent limiting factor of tree ring width formation in many parts of the Mediterranean Basin.

Constraining 3-PG with a new δ13C submodel: a test using the δ13C of tree rings.

PubMed

Wei, Liang; Marshall, John D; Link, Timothy E; Kavanagh, Kathleen L; DU, Enhao; Pangle, Robert E; Gag, Peter J; Ubierna, Nerea

2014-01-01

A semi-mechanistic forest growth model, 3-PG (Physiological Principles Predicting Growth), was extended to calculate δ(13)C in tree rings. The δ(13)C estimates were based on the model's existing description of carbon assimilation and canopy conductance. The model was tested in two ~80-year-old natural stands of Abies grandis (grand fir) in northern Idaho. We used as many independent measurements as possible to parameterize the model. Measured parameters included quantum yield, specific leaf area, soil water content and litterfall rate. Predictions were compared with measurements of transpiration by sap flux, stem biomass, tree diameter growth, leaf area index and δ(13)C. Sensitivity analysis showed that the model's predictions of δ(13)C were sensitive to key parameters controlling carbon assimilation and canopy conductance, which would have allowed it to fail had the model been parameterized or programmed incorrectly. Instead, the simulated δ(13)C of tree rings was no different from measurements (P > 0.05). The δ(13)C submodel provides a convenient means of constraining parameter space and avoiding model artefacts. This δ(13)C test may be applied to any forest growth model that includes realistic simulations of carbon assimilation and transpiration. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Five centuries of Central European temperature extremes reconstructed from tree-ring density and documentary evidence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battipaglia, G.; Frank, D.; Buentgen, U.; Dobrovolný, P.; Brázdil, R.; Pfister, C.; Esper, J.

2009-09-01

In this project three different summer temperature sensitive tree-ring chronologies across the European Alpine region were compiled and analyzed to make a calendar of extreme warm and cold summers. We identified 100 extreme events during the past millennium from the tree ring data, and 44 extreme years during the 1550-2003 period based upon tree-ring, documentary and instrumental evidence. Comparisons with long instrumental series and documentary evidence verify the tree-ring extremes and indicate the possibility to use this dataset towards a better understanding of the characteristics prior to the instrumental period. Potential links between the occurrence of extreme events over Alps and anomalous large-scale patterns were explored and indicate that the average pattern of the 20 warmest summers (over the 1700-2002 period) describes maximum positive anomalies over Central Europe, whereas the average pattern of the 20 coldest summers shows maximum negative anomalies over Western Europe. Challenges with the present approach included determining an appropriate classification scheme for extreme events and the development of a methodology able to identify and characterize the occurrence of extreme episodes back in time. As a future step, our approach will be extended to help verify the sparse documentary data from the beginning of the past millennium and will be used in conjunction with climate models to assess model capabilities in reproducing characteristics of temperature extremes.

Monsoon climate response in Indian teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) along a transect from coast to inland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sengupta, Saikat; Borgaonkar, Hemant; Joy, Reji Mariya; Ram, Somaru

2017-11-01

Indian monsoon (June-September) and post monsoon (October-November) rainfall show a distinct trend from coast to inland primarily due to moisture availability. However, the response of this synoptic-scale variation of rainfall amount to annual ring growth of Indian teak has not been studied systematically yet. The study is important as (1) ring width of Indian teak is considered as a reliable proxy for studying monsoon climate variability in multi-centennial time scale and (2) observed meteorological data show systematic changes in rainfall variation from coast to inland since last three decades. Towards this, we present here tree-ring width data from two locations—Thatibanda (1747-1979) and Nagzira (1728-2000) and use similar published data from two other locations—Allapalli (1866-1897) and Edugurapalli (1827-2000). The locations fall along a southeast northwest transect from south east Indian coast to inland. Monthly mean data from nearest observatories show an increasing trend in monsoon rainfall and a pronounced decreasing trend in post monsoon rainfall towards inland. Ring width data show moderately positive response to monsoon rainfall and negative response to summer (March-May) temperature for all stations suggesting moisture deficit in hot summer and intense precipitation in monsoon affect ring growth pattern in different ways. Ring width indices also exhibit significantly positive response with post monsoon rainfall at coastal location. The response gradually reduces towards inland. This preliminary study, thus, suggests that Indian teak has a potential to capture signals of the synoptic variation of post monsoon rainfall from coast to inland.

Tree ring based precipitation reconstruction in the south slope of the middle Qilian Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, over the last millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Junyan; Liu, Yu

2012-04-01

A tree ring (Sabina przewalskiiKom.) based millennial precipitation reconstruction on the south slope of the middle Qilian Mountains in the northeastern margin of Tibetan Plateau, China, was completed, which explains 48.5% of the variance in the instrumental precipitation from 1958 to 2004. The long-term precipitation variation patterns were confirmed on the basis of the duration, magnitude, and intensify of the multidecadal dry (wet) events. There are several stronger multidecadal dry periods, 1092-1172, 1441-1517, and 1564-1730, whereas there is only one outstanding severe wet event of 1352-1440. The variations of the precipitation reconstruction are accordant with the glacier accumulation and dust contents of Dunde ice core and also with the variations of the precipitation, runoff, Palmer Drought Severity Index, and tree ring width series in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The spatial extent of the great drought in the latter half of the 15th century also concentrated on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The moisture variations in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau are synchronous over a large spatial and temporal range in multidecadal scale for the last millennium, especially during dry periods. Wavelet analyses and comparisons with the minimal solar activity show that the precipitation variations for the last millennium may have some association with the solar activity on multidecadal to centennial scales.

Seasonal Climate Signals in Multiple Tree-Ring Parameters: A Pilot Study of Pinus ponderosa in the Columbia River Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dannenberg, M.; Wise, E. K.; Keung, J. H.

2014-12-01

Proxy-based reconstructions of past climate have played an integral role in assessments of historical climate change, and tree-ring widths (TRW) have a long history of use in this paleoclimate research due to their annual resolution, widespread availability, and sensitivity of growth processes to variation in temperature and water availability. Increasingly, studies have shown that additional tree-ring metrics—including earlywood and latewood widths (EW and LW, respectively), maximum latewood density, and the intensity of reflected blue light from latewood (BI)—can provide additional information on seasonal climatic variability that is not present in TRW alone due to different processes that affect growth in different parts of the growing season. Studies of these additional tree-ring metrics highlight their utility in climate reconstructions, but to date they have mostly been limited to a few tree species and regions. Here, we extend the range of previous studies on alternative tree-ring metrics by evaluating the seasonal climate signals in TRW, EW, LW, and BI of Pinus ponderosa at six semiarid sites surrounding the Columbia River basin in the U.S. Pacific Northwest (PNW). Cores from each site were cross-dated and EW, LW, and TRW were measured using standard dendrochronological procedures. BI was obtained using a high-resolution flatbed scanner and CooRecorder software. To evaluate the unique climate processes and seasonalities contributing to different dendrochronological metrics, monthly temperature and precipitation from each site were obtained from the PRISM climate model and were correlated with each of the tree-ring metrics using the MATLAB program SEASCORR. We also evaluate the potential of using multiple tree-ring metrics (rather than a single proxy) in reconstructions of precipitation in the PNW. Initial results suggest that 1) tree growth at each site is water-limited but with substantial differences among the sites in the strength and seasonality of correlations between precipitation and tree-ring metrics, and 2) EW tends to be more dependent on conditions in the prior growing season while LW tends to be related to water availability early in the current growing season. Results from this study illustrate the potential utility of multiproxy dendroclimatology for paleoclimate research.

A 400-year tree-ring chronology from the tropical treeline of North America.

PubMed

Biondi, F

2001-05-01

High-elevation sites in the tropics may be particularly sensitive to rapid climate change. By sampling treeline populations, I have developed the first extensive (> 300 years) tree-ring chronology in tropical North America. The site is Nevado de Colima, at the western end of the Mexican Neovolcanic Belt, and the species studied is Mexican mountain pine (Pinus hartwegii). Despite past logging in the area, 300 to 500-year old pines were found at 3600-3700 m elevation, about 300 m below the present treeline. The Nevado de Colima tree-ring chronology is well replicated from 1600 to 1997. Calibration with Colima climatic records points to summer monsoon precipitation as the strongest dendroclimatic signal. Most trees also exhibit extremely low growth in 1913 and 1914, following the January 1913 Plinian eruption of the Volcan de Colima. Because P. hartwegii is found on top of high mountains from Mexico to Guatemala, there is potential for developing a network of tropical treeline chronologies.

Plant response to climate change along the forest-tundra ecotone in northeastern Siberia.

PubMed

Berner, Logan T; Beck, Pieter S A; Bunn, Andrew G; Goetz, Scott J

2013-11-01

Russia's boreal (taiga) biome will likely contract sharply and shift northward in response to 21st century climatic change, yet few studies have examined plant response to climatic variability along the northern margin. We quantified climate dynamics, trends in plant growth, and growth-climate relationships across the tundra shrublands and Cajander larch (Larix cajanderi Mayr.) woodlands of the Kolyma river basin (657 000 km(2) ) in northeastern Siberia using satellite-derived normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI), tree ring-width measurements, and climate data. Mean summer temperatures (Ts ) increased 1.0 °C from 1938 to 2009, though there was no trend (P > 0.05) in growing year precipitation or climate moisture index (CMIgy ). Mean summer NDVI (NDVIs ) increased significantly from 1982 to 2010 across 20% of the watershed, primarily in cold, shrub-dominated areas. NDVIs positively correlated (P < 0.05) with Ts across 56% of the watershed (r = 0.52 ± 0.09, mean ± SD), principally in cold areas, and with CMIgy across 9% of the watershed (r = 0.45 ± 0.06), largely in warm areas. Larch ring-width measurements from nine sites revealed that year-to-year (i.e., high-frequency) variation in growth positively correlated (P < 0.05) with June temperature (r = 0.40) and prior summer CMI (r = 0.40) from 1938 to 2007. An unexplained multi-decadal (i.e., low-frequency) decline in annual basal area increment (BAI) occurred following the mid-20th century, but over the NDVI record there was no trend in mean BAI (P > 0.05), which significantly correlated with NDVIs (r = 0.44, P < 0.05, 1982-2007). Both satellite and tree-ring analyses indicated that plant growth was constrained by both low temperatures and limited moisture availability and, furthermore, that warming enhanced growth. Impacts of future climatic change on forests near treeline in Arctic Russia will likely be influenced by shifts in both temperature and moisture, which implies that projections of future forest distribution and productivity in this area should take into account the interactions of energy and moisture limitations. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Long-term drought sensitivity of trees in second-growth forests in a humid region

Treesearch

Neil Pederson; Kacie Tackett; Ryan W. McEwan; Stacy Clark; Adrienne Cooper; Glade Brosi; Ray Eaton; R. Drew Stockwell

2012-01-01

Classical field methods of reconstructing drought using tree rings in humid, temperate regions typically target old trees from drought-prone sites. This approach limits investigators to a handful of species and excludes large amounts of data that might be useful, especially for coverage gaps in large-scale networks. By sampling in more “typical” forests, network...

Alternative standardization approaches to improving streamflow reconstructions with ring-width indices of riparian trees

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meko, David M.; Friedman, Jonathan M.; Touchan, Ramzi; Edmondson, Jesse R.; Griffin, Eleanor R.; Scott, Julian A.

2015-01-01

Old, multi-aged populations of riparian trees provide an opportunity to improve reconstructions of streamflow. Here, ring widths of 394 plains cottonwood (Populus deltoids, ssp. monilifera) trees in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, are used to reconstruct streamflow along the Little Missouri River (LMR), North Dakota, US. Different versions of the cottonwood chronology are developed by (1) age-curve standardization (ACS), using age-stratified samples and a single estimated curve of ring width against estimated ring age, and (2) time-curve standardization (TCS), using a subset of longer ring-width series individually detrended with cubic smoothing splines of width against year. The cottonwood chronologies are combined with the first principal component of four upland conifer chronologies developed by conventional methods to investigate the possible value of riparian tree-ring chronologies for streamflow reconstruction of the LMR. Regression modeling indicates that the statistical signal for flow is stronger in the riparian cottonwood than in the upland chronologies. The flow signal from cottonwood complements rather than repeats the signal from upland conifers and is especially strong in young trees (e.g. 5–35 years). Reconstructions using a combination of cottonwoods and upland conifers are found to explain more than 50% of the variance of LMR flow over a 1935–1990 calibration period and to yield reconstruction of flow to 1658. The low-frequency component of reconstructed flow is sensitive to the choice of standardization method for the cottonwood. In contrast to the TCS version, the ACS reconstruction features persistent low flows in the 19th century. Results demonstrate the value to streamflow reconstruction of riparian cottonwood and suggest that more studies are needed to exploit the low-frequency streamflow signal in densely sampled age-stratified stands of riparian trees.

Influence of drought on radial stem growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) in an inner Alpine environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oberhuber, Walter; Gruber, Andreas

2010-05-01

Radial stem growth indices of trees are known to be valuable long-term measures of overall tree vigor and are frequently applied to identify the climatic factors limiting tree growth. Based on several tree-ring studies conducted within inner-Alpine dry valleys, it is well established that growth of Pinus sylvestris is primarily limited by spring precipitation (April through June) and severe drought results in abrupt growth reductions and increased tree mortality. However, the record breaking heat-wave in summer 2003 had only minor impact on growth of drought exposed coniferous trees within the dry inner-Alpine valley of the Inn river (750 m a.s.l., Tyrol, Austria), where mean annual precipitation and temperature amount to 716 mm and 7.3 °C, respectively. To examine short-term influences of drought stress on growth processes more closely, we determined the influence of meteorological factors (air temperature, precipitation) and soil moisture on intra-annual dynamics of tree ring development and stem radial growth in Pinus sylvestris at two sites differing in soil moisture characteristics (xeric and dry-mesic). Radial stem development was continuously followed during 2007 and 2008 by band dendrometers and repeated micro-sampling of the developing tree ring of mature trees. In 2007, when air temperature at the beginning of the growing season in April exceeded long-term mean by 6.4 °C, cambial cell division started in early April at both study plots. A delayed onset of cambial activity of c. 2 wk was found in 2008, when average climate conditions prevailed in spring, suggesting that resumption of cambial cell division after winter dormancy is temperature-controlled. Wood formation stopped c. 4 wk earlier at the xeric compared to dry-mesic site in both study years, which indicates a strong influence of drought stress on cell differentiation processes. This is supported by radial widths of earlywood cells, which were found to be significantly narrower at the xeric compared to the dry-mesic site (P < 0.05). Furthermore, early culmination of radial growth was found at both study plots around mid-May, prior to occurrence of more favourable climatic conditions, i.e. an increase in precipitation during summer. We suggest that early achievement of maximum growth rate in spring can be regarded as an adaptation to cope with extreme environmental conditions prevailing within the study area, which require an early switch of carbon allocation to belowground organs to ensure adequate resource acquisition on the drought prone substrate. Sustainably reduced tree vigor, higher tree mortality and strikingly reduced stem growth of shallowly rooted trees support our reasoning. In conclusion, our results suggest that in Pinus sylvestris exposed to dry inner-Alpine climate (i) a temperature threshold rather than water availability triggers onset of aboveground stem growth in spring, and (ii) recurring drought periods combined with nutrient deficiency of shallow, stony soils cause elevated carbohydrate requirements of the root system and associated symbiotic mycorrhizal hyphae to maintain the capability of absorbing scarce water und nutrient resources at the expense of aboveground stem growth.

Sensitivity of tree ring growth to local and large-scale climate variability in a region of Southeastern Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Venegas-González, Alejandro; Chagas, Matheus Peres; Anholetto Júnior, Claudio Roberto; Alvares, Clayton Alcarde; Roig, Fidel Alejandro; Tomazello Filho, Mario

2016-01-01

We explored the relationship between tree growth in two tropical species and local and large-scale climate variability in Southeastern Brazil. Tree ring width chronologies of Tectona grandis (teak) and Pinus caribaea (Caribbean pine) trees were compared with local (Water Requirement Satisfaction Index—WRSI, Standardized Precipitation Index—SPI, and Palmer Drought Severity Index—PDSI) and large-scale climate indices that analyze the equatorial pacific sea surface temperature (Trans-Niño Index-TNI and Niño-3.4-N3.4) and atmospheric circulation variations in the Southern Hemisphere (Antarctic Oscillation-AAO). Teak trees showed positive correlation with three indices in the current summer and fall. A significant correlation between WRSI index and Caribbean pine was observed in the dry season preceding tree ring formation. The influence of large-scale climate patterns was observed only for TNI and AAO, where there was a radial growth reduction in months preceding the growing season with positive values of the TNI in teak trees and radial growth increase (decrease) during December (March) to February (May) of the previous (current) growing season with positive phase of the AAO in teak (Caribbean pine) trees. The development of a new dendroclimatological study in Southeastern Brazil sheds light to local and large-scale climate influence on tree growth in recent decades, contributing in future climate change studies.

Estimating moisture content of tree-length roundwood

Treesearch

Alexander Clark; Richard F. Daniels

2000-01-01

The green weight of southern pine tree-length roundwood delivered to the pulp mill is generally known. However, for optimum mill efficiency it is desirable to know dry weight. The moisture content of tree-length pine logs is quite variable. The moisture content of pine tree-length logs increases significantly with increasing stem height. Moisture content also varies...

Transpiration and stomatal conductance in a young secondary tropical montane forest: contrasts between native trees and invasive understorey shrubs.

PubMed

Ghimire, Chandra Prasad; Bruijnzeel, L Adrian; Lubczynski, Maciek W; Zwartendijk, Bob W; Odongo, Vincent Omondi; Ravelona, Maafaka; van Meerveld, H J Ilja

2018-04-21

It has been suggested that vigorous secondary tropical forests can have very high transpiration rates, but sap flow and stomatal conductance dynamics of trees and shrubs in these forests are understudied. In an effort to address this knowledge gap, sap flow (thermal dissipation method, 12 trees) and stomatal conductance (porometry, six trees) were measured for young (5-7 years) Psiadia altissima (DC.) Drake trees, a widely occurring species dominating young regrowth following abandonment of swidden agriculture in upland eastern Madagascar. In addition, stomatal conductance (gs) was determined for three individuals of two locally common invasive shrubs (Lantana camara L. and Rubus moluccanus L.) during three periods with contrasting soil moisture conditions. Values of gs for the three investigated species were significantly higher and more sensitive to climatic conditions during the wet period compared with the dry period. Further, gs of the understorey shrubs was much more sensitive to soil moisture content than that of the trees. Tree transpiration rates (Ec) were relatively stable during the dry season and were only affected somewhat by soil water content at the end of the dry season, suggesting the trees had continued access to soil water despite drying out of the topsoil. The Ec exhibited a plateau-shaped relation with vapour pressure deficit (VPD), which was attributed to stomatal closure at high VPD. Vapour pressure deficit was the major driver of variation in Ec, during both the wet and the dry season. Overall water use of the trees was modest, possibly reflecting low site fertility after three swidden cultivation cycles. The observed contrast in gs response to soil water and climatic conditions for the trees and shrubs underscores the need to take root distributions into account when modelling transpiration from regenerating tropical forests.

Latitudinal Gradients in the Stable Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes of Tree-Ring Cellulose Reveal Differential Climate Influences of the North American Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szejner, P.; Wright, W. E.; Babst, F.; Belmecheri, S.; Trouet, V.; Ehleringer, J. R.; Leavitt, S. W.; Monson, R. K.

2015-12-01

Summer rainfall plays an important role sustaining different types of ecosystems in the Southwestern US. The arrival of the monsoon breaks the early summer hyper-arid period in the region providing unique seasonal conditions for these ecosystems to thrive. It is unknown to what extent monsoon rainfall is used by Ponderosa pine forests, which occupy many mountain ecosystems in the Western US. While these forests clearly rely on winter snowpack to drive much of their annual net primary productivity, the extent to which they supplement winter moisture, with summer monsoon moisture needs to be clarified. It is likely that there are north-south gradients in the degree to which forests rely on monsoon moisture, as the summer monsoon system tends to become diminished as it moves progressively northward. We addressed these gaps in our knowledge about the monsoon by studying stable Carbon and Oxygen isotopes in earlywood and latewood α-cellulose from cores taken from trees in eleven sites along a latitudinal gradient extending from Southern Arizona and New Mexico toward Utah. Here we show evidence that Ponderosa pine trees from most of these sites use monsoon water to support growth during the late summer, and the fractional use of monsoon precipitation is strongest in the southernmost sites. This study provides new physiological evidence on the influence of the North American monsoon and winter precipitation on tree growth in montane ecosystems of the Western US. Using these results, we predict differences in the susceptibility of southern and northern montane forests to future climate change. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: This work was funded by an NSF Macrosystems Grant #1065790

Merging Multi-model CMIP5/PMIP3 Past-1000 Ensemble Simulations with Tree Ring Proxy Data by Optimal Interpolation Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Luo, Yong; Xing, Pei; Nie, Suping; Tian, Qinhua

2015-04-01

Two sets of gridded annual mean surface air temperature in past millennia over the Northern Hemisphere was constructed employing optimal interpolation (OI) method so as to merge the tree ring proxy records with the simulations from CMIP5 (the fifth phase of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project). Both the uncertainties in proxy reconstruction and model simulations can be taken into account applying OI algorithm. For better preservation of physical coordinated features and spatial-temporal completeness of climate variability in 7 copies of model results, we perform the Empirical Orthogonal Functions (EOF) analysis to truncate the ensemble mean field as the first guess (background field) for OI. 681 temperature sensitive tree-ring chronologies are collected and screened from International Tree Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) and Past Global Changes (PAGES-2k) project. Firstly, two methods (variance matching and linear regression) are employed to calibrate the tree ring chronologies with instrumental data (CRUTEM4v) individually. In addition, we also remove the bias of both the background field and proxy records relative to instrumental dataset. Secondly, time-varying background error covariance matrix (B) and static "observation" error covariance matrix (R) are calculated for OI frame. In our scheme, matrix B was calculated locally, and "observation" error covariance are partially considered in R matrix (the covariance value between the pairs of tree ring sites that are very close to each other would be counted), which is different from the traditional assumption that R matrix should be diagonal. Comparing our results, it turns out that regional averaged series are not sensitive to the selection for calibration methods. The Quantile-Quantile plots indicate regional climatologies based on both methods are tend to be more agreeable with regional reconstruction of PAGES-2k in 20th century warming period than in little ice age (LIA). Lager volcanic cooling response over Asia and Europe in context of recent millennium are detected in our datasets than that revealed in regional reconstruction from PAGES-2k network. Verification experiments have showed that the merging approach really reconcile the proxy data and model ensemble simulations in an optimal way (with smaller errors than both of them). Further research is needed to improve the error estimation on them.

Reconstructions of Columbia River streamflow from tree-ring chronologies in the Pacific Northwest, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Littell, Jeremy; Pederson, Gregory T.; Gray, Stephen T.; Tjoelker, Michael; Hamlet, Alan F.; Woodhouse, Connie A.

2016-01-01

We developed Columbia River streamflow reconstructions using a network of existing, new, and updated tree-ring records sensitive to the main climatic factors governing discharge. Reconstruction quality is enhanced by incorporating tree-ring chronologies where high snowpack limits growth, which better represent the contribution of cool-season precipitation to flow than chronologies from trees positively sensitive to hydroclimate alone. The best performing reconstruction (back to 1609 CE) explains 59% of the historical variability and the longest reconstruction (back to 1502 CE) explains 52% of the variability. Droughts similar to the high-intensity, long-duration low flows observed during the 1920s and 1940s are rare, but occurred in the early 1500s and 1630s-1640s. The lowest Columbia flow events appear to be reflected in chronologies both positively and negatively related to streamflow, implying low snowpack and possibly low warm-season precipitation. High flows of magnitudes observed in the instrumental record appear to have been relatively common, and high flows from the 1680s to 1740s exceeded the magnitude and duration of observed wet periods in the late-19th and 20th Century. Comparisons between the Columbia River reconstructions and future projections of streamflow derived from global climate and hydrologic models show the potential for increased hydrologic variability, which could present challenges for managing water in the face of competing demands

The ancient blue oak woodlands of California: longevity and hydroclimatic history

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stahle, D.W.; Griffin, R.D.; Meko, D.M.; Therrell, M.D.; Edmondson, J.R.; Cleaveland, M.K.; Burnette, D.J.; Abatzoglou, J.T.; Redmond, K.T.; Dettinger, M.D.; Cayan, D.R.

2013-01-01

Ancient blue oak trees are still widespread across the foothills of the Coast Ranges, Cascades, and Sierra Nevada in California. The most extensive tracts of intact old-growth blue oak woodland appear to survive on rugged and remote terrain in the south Coast Ranges and on the foothills west and southwest of Mt. Lassen. In our sampling of old-growth stands, most blue oak appear to have recruited to the canopy in the mid- to late-19th century. The oldest living blue oak tree sampled was over 459-years old and several dead blue oak logs had over 500 annual rings. Precipitation sensitive tree-ring chronologies up to 700-years long have been developed from old blue oak trees and logs. Annual ring-width chronologies of blue oak are strongly correlated with cool season precipitation totals, streamflow in the major rivers of California, and the estuarine water quality of San Francisco Bay. A new network of 36 blue oak chronologies records spatial anomalies in growth that arise from latitudinal changes in the mean storm track and location of landfalling atmospheric rivers. These long, climate-sensitive blue oak chronologies have been used to reconstruct hydroclimatic history in California and will help to better understand and manage water resources. The environmental history embedded in blue oak growth chronologies may help justify efforts to conserve these authentic old-growth native woodlands.

Examining Basin-Scale Water and Climate Relations across the Pampa del Tamarugal, Atacama Desert through Spatial Analysis of Hydrogen, Carbon and Oxygen Isotopes in Tree Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, E. J.; Dodd, J. P.; Rivera, M. A.

2016-12-01

Arid regions are extremely sensitive to variations hydroclimate. However, our understanding of past hydroclimate variations in these regions is often limited by a paucity of spatially resolved proxy data. The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is one of the driest regions on Earth, and hydroclimatic processes in the Atacama Desert may be a useful proxy for understanding the implications of expanding global aridity. In order to assess the ability of tree-ring isotope studies to record changes in hydrology and terrestrial climate in the Atacama Desert, oxygen (δ18O), carbon (δ13C) and hydrogen (δ2H) isotope values in tree rings of Prosopis tamarugo are analyzed for the modern period (1954-2014) when anthropogenic change to regional groundwater levels have been most notable. Samples of wood cellulose were collected throughout the Pampa del Tamarugal basin from 14 individuals and used to create an interpolated surface of isotope variations. The isotope data were then compared to groundwater depth from well monitoring data provided by the Dirección de General de Agua of Chile. There is a significant correlation between groundwater level and isotope values with best agreement occurring during the past two decades for δ18O (r = 0.58), δ13C (r = 0.55), and δ2H (r = 0.66) values. This spatial correlation analysis reveals that tree ring a-cellulose isotope values are a suitable proxy for reconstructing groundwater depth in the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin. A stepwise multiregression analysis between δ18O values of cellulose and several other environmental variables including groundwater level, relative humidity, and temperature suggest that groundwater depth is the dominate control of variation in the modern δ18O tree ring record. The response of tree cellulose to the hydroclimate in this region suggests that tree ring isotope variations may be used to reconstruct past hydroclimate conditions in arid regions throughout the globe.

Dendrochemical patterns of calcium, zinc, and potassium related to internal factors detected by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Kevin T.; Balouet, Jean Christophe; Shortle, Walter C.; Chalot, Michel; Beaujard, François; Grudd, Håkan; Vroblesky, Don A.; Burkem, Joel G.

2014-01-01

Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) provides highly sensitive and precise spatial resolution of cation content in individual annual growth rings in trees. The sensitivity and precision have prompted successful applications to forensic dendrochemistry and the timing of environmental releases of contaminants. These applications have highlighted the need to distinguish dendrochemical effects of internal processes from environmental contamination. Calcium, potassium, and zinc are three marker cations that illustrate the influence of these processes. We found changes in cation chemistry in tree rings potentially due to biomineralization, development of cracks or checks, heartwood/sapwood differentiation, intra-annual processes, and compartmentalization of infection. Distinguishing internal from external processes that affect dendrochemistry will enhance the value of EDXRF for both physiological and forensic investigations.

Evidence of recovery of Juniperus virginiana trees from sulfur pollution after the Clean Air Act.

PubMed

Thomas, Richard B; Spal, Scott E; Smith, Kenneth R; Nippert, Jesse B

2013-09-17

Using dendroisotopic techniques, we show the recovery of Juniperus virginiana L. (eastern red cedar) trees in the Central Appalachian Mountains from decades of acidic pollution. Acid deposition over much of the 20th century reduced stomatal conductance of leaves, thereby increasing intrinsic water-use efficiency of the Juniperus trees. These data indicate that the stomata of Juniperus may be more sensitive to acid deposition than to increasing atmospheric CO2. A breakpoint in the 100-y δ(13)C tree ring chronology occurred around 1980, as the legacy of sulfur dioxide emissions declined following the enactment of the Clean Air Act in 1970, indicating a gradual increase in stomatal conductance (despite rising levels of atmospheric CO2) and a concurrent increase in photosynthesis related to decreasing acid deposition and increasing atmospheric CO2. Tree ring δ(34)S shows a synchronous change in the sources of sulfur used at the whole-tree level that indicates a reduced anthropogenic influence. The increase in growth and the δ(13)C and δ(34)S trends in the tree ring chronology of these Juniperus trees provide evidence for a distinct physiological response to changes in atmospheric SO2 emissions since ∼1980 and signify the positive impacts of landmark environmental legislation to facilitate recovery of forest ecosystems from acid deposition.

Merging tree ring chronologies and climate system model simulated temperature by optimal interpolation algorithm in North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Xing, Pei; Luo, Yong; Zhao, Zongci; Nie, Suping; Huang, Jianbin; Wang, Shaowu; Tian, Qinhua

2015-04-01

A new dataset of annual mean surface temperature has been constructed over North America in recent 500 years by performing optimal interpolation (OI) algorithm. Totally, 149 series totally were screened out including 69 tree ring width (MXD) and 80 tree ring width (TRW) chronologies are screened from International Tree Ring Data Bank (ITRDB). The simulated annual mean surface temperature derives from the past1000 experiment results of Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4). Different from existing research that applying data assimilation approach to (General Circulation Models) GCMs simulation, the errors of both the climate model simulation and tree ring reconstruction were considered, with a view to combining the two parts in an optimal way. Variance matching (VM) was employed to calibrate tree ring chronologies on CRUTEM4v, and corresponding errors were estimated through leave-one-out process. Background error covariance matrix was estimated from samples of simulation results in a running 30-year window in a statistical way. Actually, the background error covariance matrix was calculated locally within the scanning range (2000km in this research). Thus, the merging process continued with a time-varying local gain matrix. The merging method (MM) was tested by two kinds of experiments, and the results indicated standard deviation of errors can be reduced by about 0.3 degree centigrade lower than tree ring reconstructions and 0.5 degree centigrade lower than model simulation. During the recent Obvious decadal variability can be identified in MM results including the evident cooling (0.10 degree per decade) in 1940-60s, wherein the model simulation exhibit a weak increasing trend (0.05 degree per decade) instead. MM results revealed a compromised spatial pattern of the linear trend of surface temperature during a typical period (1601-1800 AD) in Little Ice Age, which basically accorded with the phase transitions of the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and Atlantic multi-decadal oscillation (AMO). Through the empirical orthogonal functions and power spectrum analysis, it was demonstrated that, compared with the pure simulations of CCSM4, MM made significant improvement of decadal variability for the gridded temperature in North America by merging the temperature-sensitive tree ring records.

Sensitivity of Photosynthetic Gas Exchange and Growth of Lodgepole Pine to Climate Variability Depends on the Age of Pleistocene Glacial Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborn, B.; Chapple, W.; Ewers, B. E.; Williams, D. G.

2014-12-01

The interaction between soil conditions and climate variability plays a central role in the ecohydrological functions of montane conifer forests. Although soil moisture availability to trees is largely dependent on climate, the depth and texture of soil exerts a key secondary influence. Multiple Pleistocene glacial events have shaped the landscape of the central Rocky Mountains creating a patchwork of soils differing in age and textural classification. This mosaic of soil conditions impacts hydrological properties, and montane conifer forests potentially respond to climate variability quite differently depending on the age of glacial till and soil development. We hypothesized that the age of glacial till and associated soil textural changes exert strong control on growth and photosynthetic gas exchange of lodgepole pine. We examined physiological and growth responses of lodgepole pine to interannual variation in maximum annual snow water equivalence (SWEmax) of montane snowpack and growing season air temperature (Tair) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) across a chronosequence of Pleistocene glacial tills ranging in age from 700k to 12k years. Soil textural differences across the glacial tills illustrate the varying degrees of weathering with the most well developed soils with highest clay content on the oldest till surfaces. We show that sensitivity of growth and carbon isotope discrimination, an integrated measure of canopy gas exchange properties, to interannual variation SWEmax , Tair and VPD is greatest on young till surfaces, whereas trees on old glacial tills with well-developed soils are mostly insensitive to these interannual climate fluctuations. Tree-ring widths were most sensitive to changes in SWEmax on young glacial tills (p < 0.01), and less sensitive on the oldest till (p < 0.05). Tair correlates strongly with δ13C values on the oldest and youngest tills sites, but shows no significant relationship on the middle aged glacial till. It is clear that growth and photosynthetic gas exchange parameters are sensitive to glacial till surfaces, which is evident by the different responses to SWEmax and Tair across sites.

Radial growth of Qilian juniper on the Northeast Tibetan Plateau and potential climate associations.

PubMed

Qin, Chun; Yang, Bao; Melvin, Thomas M; Fan, Zexin; Zhao, Yan; Briffa, Keith R

2013-01-01

There is controversy regarding the limiting climatic factor for tree radial growth at the alpine treeline on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we collected 594 increment cores from 331 trees, grouped within four altitude belts spanning the range 3550 to 4020 m.a.s.l. on a single hillside. We have developed four equivalent ring-width chronologies and shown that there are no significant differences in their growth-climate responses during 1956 to 2011 or in their longer-term growth patterns during the period AD 1110-2011. The main climate influence on radial growth is shown to be precipitation variability. Missing ring analysis shows that tree radial growth at the uppermost treeline location is more sensitive to climate variation than that at other elevations, and poor tree radial growth is particularly linked to the occurrence of serious drought events. Hence water limitation, rather than temperature stress, plays the pivotal role in controlling the radial growth of Sabina przewalskii Kom. at the treeline in this region. This finding contradicts any generalisation that tree-ring chronologies from high-elevation treeline environments are mostly indicators of temperature changes.

Radial Growth of Qilian Juniper on the Northeast Tibetan Plateau and Potential Climate Associations

PubMed Central

Qin, Chun; Yang, Bao; Melvin, Thomas M.; Fan, Zexin; Zhao, Yan; Briffa, Keith R.

2013-01-01

There is controversy regarding the limiting climatic factor for tree radial growth at the alpine treeline on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we collected 594 increment cores from 331 trees, grouped within four altitude belts spanning the range 3550 to 4020 m.a.s.l. on a single hillside. We have developed four equivalent ring-width chronologies and shown that there are no significant differences in their growth-climate responses during 1956 to 2011 or in their longer-term growth patterns during the period AD 1110–2011. The main climate influence on radial growth is shown to be precipitation variability. Missing ring analysis shows that tree radial growth at the uppermost treeline location is more sensitive to climate variation than that at other elevations, and poor tree radial growth is particularly linked to the occurrence of serious drought events. Hence water limitation, rather than temperature stress, plays the pivotal role in controlling the radial growth of Sabina przewalskii Kom. at the treeline in this region. This finding contradicts any generalisation that tree-ring chronologies from high-elevation treeline environments are mostly indicators of temperature changes. PMID:24244488

Missing Rings, Synchronous Growth, and Ecological Disturbance in a 36-Year Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida) Provenance Study

Treesearch

Caroline Leland; John Hom; Nicholas Skowronski; F. Thomas Ledig; Paul J. Krusic; Edward R. Cook; Dario Martin-Benito; Javier Martin-Fernandez; Neil Pederson; Dusan Gomory

2016-01-01

Provenance studies are an increasingly important analog for understanding how trees adapted to particular climatic conditions might respond to climate change. Dendrochronological analysis can illuminate differences among trees from different seed sources in terms of absolute annual growth and sensitivity to external growth factors. We analyzed annual radial growth of...

Reduced dry season transpiration is coupled with shallow soil water use in tropical montane forest trees.

PubMed

Muñoz-Villers, Lyssette E; Holwerda, Friso; Alvarado-Barrientos, M Susana; Geissert, Daniel R; Dawson, Todd E

2018-06-25

Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) are ecosystems particularly sensitive to climate change; however, the effects of warmer and drier conditions on TMCF ecohydrology remain poorly understood. To investigate functional responses of TMCF trees to reduced water availability, we conducted a study during the 2014 dry season in the lower altitudinal limit of TMCF in central Veracruz, Mexico. Temporal variations of transpiration, depth of water uptake and tree water sources were examined for three dominant, brevi-deciduous species using micrometeorological, sap flow and soil moisture measurements, in combination with oxygen and hydrogen stable isotope composition of rainfall, tree xylem, soil and stream water. Over the course of the dry season, reductions in crown conductance and transpiration were observed in canopy species (43 and 34%, respectively) and mid-story trees (23 and 8%), as atmospheric demand increased and soil moisture decreased. Canopy species consistently showed more depleted isotope values compared to mid-story trees. However, MixSIAR Bayesian model results showed that the evaporated (enriched) soil water pool was the main source for trees despite reduced soil moisture. Additionally, while increases in tree water uptake from deeper to shallower soil water sources occurred, concomitant decreases in transpiration were observed as the dry season progressed. A larger reduction in deep soil water use was observed for canopy species (from 79 ± 19 to 24 ± 20%) compared to mid-story trees (from 12 ± 17 to 10 ± 12%). The increase in shallower soil water sources may reflect a trade-off between water and nutrient requirements in this forest.

Increased spruce tree growth in Central Europe since 1960s.

PubMed

Cienciala, Emil; Altman, Jan; Doležal, Jiří; Kopáček, Jiří; Štěpánek, Petr; Ståhl, Göran; Tumajer, Jan

2018-04-01

Tree growth response to recent environmental changes is of key interest for forest ecology. This study addressed the following questions with respect to Norway spruce (Picea abies, L. Karst.) in Central Europe: Has tree growth accelerated during the last five decades? What are the main environmental drivers of the observed tree radial stem growth and how much variability can be explained by them? Using a nationwide dendrochronological sampling of Norway spruce in the Czech Republic (1246 trees, 266 plots), novel regional tree-ring width chronologies for 40(±10)- and 60(±10)-year old trees were assembled, averaged across three elevation zones (break points at 500 and 700m). Correspondingly averaged drivers, including temperature, precipitation, nitrogen (N) deposition and ambient CO 2 concentration, were used in a general linear model (GLM) to analyze the contribution of these in explaining tree ring width variability for the period from 1961 to 2013. Spruce tree radial stem growth responded strongly to the changing environment in Central Europe during the period, with a mean tree ring width increase of 24 and 32% for the 40- and 60-year old trees, respectively. The indicative General Linear Model analysis identified CO 2 , precipitation during the vegetation season, spring air temperature (March-May) and N-deposition as the significant covariates of growth, with the latter including interactions with elevation zones. The regression models explained 57% and 55% of the variability in the two tree ring width chronologies, respectively. Growth response to N-deposition showed the highest variability along the elevation gradient with growth stimulation/limitation at sites below/above 700m. A strong sensitivity of stem growth to CO 2 was also indicated, suggesting that the effect of rising ambient CO 2 concentration (direct or indirect by increased water use efficiency) should be considered in analyses of long-term growth together with climatic factors and N-deposition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Climatically sensitive tree-ring chronologies from Crimea, Ukraine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solomina, O.; Davi, N.; D Arrigo, R.

2003-04-01

Several tree species in Crimea can reach ages of 1000 years or more (Crimea..., 1999), including Taxus baccata L., Arbutus andrachne L., Quercus pubescens Willd, Quercus petraea (Mattuschka) Liebl., Quercus robur L., Juniperus excelsa M.B., and Pistacia mutica Fisch.et Mey. In September 2002, we collected samples from several long-lived tree sites described in the literature (Vulf, 1948, Ivanenko, 1951, Ena, 1983, Podgorniy, 1990), located in the mountains of Central Crimea (Sokolinoye, Chufut-Kale, Chelter) and on the coast of the Black Sea (Ai-Todor, Kharaks, Ai-Petri). The trees sampled generally had 300-350 rings. At Ai-Todor, most oaks, junipers, and pistachio showed decay. However, enough samples of oak, juniper and pine were collected to build three chronologies with good replication over the last 350 years. Long meteorological records (for Sevastopol since 1821, Ai-Petri and Yalta since the 1880's) as well as detailed historical data on extreme climatic events since 1687 (summarized by Borisov 1956) are available for this area and can be used to calibrate and verify the tree growth/climate models. Resulting dendroclimatic reconstructions will be the first from this region. The tree-ring time-series may also be used for archaeological dating of historical wood from several medieval fortresses, towns and palaces. In turn, the archaeological wood could be used to extend the tree-ring time series. Stalactites and stalagmites (Dubliansky, 1977) found in numerous caves, as well as 4000-years old laminated lake sediments (Shostakovich, 1934) are also potentially important sources of paleoclimatic information in the area.

Tracing footprints of environmental events in tree ring chemistry using neutron activation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sahin, Dagistan

The aim of this study is to identify environmental effects on tree-ring chemistry. It is known that industrial pollution, volcanic eruptions, dust storms, acid rain and similar events can cause substantial changes in soil chemistry. Establishing whether a particular group of trees is sensitive to these changes in soil environment and registers them in the elemental chemistry of contemporary growth rings is the over-riding goal of any Dendrochemistry research. In this study, elemental concentrations were measured in tree-ring samples of absolutely dated eleven modern forest trees, grown in the Mediterranean region, Turkey, collected and dated by the Malcolm and Carolyn Wiener Laboratory for Aegean and Near Eastern Dendrochronology laboratory at Cornell University. Correlations between measured elemental concentrations in the tree-ring samples were analyzed using statistical tests to answer two questions. Does the current concentration of a particular element depend on any other element within the tree? And, are there any elements showing correlated abnormal concentration changes across the majority of the trees? Based on the detailed analysis results, the low mobility of sodium and bromine, positive correlations between calcium, zinc and manganese, positive correlations between trace elements lanthanum, samarium, antimony, and gold within tree-rings were recognized. Moreover, zinc, lanthanum, samarium and bromine showed strong, positive correlations among the trees and were identified as possible environmental signature elements. New Dendrochemistry information found in this study would be also useful in explaining tree physiology and elemental chemistry in Pinus nigra species grown in Turkey. Elemental concentrations in tree-ring samples were measured using Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) at the Pennsylvania State University Radiation Science and Engineering Center (RSEC). Through this study, advanced methodologies for methodological, computational and experimental NAA were developed to ensure an acceptable accuracy and certainty in the elemental concentration measurements in tree-ring samples. Two independent analysis methods of NAA were used; the well known k-zero method and a novel method developed in this study, called the Multi-isotope Iterative Westcott (MIW) method. The MIW method uses reaction rate probabilities for a group of isotopes, which can be calculated by a neutronic simulation or measured by experimentation, and determines the representative values for the neutron flux and neutron flux characterization parameters based on Westcott convention. Elemental concentration calculations for standard reference material and tree-ring samples were then performed using the MIW and k-zero analysis methods of the NAA and the results were cross verified. In the computational part of this study, a detailed burnup coupled neutronic simulation was developed to analyze real-time neutronic changes in a TRIGA Mark III reactor core, in this study, the Penn State Breazeale Reactor (PSBR) core. To the best of the author`s knowledge, this is the first burnup coupled neutronic simulation with realistic time steps and full fuel temperature profile for a TRIGA reactor using Monte Carlo Utility for Reactor Evolutions (MURE) code and Monte Carlo Neutral-Particle Code (MCNP) coupling. High fidelity and flexibility in the simulation was aimed to replicate the real core operation through the day. This approach resulted in an enhanced accuracy in neutronic representation of the PSBR core with respect to previous neutronic simulation models for the PSBR core. An important contribution was made in the NAA experimentation practices employed in Dendrochemistry studies at the RSEC. Automated laboratory control and analysis software for NAA measurements in the RSEC Radionuclide Applications Laboratory was developed. Detailed laboratory procedures were written in this study comprising preparation, handling and measurements of tree-ring samples in the Radionuclide Applications Laboratory.

A simple, single-substrate model to interpret intra-annual stable isotope signals in tree-ring cellulose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogée, J.; Barbour, M. M.; Wingate, L.; Bert, D.; Bosc, A.; Stievenard, M.; Lambrot, C.; Pierre, M.; Bariac, T.; Dewar, R. C.

2009-04-01

High-resolution intra-annual measurements of the carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition of cellulose in annual tree rings (δ13Ccellulose and δ18Ocellulose, respectively) reveal well-defined seasonal patterns that could contain valuable records of past climate and tree function. Interpreting these signals is nonetheless complex because they not only record the signature of current assimilates, but also depend on carbon allocation dynamics within the trees. Here, we present a simple, single-substrate model for wood growth containing only 12 main parameters. The model is used to interpret an isotopic intra-annual chronology collected in an even-aged maritime pine plantation growing in the South-West of France, where climate, soil and flux variables were also monitored. The empirical δ13Ccellulose and δ18Ocellulose exhibit dynamic seasonal patterns, with clear differences between years and individuals, that are mostly captured by the model. In particular, the amplitude of both signals is reproduced satisfactorily as well as the sharp 18O enrichment at the beginning of 1997 and the less pronounced 13C and 18O depletion observed at the end of the latewood. Our results suggest that the single-substrate hypothesis is a good approximation for tree ring studies on Pinus pinaster, at least for the environmental conditions covered by this study. A sensitivity analysis revealed that, in the early wood, the model was particularly sensitive to the date when cell wall thickening begins (twt). We therefore propose to use the model to reconstruct time series of twt and explore how climate influences this key parameter of xylogenesis.

Can forest dieback and tree death be predicted by prior changes in wood anatomy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colangelo, Michele; Julio Camarero, Jesus; De Micco, Veronica; Borghetti, Marco; Gentilesca, Tiziana; Sanchez-Salguero, Raul; Ripullone, Francesco

2017-04-01

Climate warming is expected to amplify drought stress resulting in more intense and widespread dieback episodes and increasing mortality rates. Studies on quantitative wood anatomy and dendrochronology have demonstrated their potential to supply useful information on the causes of tree decline, although this approach is basically observational and retrospective. Moreover, the long-term reconstruction of wood anatomical features, strictly linked to the evolution of xylem anatomy plasticity through time, allow investigating hydraulic adjustments of trees. In this study, we analyzed wood-anatomical variables in two Italian oak forests where recent episodes of dieback and mortality have been reported. We analyzed in coexisting now-dead and living trees the following wood-anatomical variables: annual tree-ring area, earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) areas, absolute and relative (%) areas occupied by vessels in the EW and LW, EW and LW vessel areas, EW and LW vessel density and vessel diameter classification. We also calculated the hydraulic diameter (Dh) for all vessels measured within each ring by weighting individual conduit diameters to correspond to the average Hagen-Poiseuille lumen theoretical hydraulic conductivity for a vessel size. Wood-anatomical analyses showed that declining and dead trees were more sensitive to drought stress compared to non declining trees, indicating different susceptibility to water shortage between trees. Dead trees did not form earlywood vessels with smaller lumen diameter than surviving trees but tended to form wider latewood vessels with a higher percentage of vessel area. We discuss the results and implications focusing on those proved more sensitive to the phenomena of decline and mortality.

Tree rings provide a new class of phenotypes for genetic associations that foster insights into adaptation of conifers to climate change.

PubMed

Housset, Johann M; Nadeau, Simon; Isabel, Nathalie; Depardieu, Claire; Duchesne, Isabelle; Lenz, Patrick; Girardin, Martin P

2018-04-01

Local adaptation in tree species has been documented through a long history of common garden experiments where functional traits (height, bud phenology) are used as proxies for fitness. However, the ability to identify genes or genomic regions related to adaptation to climate requires the evaluation of traits that precisely reflect how and when climate exerts selective constraints. We combine dendroecology with association genetics to establish a link between genotypes, phenotypes and interannual climatic fluctuations. We illustrate this approach by examining individual tree responses embedded in the annual rings of 233 Pinus strobus trees growing in a common garden experiment representing 38 populations from the majority of its range. We found that interannual variability in growth was affected by low temperatures during spring and autumn, and by summer heat and drought. Among-population variation in climatic sensitivity was significantly correlated with the mean annual temperature of the provenance, suggesting local adaptation. Genotype-phenotype associations using these new tree-ring phenotypes validated nine candidate genes identified in a previous genetic-environment association study. Combining dendroecology with association genetics allowed us to assess tree vulnerability to past climate at fine temporal scales and provides avenues for future genomic studies on functional adaptation in forest trees. © 2018 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2018 New Phytologist Trust.

Volcano-induced regime shifts in millennial tree-ring chronologies from northeastern North America.

PubMed

Gennaretti, Fabio; Arseneault, Dominique; Nicault, Antoine; Perreault, Luc; Bégin, Yves

2014-07-15

Dated records of ice-cap growth from Arctic Canada recently suggested that a succession of strong volcanic eruptions forced an abrupt onset of the Little Ice Age between A.D. 1275 and 1300 [Miller GH, et al. (2012) Geophys Res Lett 39(2):L02708, 10.1029/2011GL050168]. Although this idea is supported by simulation experiments with general circulation models, additional support from field data are limited. In particular, the Northern Hemisphere network of temperature-sensitive millennial tree-ring chronologies, which principally comprises Eurasian sites, suggests that the strongest eruptions only caused cooling episodes lasting less than about 10 y. Here we present a new network of millennial tree-ring chronologies from the taiga of northeastern North America, which fills a wide gap in the network of the Northern Hemisphere's chronologies suitable for temperature reconstructions and supports the hypothesis that volcanoes triggered both the onset and the coldest episode of the Little Ice Age. Following the well-expressed Medieval Climate Anomaly (approximately A.D. 910-1257), which comprised the warmest decades of the last millennium, our tree-ring-based temperature reconstruction displays an abrupt regime shift toward lower average summer temperatures precisely coinciding with a series of 13th century eruptions centered around the 1257 Samalas event and closely preceding ice-cap expansion in Arctic Canada. Furthermore, the successive 1809 (unknown volcano) and 1815 (Tambora) eruptions triggered a subsequent shift to the coldest 40-y period of the last 1100 y. These results confirm that series of large eruptions may cause region-specific regime shifts in the climate system and that the climate of northeastern North America is especially sensitive to volcanic forcing.

Volcano-induced regime shifts in millennial tree-ring chronologies from northeastern North America

PubMed Central

Gennaretti, Fabio; Arseneault, Dominique; Nicault, Antoine; Perreault, Luc; Bégin, Yves

2014-01-01

Dated records of ice-cap growth from Arctic Canada recently suggested that a succession of strong volcanic eruptions forced an abrupt onset of the Little Ice Age between A.D. 1275 and 1300 [Miller GH, et al. (2012) Geophys Res Lett 39(2):L02708, 10.1029/2011GL050168]. Although this idea is supported by simulation experiments with general circulation models, additional support from field data are limited. In particular, the Northern Hemisphere network of temperature-sensitive millennial tree-ring chronologies, which principally comprises Eurasian sites, suggests that the strongest eruptions only caused cooling episodes lasting less than about 10 y. Here we present a new network of millennial tree-ring chronologies from the taiga of northeastern North America, which fills a wide gap in the network of the Northern Hemisphere's chronologies suitable for temperature reconstructions and supports the hypothesis that volcanoes triggered both the onset and the coldest episode of the Little Ice Age. Following the well-expressed Medieval Climate Anomaly (approximately A.D. 910–1257), which comprised the warmest decades of the last millennium, our tree-ring-based temperature reconstruction displays an abrupt regime shift toward lower average summer temperatures precisely coinciding with a series of 13th century eruptions centered around the 1257 Samalas event and closely preceding ice-cap expansion in Arctic Canada. Furthermore, the successive 1809 (unknown volcano) and 1815 (Tambora) eruptions triggered a subsequent shift to the coldest 40-y period of the last 1100 y. These results confirm that series of large eruptions may cause region-specific regime shifts in the climate system and that the climate of northeastern North America is especially sensitive to volcanic forcing. PMID:24982132

Olive tree-ring problematic dating: a comparative analysis on Santorini (Greece).

PubMed

Cherubini, Paolo; Humbel, Turi; Beeckman, Hans; Gärtner, Holger; Mannes, David; Pearson, Charlotte; Schoch, Werner; Tognetti, Roberto; Lev-Yadun, Simcha

2013-01-01

Olive trees are a classic component of Mediterranean environments and some of them are known historically to be very old. In order to evaluate the possibility to use olive tree-rings for dendrochronology, we examined by various methods the reliability of olive tree-rings identification. Dendrochronological analyses of olive trees growing on the Aegean island Santorini (Greece) show that the determination of the number of tree-rings is impossible because of intra-annual wood density fluctuations, variability in tree-ring boundary structure, and restriction of its cambial activity to shifting sectors of the circumference, causing the tree-ring sequences along radii of the same cross section to differ.

After more than a decade of soil moisture deficit, tropical rainforest trees maintain photosynthetic capacity, despite increased leaf respiration.

PubMed

Rowland, Lucy; Lobo-do-Vale, Raquel L; Christoffersen, Bradley O; Melém, Eliane A; Kruijt, Bart; Vasconcelos, Steel S; Domingues, Tomas; Binks, Oliver J; Oliveira, Alex A R; Metcalfe, Daniel; da Costa, Antonio C L; Mencuccini, Maurizio; Meir, Patrick

2015-12-01

Determining climate change feedbacks from tropical rainforests requires an understanding of how carbon gain through photosynthesis and loss through respiration will be altered. One of the key changes that tropical rainforests may experience under future climate change scenarios is reduced soil moisture availability. In this study we examine if and how both leaf photosynthesis and leaf dark respiration acclimate following more than 12 years of experimental soil moisture deficit, via a through-fall exclusion experiment (TFE) in an eastern Amazonian rainforest. We find that experimentally drought-stressed trees and taxa maintain the same maximum leaf photosynthetic capacity as trees in corresponding control forest, independent of their susceptibility to drought-induced mortality. We hypothesize that photosynthetic capacity is maintained across all treatments and taxa to take advantage of short-lived periods of high moisture availability, when stomatal conductance (gs ) and photosynthesis can increase rapidly, potentially compensating for reduced assimilate supply at other times. Average leaf dark respiration (Rd ) was elevated in the TFE-treated forest trees relative to the control by 28.2 ± 2.8% (mean ± one standard error). This mean Rd value was dominated by a 48.5 ± 3.6% increase in the Rd of drought-sensitive taxa, and likely reflects the need for additional metabolic support required for stress-related repair, and hydraulic or osmotic maintenance processes. Following soil moisture deficit that is maintained for several years, our data suggest that changes in respiration drive greater shifts in the canopy carbon balance, than changes in photosynthetic capacity. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Water permeation through organic materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doughty, D. H.; West, I. A.

1981-09-01

Atmospheric moisture is routinely excluded from weapon systems by the use of elastomer seals at assembly joints and electrical feedthroughs while internal moisture is minimized by relying on desiccants and on pre-dried components assembled in special low humidity assembly rooms. Published values of the water permeation coefficient for ethylene-propylene rubber and other o-ring materials are subject to some variability and the effects of aging on water permability are unknown. We have thus devised a new and extremely sensitive method for measuring moisture permeation coefficients in organic materials. This method uses dilute tritiated water as a tracer and it is approximately two orders of magnitude more sensitive than other methods. We are therefore able to make measurements on materials under STS temperature and humidity conditions. Rate data showing the approach to equilibrium and water permeability values for a variety of elastomers are presented. The test apparatus is also described.

The influence of volcanic eruptions on growth of central European lowland trees in NE-Germany during the last Millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pieper, Hagen; Heinrich, Ingo; Heußner, Karl-Uwe; Helle, Gerd

2013-04-01

Large and mainly tropical volcanic eruptions can have significant effects on the Earth's climate system, likely resulting in decreased summer and increased winter temperature means, as well as enhanced fractions of diffuse light lasting for one to several years after the eruptive outbreak. It has been argued that due to scattering by volcanic sulfur aerosol the more diffuse light fraction can be particularly beneficial for tree growth and more generally for ecosystems biomass productivity. However, other observations suggest decreasing tree-ring width because of the cooler conditions following large eruptions, with overall stronger fingerprints expected towards higher altitudes and higher latitudes where tree growth is mainly temperature-limited. Since tree growth in lowland temperate climate zones is dominated by various climate quantities rather than temperature alone. Thus it has been hypothesized that tree growth within the temperate zones of the mid-latitudes may not suffer from lower temperatures per se, but rather profits from increased rates of diffuse light, in tandem with reduced evapotranspiration and subsequently enhanced soil moisture availability. Most studies so far have concentrated on the impact of volcanic eruptions on trees growing outside the temperate climate zones. This study aims at trees in temperate zones where tree growth is less temperature limited. Therefore, a comprehensive database with 1128 samples of millennium-long tree-ring chronologies of Quercus robur L. and Pinus sylvestris L. based on heterogenous archaeological material originating from three different lowland sites (Greifswald, Eberswalde and Saxony) in eastern Germany was used to test whether tree growth suffered or profited from the globally changed conditions after large volcanic eruptions. The growth relationships were tested against 49 individual large volcanic eruptions from the last Millennium. High-resolution ice core records of sulfate measurements calibrated against atmospheric observations after modern eruptions identified the timing and magnitude of the eruptions since 1000 CE. Dendrochronological methods revealed a predominantly negative relationship of our long tree-ring chronologies to large volcanic eruptions. In two tree-ring width chronologies of oak and pine (Quercus robur L. and Pinus sylvestris L.) originating from the different sites in eastern Germany a negative influence on tree growth for up to four years after large eruptions could be detected. In comparison, the chronologies of Q. robur reveal a stronger negative (71%) response after large eruptions than those of P. sylvestris (54%). Only at the Greifswald site both tree species show a common negative response in tree growth after volcanic eruptions. For both tree species and at all three sites just the eruption years of 1586 revealed significant positive growth responses whereas significant negative tree growths was detected after the eruptions of 1800. Volcanic aerosols originating from the northern hemisphere appear to cause a greater reduction in tree growth than aerosols from volcanoes from the southern hemisphere, which probably relates to the shorter distance to the investigated tree sites. Our study clearly indicates that effects of major volcanic eruptions are less obvious in central Europe than observed for trees growing at the altitudinal or latitudinal timberlines.

A 3,500-year tree-ring record of annual precipitation on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau.

PubMed

Yang, Bao; Qin, Chun; Wang, Jianglin; He, Minhui; Melvin, Thomas M; Osborn, Timothy J; Briffa, Keith R

2014-02-25

An annually resolved and absolutely dated ring-width chronology spanning 4,500 y has been constructed using subfossil, archaeological, and living-tree juniper samples from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The chronology represents changing mean annual precipitation and is most reliable after 1500 B.C. Reconstructed precipitation for this period displays a trend toward more moist conditions: the last 10-, 25-, and 50-y periods all appear to be the wettest in at least three and a half millennia. Notable historical dry periods occurred in the 4th century BCE and in the second half of the 15th century CE. The driest individual year reconstructed (since 1500 B.C.) is 1048 B.C., whereas the wettest is 2010. Precipitation variability in this region appears not to be associated with inferred changes in Asian monsoon intensity during recent millennia. The chronology displays a statistical association with the multidecadal and longer-term variability of reconstructed mean Northern Hemisphere temperatures over the last two millennia. This suggests that any further large-scale warming might be associated with even greater moisture supply in this region.

Climatic Change over the 'Third Pole' from Long Tree-Ring Records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, E.

2011-12-01

Climatic change over the Greater Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau, the 'Third Pole' of the world, is of great concern now as the Earth continues to warm at an alarming rate. While future climatic change over this region and its resulting impacts on humanity and the environment are difficult to predict with much certainty, knowing how climate has varied in the past can provide both an improved understanding of the range of variability and change that could occur in the future and the necessary context for assessing recent observed climatic change there. For this purpose, one of the best natural archives of past climate information available for study of the Third Pole environment is the changing pattern of annual ring widths found in long tree-ring chronologies. The forests of the Third Pole support many long-lived tree species, with some having life spans in excess of 1,000 years. This natural resource is steadily dwindling now due to continuing deforestation caused by human activity, but there is still enough remaining forest cover to produce a detailed network of long tree-ring chronologies for study of climate variability and change covering the past several centuries. The tree-ring records provide a mix of climate information, including that related to both temperature and precipitation. Examples of long drought-sensitive tree-ring records from the more arid parts of the Karakoram and Tibetan Plateau will be presented, along with records that primarily reflect changing temperatures in moister environments such as in Bhutan. Together they provide a glimpse of how climate of the Third Pole has changed over the past several centuries, the range of natural variability that could occur in the future independent of changes caused by greenhouse warming, and how changes during the latter part of the 20th century period of rapid global warming compare to the past.

First Gridded Spatial Field Reconstructions of Snow from Tree Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulthard, B. L.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; Pederson, G. T.; Alder, J. R.; Hostetler, S. W.; Gray, S. T.

2017-12-01

Western North America's mountain snowpacks provide critical water resources for human populations and ecosystems. Warmer temperatures and changing precipitation patterns will increasingly alter the quantity, extent, and persistence of snow in coming decades. A comprehensive understanding of the causes and range of long-term variability in this system is required for forecasting future anomalies, but snowpack observations are limited and sparse. While individual tree ring-based annual snowpack reconstructions have been developed for specific regions and mountain ranges, we present here the first collection of spatially-explicit gridded field reconstructions of seasonal snowpack within the American Rocky Mountains. Capitalizing on a new western North American snow-sensitive network of over 700 tree-ring chronologies, as well as recent advances in PRISM-based snow modeling, our gridded reconstructions offer a full space-time characterization of snow and associated water resource fluctuations over several centuries. The quality of reconstructions is evaluated against existing observations, proxy-records, and an independently-developed first-order monthly snow model.

Climate variations in northern North America (6000 BP to present) reconstructed from pollen and tree-ring data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Diaz, H.F.; Andrews, J.T.; Short, S.K.

The characteristic anomaly patterns of modern surface temperature and precipitation are compared to tree-ring indices (0-300 yr) and fossil pollen (0-6000 yr) variations in northern North America. The data base consists of 245 climate stations, 55 tree-ring chronologies, 153 modern pollen collections, and 39 fossil pollen sites. A few areas exhibit relatively high climatic sensitivity, displaying generally consistent patterns during alternate warm and cold periods, regardless of time scales. The surface changes are related to the redistribution (i.e., changes in the mean position and strength) of the planetary-scale waves and to north-south shifts in the mean boundary of the Arcticmore » Front. The zone where the largest changes occur is typically located along the mean present-day boundary between Arctic and Pacific airstreams. Establishing plausible relationships between vegetation responses and concomitant changes in atmospheric circulation patterns increases our confidence that the paleoclimatic signals are indeed related to large-scale circulation changes.« less

[Vertical variability of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica tree ring delta13C and its relationship with tree ring width in northern Daxing' an Mountains of Northeast China].

PubMed

Shang, Zhi-Yuan; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Wen; Li, Yan-Yan; Cui, Ming-Xing; Chen, Zhen-Ju; Zhao, Xing-Yun

2013-01-01

A measurement was made on the vertical direction tree ring stable carbon isotope ratio (delta13C) and tree ring width of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica in northern Daxing' an Mountains of Northeast China, with the relationship between the vertical direction variations of the tree ring delta13C and tree ring width analyzed. In the whole ring of xylem, earlywood (EW) and bark endodermis, the delta13C all exhibited an increasing trend from the top to the base at first, with the maximum at the bottom of tree crown, and then, decreased rapidly to the minimum downward. The EW and late-wood (LW) had an increasing ratio of average tree ring width from the base to the top. The average annual sequence of the delta13C in vertical direction had an obvious reverse correspondence with the average annual sequence of tree ring width, and had a trend comparatively in line with the average annual sequence of the tree ring width ratio of EW to LW above tree crown. The variance analysis showed that there existed significant differences in the sequences of tree ring delta13C and ring width in vertical direction, and the magnitude of vertical delta13C variability was basically the same as that of the inter-annual delta13C variability. The year-to-year variation trend of the vertical delta13C sequence was approximately identical. For each sample, the delta13C sequence at the same heights was negatively correlated with the ring width sequence, but the statistical significance differed with tree height.

Drought-induced stomatal closure probably cannot explain divergent white spruce growth in the Brooks Range, Alaska, USA.

PubMed

Brownlee, Annalis H; Sullivan, Patrick F; Csank, Adam Z; Sveinbjörnsson, Bjartmar; Ellison, Sarah B Z

2016-01-01

Increment cores from the boreal forest have long been used to reconstruct past climates. However, in recent years, numerous studies have revealed a deterioration of the correlation between temperature and tree growth that is commonly referred to as divergence. In the Brooks Range of northern Alaska, USA, studies of white spruce (Picea glauca) revealed that trees in the west generally showed positive growth trends, while trees in the central and eastern Brooks Range showed mixed and negative trends during late 20th century warming. The growing season climate of the eastern Brooks Range is thought to be drier than the west. On this basis, divergent tree growth in the eastern Brooks Range has been attributed to drought stress. To investigate the hypothesis that drought-induced stomatal closure can explain divergence in the Brooks Range, we synthesized all of the Brooks Range white spruce data available in the International Tree Ring Data Bank (ITRDB) and collected increment cores from our primary sites in each of four watersheds along a west-to-east gradient near the Arctic treeline. For cores from our sites, we measured ring widths and calculated carbon isotope discrimination (δ13C), intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), and needle intercellular CO2 concentration (C(i)) from δ13C in tree-ring alpha-cellulose. We hypothesized that trees exhibiting divergence would show a corresponding decline in δ13C, a decline in C(i), and a strong increase in iWUE. Consistent with the ITRDB data, trees at our western and central sites generally showed an increase in the strength of the temperature-growth correlation during late 20th century warming, while trees at our eastern site showed strong divergence. Divergent tree growth was not, however, associated with declining δ13C. Meanwhile, estimates of C(i) showed a strong increase at all of our study sites, indicating that more substrate was available for photosynthesis in the early 21st than in the early 20th century. Our results, which are corroborated by measurements of xylem sap flux density, needle gas exchange, and measurements of growth and δ13C along moisture gradients within each watershed, suggest that drought-induced stomatal closure is probably not the cause of 20th century divergence in the Brooks Range.

Temperature and rainfall strongly drive temporal growth variation in Asian tropical forest trees.

PubMed

Vlam, Mart; Baker, Patrick J; Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh; Zuidema, Pieter A

2014-04-01

Climate change effects on growth rates of tropical trees may lead to alterations in carbon cycling of carbon-rich tropical forests. However, climate sensitivity of broad-leaved lowland tropical trees is poorly understood. Dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) provides a powerful tool to study the relationship between tropical tree growth and annual climate variability. We aimed to establish climate-growth relationships for five annual-ring forming tree species, using ring-width data from 459 canopy and understory trees from a seasonal tropical forest in western Thailand. Based on 183/459 trees, chronologies with total lengths between 29 and 62 years were produced for four out of five species. Bootstrapped correlation analysis revealed that climate-growth responses were similar among these four species. Growth was significantly negatively correlated with current-year maximum and minimum temperatures, and positively correlated with dry-season precipitation levels. Negative correlations between growth and temperature may be attributed to a positive relationship between temperature and autotrophic respiration rates. The positive relationship between growth and dry-season precipitation levels likely reflects the strong water demand during leaf flush. Mixed-effect models yielded results that were consistent across species: a negative effect of current wet-season maximum temperatures on growth, but also additive positive effects of, for example, prior dry-season maximum temperatures. Our analyses showed that annual growth variability in tropical trees is determined by a combination of both temperature and precipitation variability. With rising temperature, the predominantly negative relationship between temperature and growth may imply decreasing growth rates of tropical trees as a result of global warming.

Solar and Climate Variation Relationships Analyzed from Chile Tree Ring Width Time Series (1587 - 1994 A.D.)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigozo, Nr; Nordemann, Djr; Faria, Hh; Echer, E.; Vieira, Lea; Prestes, A.

This work presents a study of the relations between solar and climate variations during the last four centuries by spectral analysis of tree ring index and sunspot number time series. Trees used for this study were Pilgerodendron cupressoides from Glaciar Pio XI, in Chile. The spectral analysis of tree ring index shows that 11, 22 and 80 year periodicities of the solar cycle were present in this tree ring data with 0.95 confidence level. This result suggests a solar modulation of climate variations, as recorded by the tree ring growth. Short-term variations, between 2 - 7 years, are also present in tree ring data. Therefore spectral analysis clearly shows that both, solar and climate factors, are recorded in the tree ring data.

Olive Tree-Ring Problematic Dating: A Comparative Analysis on Santorini (Greece)

PubMed Central

Cherubini, Paolo; Humbel, Turi; Beeckman, Hans; Gärtner, Holger; Mannes, David; Pearson, Charlotte; Schoch, Werner; Tognetti, Roberto; Lev-Yadun, Simcha

2013-01-01

Olive trees are a classic component of Mediterranean environments and some of them are known historically to be very old. In order to evaluate the possibility to use olive tree-rings for dendrochronology, we examined by various methods the reliability of olive tree-rings identification. Dendrochronological analyses of olive trees growing on the Aegean island Santorini (Greece) show that the determination of the number of tree-rings is impossible because of intra-annual wood density fluctuations, variability in tree-ring boundary structure, and restriction of its cambial activity to shifting sectors of the circumference, causing the tree-ring sequences along radii of the same cross section to differ. PMID:23382949

Negative feedback adjustment challenges reconstruction study from tree rings: A study case of response of Populus euphratica to river discontinuous flow and ecological water conveyance.

PubMed

Ling, Hongbo; Zhang, Pei; Guo, Bin; Xu, Hailiang; Ye, Mao; Deng, Xiaoya

2017-01-01

Drought stress changes the relationship between the growth of tree rings and variations in ambient temperature. However, it is not clear how the growth of trees changes in response to drought of varying intensities, especially in arid areas. Therefore, Tree rings were studied for 6years in Populus euphratica to assess the impacts of abrupt changes in environment on tree rings using the theories and methods in dendrohydrology, ecology and phytophysiology. The width of tree rings increased by 8.7% after ecological water conveyance downstream of Tarim River compared to that when the river water had been cut off. However, during intermediate drought, as the depth of the groundwater increases, the downward trend in the tree rings was reversed because of changes in the physiology of the tree. Therefore, the growth of tree rings shows a negative feedback to intermediate drought stress, an observation that challenges the homogenization theory of tree ring reconstruction based on the traditional methods. Owing to the time lag, the cumulative effect and the negative feedback between the growth of tree rings and drought stress, the reconstruction of past environment by studying the patterns of tree rings is often inaccurate. Our research sets out to verify the hypothesis that intermediate drought stress results in a negative feedback adjustment and thus to answers two scientific questions: (1) How does the negative feedback adjustment promote the growth of tree rings as a result of intermediate drought stress? (2) How does the negative feedback adjustment lower the accuracy with which the past is reconstructed based on tree rings? This research not only enriches the connotations of intermediate disturbance hypothesis and reconstruction theory of tree rings, but also provides a scientific basis for the conservation of desert riparian forests worldwide. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ring profiler: a new method for estimating tree-ring density for improved estimates of carbon storage

Treesearch

David W. Vahey; C. Tim Scott; J.Y. Zhu; Kenneth E. Skog

2012-01-01

Methods for estimating present and future carbon storage in trees and forests rely on measurements or estimates of tree volume or volume growth multiplied by specific gravity. Wood density can vary by tree ring and height in a tree. If data on density by tree ring could be obtained and linked to tree size and stand characteristics, it would be possible to more...

Dendrogeomorphological analysis of a slope near Lago, Calabria (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fantucci, Rosanna; Sorriso-Valvo, Marino

1999-10-01

The dendrogeomorphological analysis has been used to investigate the periods of disturbance on a slope affected by deep-seated gravitational movements. The method proved to be of great help in determining the temporal sequence of diffused slope movement in the study area, and, though to a lesser extent, to find out the possible causes of triggering the mass-movement. In general, leaning trees indicate that the movement is active. The visual growth analysis indicates that anomalies consisted of sudden decreases of the growth (suppression of tree-rings) induced by stress consequent on ground disturbance, followed in some cases by sudden increases of tree-ring width induced by the higher moisture content in the landslide body. By anomaly analysis, an increase of the anomaly index (It) occurred between 1840 and 1860; subsequently, a period of strongly oscillating values of It occurred that levelled off around 1950. It also appears that mass-movements began to affect this zone soon after 1850s, thus, we can tentatively assume that they have been the cause of the growth anomalies, with a maximum influence in the period between 1860 and 1895. As regards the causes for mass-movement, we inquired about timing of extreme meteorological events and earthquakes. The meteorological data obtained from raingauging stations are not so well related to mass-movement reactivation as the seismic data are. However, only a minority of extreme meteorological events may produce such a disturbance that can be recorded in the tree-ring record. Indeed, only 30% of anomalies can be explained in terms of extreme events. On the other hand, the continuous creeping of the sackung might irregularly trigger the movement of shallower landslides in non extreme-events years. We obtained, instead, a higher degree of coincidence between disturbing causes and anomalous tree growth using archive reports on extreme rainfall periods.

Boreal temperature variability inferred from maximum latewood density and tree-ring width data, Wrangell Mountain region, Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davi, Nicole K.; Jacoby, Gordon C.; Wiles, Gregory C.

2003-11-01

Variations in both width and density of annual rings from a network of tree chronologies were used to develop high-resolution proxies to extend the climate record in the Wrangell Mountain region of Alaska. We developed a warm-season (July-September) temperature reconstruction that spans A.D. 1593-1992 based on the first eigenvector from principal component analysis of six maximum latewood density (MXD) chronologies. The climate/tree-growth model accounts for 51% of the temperature variance from 1958 to 1992 and shows cold in the late 1600s-early 1700s followed by a warmer period, cooling in the late 1700s-early 1800s, and warming in the 20th century. The 20th century is the warmest of the past four centuries. Several severely cold warm-seasons coincide with major volcanic eruptions. The first eigenvector from a ring-width (RW) network, based on nine chronologies from the Wrangell Mountain region (A.D. 1550-1970), is correlated positively with both reconstructed and recorded Northern Hemisphere temperatures. RW shows a temporal history similar to that of MXD by increased growth (warmer) and decreased growth (cooler) intervals and trends. After around 1970 the RW series show a decrease in growth, while station data show continued warming, which may be related to increasing moisture stress or other factors. Both the temperature history based on MXD and the growth trends from the RW series are consistent with well-dated glacier fluctuations in the Wrangell Mountains and some of the temperature variations also correspond to variations in solar activity.

Early establishment of trees at the alpine treeline: idiosyncratic species responses to temperature-moisture interactions

PubMed Central

Loranger, Hannah; Zotz, Gerhard; Bader, Maaike Y.

2016-01-01

On a global scale, temperature is the main determinant of arctic and alpine treeline position. However on a local scale, treeline form and position vary considerably due to other climatic factors, tree species ecology and life-stage-dependent responses. For treelines to advance poleward or uphill, the first steps are germination and seedling establishment. These earliest life stages may be major bottlenecks for treeline tree populations and will depend differently on climatic conditions than adult trees. We investigated the effect of soil temperature and moisture on germination and early seedling survival in a field experiment in the French Alps near the local treeline (2100 m a.s.l.) using passive temperature manipulations and two watering regimes. Five European treeline tree species were studied: Larix decidua, Picea abies, Pinus cembra, Pinus uncinata and Sorbus aucuparia. In addition, we monitored the germination response of three of these species to low temperatures under controlled conditions in growth chambers. The early establishment of these trees at the alpine treeline was limited either by temperature or by moisture, the sensitivity to one factor often depending on the intensity of the other. The results showed that the relative importance of the two factors and the direction of the effects are highly species-specific, while both factors tend to have consistent effects on both germination and early seedling survival within each species. We show that temperature and water availability are both important contributors to establishment patterns of treeline trees and hence to species-specific forms and positions of alpine treelines. The observed idiosyncratic species responses highlight the need for studies including several species and life-stages to create predictive power concerning future treeline dynamics. PMID:27402618

Early establishment of trees at the alpine treeline: idiosyncratic species responses to temperature-moisture interactions.

PubMed

Loranger, Hannah; Zotz, Gerhard; Bader, Maaike Y

2016-01-01

On a global scale, temperature is the main determinant of arctic and alpine treeline position. However on a local scale, treeline form and position vary considerably due to other climatic factors, tree species ecology and life-stage-dependent responses. For treelines to advance poleward or uphill, the first steps are germination and seedling establishment. These earliest life stages may be major bottlenecks for treeline tree populations and will depend differently on climatic conditions than adult trees. We investigated the effect of soil temperature and moisture on germination and early seedling survival in a field experiment in the French Alps near the local treeline (2100 m a.s.l.) using passive temperature manipulations and two watering regimes. Five European treeline tree species were studied: Larix decidua, Picea abies, Pinus cembra, Pinus uncinata and Sorbus aucuparia In addition, we monitored the germination response of three of these species to low temperatures under controlled conditions in growth chambers. The early establishment of these trees at the alpine treeline was limited either by temperature or by moisture, the sensitivity to one factor often depending on the intensity of the other. The results showed that the relative importance of the two factors and the direction of the effects are highly species-specific, while both factors tend to have consistent effects on both germination and early seedling survival within each species. We show that temperature and water availability are both important contributors to establishment patterns of treeline trees and hence to species-specific forms and positions of alpine treelines. The observed idiosyncratic species responses highlight the need for studies including several species and life-stages to create predictive power concerning future treeline dynamics. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company.

Disturbance legacies and climate jointly drive tree growth and mortality in an intensively studied boreal forest

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bond-Lamberty, Benjamin; Rocha, Adrian; Calvin, Katherine V.

2014-01-01

How will regional growth and mortality change with even relatively small climate shifts, even independent of catastrophic disturbances? This question is particularly acute for the North American boreal forest, which is carbon-dense and subject The goals of this study were to combine dendrochronological sampling, inventory records, and machine-learning algorithms to understand how tree growth and death have changed at one highly studied site (Northern Old Black Spruce, NOBS) in the central Canadian boreal forest. Over the 1999-2012 inventory period, mean DBH increased even as stand density and basal area declined significantly from 41.3 to 37.5 m2 ha-1. Tree mortality averagedmore » 1.4±0.6% yr-1, with most mortality occurring in medium-sized trees. A combined tree ring chronology constructed from 2001, 2004, and 2012 sampling showed several periods of extreme growth depression, with increased mortality lagging depressed growth by ~5 years. Minimum and maximum air temperatures exerted a negative influence on tree growth, while precipitation and climate moisture index had a positive effect; both current- and previous-year data exerted significant effects. Models based on these variables explained 23-44% of the ring-width variability. There have been at least one, and probably two, significant recruitment episodes since stand initiation, and we infer that past climate extremes led to significant NOBS mortality still visible in the current forest structure. These results imply that a combination of successional and demographic processes, along with mortality driven by abiotic factors, continue to affect the stand, with significant implications for our understanding of previous work at NOBS and the sustainable management of regional forests.« less

Surface temperature dataset for North America obtained by application of optimal interpolation algorithm merging tree-ring chronologies and climate model output

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xin; Xing, Pei; Luo, Yong; Nie, Suping; Zhao, Zongci; Huang, Jianbin; Wang, Shaowu; Tian, Qinhua

2017-02-01

A new dataset of surface temperature over North America has been constructed by merging climate model results and empirical tree-ring data through the application of an optimal interpolation algorithm. Errors of both the Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) simulation and the tree-ring reconstruction were considered to optimize the combination of the two elements. Variance matching was used to reconstruct the surface temperature series. The model simulation provided the background field, and the error covariance matrix was estimated statistically using samples from the simulation results with a running 31-year window for each grid. Thus, the merging process could continue with a time-varying gain matrix. This merging method (MM) was tested using two types of experiment, and the results indicated that the standard deviation of errors was about 0.4 °C lower than the tree-ring reconstructions and about 0.5 °C lower than the model simulation. Because of internal variabilities and uncertainties in the external forcing data, the simulated decadal warm-cool periods were readjusted by the MM such that the decadal variability was more reliable (e.g., the 1940-1960s cooling). During the two centuries (1601-1800 AD) of the preindustrial period, the MM results revealed a compromised spatial pattern of the linear trend of surface temperature, which is in accordance with the phase transition of the Pacific decadal oscillation and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation. Compared with pure CCSM4 simulations, it was demonstrated that the MM brought a significant improvement to the decadal variability of the gridded temperature via the merging of temperature-sensitive tree-ring records.

Intra- and Inter-Annual Variability in Surface Hydrology in Northern Arizona from δ18O of Tree-Ring Cellulose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittaker, T. E.; Galewsky, J.; Scuderi, L. A.; Sharp, Z. D.

2010-12-01

The primary goal of our research is to better understand how the surface hydrology of semi-arid sites in the Southwestern U.S. is affected by the annual cycles of precipitation and evaporation. Both are tied to relative strength of the North American Monsoon, El Niño-Southern Oscillation and, on shorter timescales, the occasional passage of tropical cyclone remnants. To achieve this we aim to develop high-resolution stable oxygen isotope ratio (δ18O) profiles of tree-ring cellulose for much of the last 20 years that can be ground-truthed to direct meteorological observations. It is well documented that δ18O of alpha-cellulose extracted from wood reflects hydrological conditions of a trees’ environment at the time the tree grew. Primary controls on isotopic variability are changes in source waters and relative humidity during the growing season. We sampled rings from ≥ 10 Pinus ponderosa (Douglas) at six stands along an east-west transect across northern Arizona. Annual precipitation at these sites has a bimodal distribution with almost all annual rainfall occurring during the summer monsoon (Jul, Aug) and winter storms. At Flagstaff, in the center of our study area, monthly mean precipitation δ18O values are enriched ~6‰ during the monsoon relative to winter storms. P. ponderosa (Dougl.) rings display distinct early- and latewood bands. Earlywood typically forms using winter storm precipitation that has resided within the soil until the tree began growing and ought to reflect the isotopic composition of this water. Latewood δ18O reportedly reflect summer rainfall isotopic values. We investigate the eleven year period 1994-2004. This range encompasses the transition into the present ‘drought’, the intense 1997/98 El Niño, and the passage of the remnants of Hurricanes Nora (1997) and Javier (2004). Individual rings are sliced into subsamples of mass ~1.5 mg (yielding 3-13 samples/ring). Early isotopic data from these samples display three significant trends. First, isotopic variability in a given annual ring is closely matched at intra- and inter-tree scales in a single stand (inter-site comparisons unavailable at time of writing). Second, isotopic values demonstrate that trees growing within meters of each other do not begin/cease growing simultaneously, which has implications for low-resolution isotope cross-dating studies. Third, and most significantly, earlywood samples are consistently enriched in 18O relative to latewood samples by on average ~6‰. This result is unexpected based on the isotopic composition of local precipitation and suggests that rates of evaporative enrichment of 18O in soil and leaf moisture during the growing season vary and with significant effect. Further investigation of this phenomenon will incorporate IsoGSM model output of growing season precipitation and water vapor δ18O for the period of study.

Climate Control on Tree Growth at the Upper and Lower Treelines: A Case Study in the Qilian Mountains, Tibetan Plateau

PubMed Central

Yang, Bao; He, Minhui; Melvin, Thomas M.; Zhao, Yan; Briffa, Keith R.

2013-01-01

It is generally hypothesized that tree growth at the upper treeline is normally controlled by temperature while that at the lower treeline is precipitation limited. However, uniform patterns of inter-annual ring-width variations along altitudinal gradients are also observed in some situations. How changing elevation influences tree growth in the cold and arid Qilian Mountains, on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, is of considerable interest because of the sensitivity of the region’s local climate to different atmospheric circulation patterns. Here, a network of four Qilian juniper (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) ring-width chronologies was developed from trees distributed on a typical mountain slope at elevations ranging from 3000 to 3520 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The statistical characteristics of the four tree-ring chronologies show no significant correlation with increasing elevation. All the sampled tree growth was controlled by a common climatic signal (local precipitation) across the investigated altitudinal gradient (520 m). During the common reliable period, covering the past 450 years, the four chronologies have exhibited coherent growth patterns in both the high- and low-frequency domains. These results contradict the notion of contrasting climate growth controls at higher and lower elevations, and specifically the assumption that inter-annual tree-growth variability is controlled by temperature at the upper treeline. It should be stressed that these results relate to the relatively arid conditions at the sampling sites in the Qilian Mountains. PMID:23874871

Assessment of growth and stemwood quality of Scots pine on territory influenced by alkaline industrial dust.

PubMed

Mandre, Malle; Kask, Regino; Pikk, Jaak; Ots, Katri

2008-03-01

Long-term influence of alkaline dust (pH 12.3-12.7) pollution emitted over 40 years from a cement plant in Estonia was the reason of alkalisation (pH 6.7-7.9) and high concentrations of K, Ca and Mg in the soil of affected territories. Although dust emission has diminished during the last 10 years, the imbalances in nutrition substrate and their influence on the growth of trees are notable up to now. The study of morphological and physical properties of 70-80-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) crown, stems and stemwood from three different air pollution zones showed serious deviations in comparison with a relatively healthy forest in an unpolluted area. The specimens from polluted trees, if compared to reference site, showed significantly smaller height growth, radial increment and width of annual rings of sapwood. In heartwood wider annual rings were found in polluted areas. In the period of heartwood formation the dust pollution level emitted from the plant was relatively modest and cement dust, which contains elements necessary for mineral nutrition of trees, may have acted as fertiliser. The moisture content in sapwood and heartwood, especially in the upper layers of stems, was lower in the polluted area than in reference site trees. Regression analysis revealed a strong dependence between latewood percentage and sapwood or heartwood in stems of Scots pine in all sample plots.

A 2100-Year Reconstruction of July Rainfall Over Westcentral New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, D.; Cleaveland, M.; Therrell, M.; Grissino-Mayer, H.; Griffin, D.; Fye, F.

2007-05-01

We have developed a new 2,141-year long tree-ring chronology of latewood (LW) width from ancient Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosae) at El Malpais National Monument, New Mexico. This is one of the longest precipitation-sensitive tree-ring chronologies yet constructed for the American Southwest and has been used to develop the first continuous multi-millennial tree-ring reconstruction of July precipitation in the region of the North American Monsoon System (NAMS). Monthly average precipitation increases sharply in July over western New Mexico, marking the dramatic onset to the summer monsoon season. The LW chronology explains 44 percent of the interannual variability of July precipitation in the instrumental record for New Mexico climate divisions 1 and 4 (1960-2004), after removal of the linear dependence of LW width on earlywood width following Meko and Baisan (2001), and has passed statistical tests of verification on independent July precipitation data (1895-1959). The instrumental and tree-ring reconstructed July precipitation data are correlated with the concurrent 500 mb height field over western North America and with the sea surface temperature gradient from the central to eastern North Pacific. The reconstruction exhibits several severe sustained July droughts that exceed any witnessed during the instrumental era, and has significant spectral power at periods near 3-5, 20, and 70 years.

Stable carbon isotopic composition of tree rings from a pine tree from Augustów Wilderness, Poland, as a temperature and local environment conditions indicator.

PubMed

Pawelczyk, Slawomira; Pazdur, Anna; Halas, Stanislaw

2004-06-01

Tree rings can be used as archives of climatic and environmental data with annual resolution. Tree rings widths, maximum late wood density and other parameters as stable composition in tree rings can be used for the reconstruction of past climatic and environmental changes. Stable carbon isotope ratios in tree rings may provide valuable information on past climatic conditions. 13C/12C ratios of plant organic matter can reflect corresponding 13C/12C ratio of atmospheric CO2 during formation of the rings. Investigations of isotopic carbon composition in tree rings from in the ecologically clean the Augustów Wilderness region in the north-eastern part of Poland (22 degrees 58'E, 53 degrees 51'N) (nowadays a sanctuary) were undertaken. Series of delta13C in alpha-cellulose and in wholewood were acquired. Those measurements constituted a part of more complex investigations of carbon isotope composition in tree rings including the measurements of radiocarbon concentration and tree ring widths. This article presents preliminary results. It is argued that contrary to the tree ring widths and delta13C in wholewood that do not reveal significant correlation with temperature, the variation of delta13C in the latewood alpha-cellulose is correlated with combined July and August temperatures. Copyright 2004 Taylor and Francis Ltd.

Season-specific climate signal and reconstruction from a new tree-ring network in the southwestern U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffin, D.; Woodhouse, C. A.; Meko, D. M.; Stahle, D. W.; Faulstich, H.; Leavitt, S. W.; Touchan, R.; Castro, C. L.; Carrillo, C.

2011-12-01

Our research group has updated existing tree-ring collections from over 50 sampling sites in the southwestern U.S. The new and archived specimens, carefully dated with dendrochronology, have been analyzed for width variations of "earlywood" and "latewood." These are the two components of annual rings in conifers that form in spring and summer, respectively. The network of primary tree-ring data has been used to develop a suite of well-replicated chronologies that extend through the 2008 growing season and are sensitive to the season-specific climate variability of the Southwest. Correlation function analysis indicates that the earlywood chronologies are closely related to cool season (October-April) precipitation variability and the chronologies derived from latewood are generally sensitive to precipitation and temperature conditions during the warm season (June-August). These proxy data originate from biological organisms and are not without bias; however, they do constitute a new means for evaluating the recent paleoclimatic history of the North American summer monsoon. The monsoon is a major component of the region's climate, impacting social and environmental systems and delivering up to 60% of the annual precipitation in the southwestern U.S. We have developed latewood-based retrodictions of monsoon precipitation that explain over half of the variance in the instrumental record, pass standard verification tests, and point to periods of persistent drought and wetness during the last 300-500 years. These reconstructions are being used to evaluate the monsoon's long-term spatiotemporal variability and its relationship to cool season climate and the major modes of ocean-atmosphere variability.

Developing a Media Moisture Threshold for Nurseries to Reduce Tree Stress and Ambrosia Beetle Attacks.

PubMed

Frank, Steven D; Ranger, Christopher M

2016-08-01

Exotic ambrosia beetles are among the most damaging pests of trees grown in nurseries. The primary pests Xylosandrus crassiusculus Motschulsky and Xylosandrus germanus Blandford use ethanol to locate vulnerable trees. Research, primarily with X. germanus, has shown that flood-stressed trees emit ethanol and are preferentially attacked by ambrosia beetles. Our goal was to develop a media (also called potting soil) moisture threshold as an integrated pest management (IPM) tactic and assess grower practices that lead to ambrosia beetle attacks. Flooded Cornus florida L., Cornus kousa Burg., and Magnolia grandiflora L. trees incurred more attacks than unflooded trees that were not attacked. To determine optimal media moisture levels, we grew flood-tolerant Acer rubrum L. and flood-intolerant C. florida in containers with 10, 30, 50, 70, or 90% media moisture. No flooded or unflooded A. rubrum were attacked. However, C. florida grown in 70 or 90% moisture were attacked and died, whereas trees at 30 and 50% moisture were not attacked. Thus, we suggest an upper moisture threshold of 50% when growing C. florida and other flood-intolerant trees. However, during peak ambrosia beetle flight activity in spring 2013 and 2014, we found that media moisture levels in commercial nurseries were often between 50 and 90%. Implementing a media moisture threshold, as a new IPM tool, could reduce ambrosia beetle attacks and the need for insecticide applications, which is currently the only available management tactic. Future research should focus on how changes in substrates, irrigation, and other practices could help growers meet this threshold. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Dissecting the space-time structure of tree-ring datasets using the partial triadic analysis.

PubMed

Rossi, Jean-Pierre; Nardin, Maxime; Godefroid, Martin; Ruiz-Diaz, Manuela; Sergent, Anne-Sophie; Martinez-Meier, Alejandro; Pâques, Luc; Rozenberg, Philippe

2014-01-01

Tree-ring datasets are used in a variety of circumstances, including archeology, climatology, forest ecology, and wood technology. These data are based on microdensity profiles and consist of a set of tree-ring descriptors, such as ring width or early/latewood density, measured for a set of individual trees. Because successive rings correspond to successive years, the resulting dataset is a ring variables × trees × time datacube. Multivariate statistical analyses, such as principal component analysis, have been widely used for extracting worthwhile information from ring datasets, but they typically address two-way matrices, such as ring variables × trees or ring variables × time. Here, we explore the potential of the partial triadic analysis (PTA), a multivariate method dedicated to the analysis of three-way datasets, to apprehend the space-time structure of tree-ring datasets. We analyzed a set of 11 tree-ring descriptors measured in 149 georeferenced individuals of European larch (Larix decidua Miller) during the period of 1967-2007. The processing of densitometry profiles led to a set of ring descriptors for each tree and for each year from 1967-2007. The resulting three-way data table was subjected to two distinct analyses in order to explore i) the temporal evolution of spatial structures and ii) the spatial structure of temporal dynamics. We report the presence of a spatial structure common to the different years, highlighting the inter-individual variability of the ring descriptors at the stand scale. We found a temporal trajectory common to the trees that could be separated into a high and low frequency signal, corresponding to inter-annual variations possibly related to defoliation events and a long-term trend possibly related to climate change. We conclude that PTA is a powerful tool to unravel and hierarchize the different sources of variation within tree-ring datasets.

Climate change and the rising cost of living for forests in the southwestern United States and beyond

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, P.; Allen, C. D.; Macalady, A. K.; Griffin, D.; Woodhouse, C. A.; Meko, D. M.; Swetnam, T. W.; Rauscher, S.; Seager, R.; Grissino-Mayer, H.; Dean, J.; Cook, E.; Gangodagamage, C.; Cai, M.; McDowell, N. G.

2012-12-01

As climate changes, drought may reduce tree productivity and survival across many forest ecosystems; however, the relative influence of specific climate parameters on forest decline is poorly understood. We derive a forest drought-stress index (FDSI) for the southwestern United States using a comprehensive tree-ring dataset representing CE 1000-2007. FDSI is approximately equally influenced by warm-season atmospheric moisture demand (largely controlled by temperature) and cold-season precipitation, together explaining 82% of FDSI variability. Correspondence between FDSI and measures of forest productivity, mortality, bark-beetle outbreak, and wildfire validate FDSI as a holistic indicator of forest vigor throughout the region. In fact, the exceptionally large burned areas in 2002, 2011, and 2012 were all predictable based upon FDSI. If atmospheric moisture demand continues increasing as projected by climate models, average forest drought stress levels by the 2050s will exceed those of the worst megadroughts in at least 1000 years. Collectively, these results foreshadow 21st century changes in southwestern forest structures and compositions, with a transition of southwestern forests, and perhaps water-limited forests globally, toward distributions unfamiliar to modern civilization.

Regional and Large-Scale Climate Influences on Tree-Ring Reconstructed Null Zone Position in San Francisco Bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, D.; Griffin, D.; Cleaveland, M.; Fye, F.; Meko, D.; Cayan, D.; Dettinger, M.; Redmond, K.

2007-05-01

A new network of 36 moisture sensitive tree-ring chronologies has been developed in and near the drainage basins of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers. The network is based entirely on blue oak (Quercus douglasii), which is a California endemic found from the lower forest border up into the mixed conifer zone in the Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and Cascades. These blue oak tree-ring chronologies are highly correlated with winter-spring precipitation totals, Sacramento and San Joaquin streamflow, and with seasonal variations in salinity and null zone position in San Francisco Bay. Null zone is the non-tidal bottom water location where density-driven salinity and river-driven freshwater currents balance (zero flow). It is the area of highest turbidity, water residence time, sediment accumulation, and net primary productivity in the estuary. Null zone position is measured by the distance from the Golden Gate of the 2 per mil bottom water isohaline and is primarily controlled by discharge from the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers (and ultimately by winter-spring precipitation). The location of the null zone is an estuarine habitat indicator, a policy variable used for ecosystem management, and can have a major impact on biological resources in the San Francisco estuary. Precipitation-sensitive blue oak chronologies can be used to estimate null zone position based on the strong biogeophysical interaction among terrestrial, aquatic, and estuarine ecosystems, orchestrated by precipitation. The null zone reconstruction is 626-years long and provides a unique long term perspective on the interannual to decadal variability of this important estuarine habitat indicator. Consecutive two-year droughts (or longer) allow the null zone to shrink into the confined upper reaches of Suisun Bay, causing a dramatic reduction in phytoplankton production and favoring colonization of the estuary by marine biota. The reconstruction indicates an approximate 10 year recurrence interval between these consecutive two-year droughts and null zone maxima. Composite analyses of the Palmer drought index over North America indicate that the drought and wetness regimes associated with maxima and minima in reconstructed null zone position are largely restricted to the California sector. Composite analyses of the 20th century global sea surface temperature (SST) field indicate that wet years over central California with good oak growth, high flows, and a seaward position for the null zone (minima) are associated with warm El Nino conditions and a "Pineapple Express" SST pattern. The composite SST pattern is not as strong during dry years with poor growth, low flows, and a landward position of the null zone (maxima), but the composite warm SST anomaly in the eastern North Pacific during maxima would be consistent with a persistent ridge and drought over western North America.

Radial Growth and Physiological Response of Coniferous Trees to Arctic Amplification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tei, Shunsuke; Sugimoto, Atsuko; Liang, Maochang; Yonenobu, Hitoshi; Matsuura, Yojiro; Osawa, Akira; Sato, Hisashi; Fujinuma, Junichi; Maximov, Trofim

2017-11-01

We describe the physiological responses of boreal conifers to climate change for the past 112 years using ring-width and carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) chronologies at six forest sites in northern Eurasia and Canada. Responses differed among regions, depending on their climatic and/or geographic characteristics. Tree radial growth decreased over the past 52 years in central eastern Siberia with the higher rate of summer temperature increase than other regions, as indicated by the negative correlation between radial growth and summer temperature, but increased in northern Europe and Canada. Changes in tree-ring δ13C indicated that recent climatic conditions have induced stronger drought stress for trees from central eastern Siberia than for those from other regions. The observed tree growth trends were compared to those simulated using a dynamic global vegetation model. Although the modeled annual net primary production (NPP) for trees generally exhibited similar decadal variation to radial growth, simulations did not show a recent decrease in tree growth, even in central eastern Siberia. This was probably due to an overestimation of the sensitivity of modeled tree NPP to precipitation. Our results suggest that the tree NPP forecasted under the expected future increases in temperature and average precipitation might be overestimated, especially in severely dry regions such as central eastern Siberia.

Seasonality and Disturbance Events in the Carbon Isotope Record of Pinus elliottii Tree Rings from Big Pine Key, Florida

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rebenack, C.; Anderson, W. T.; Cherubini, P.

2012-12-01

The South Florida coastal ecosystem is among the world's subtropical coastlines which are threatened by the potential effects of climate change. A well-developed localized paleohistory is essential in the understanding of the role climate variability/change has on both hydrological dynamics and disturbance event frequency and intensity; this understanding can then aid in the development of better predictive models. High resolution paleoclimate proxies, such as those developed from tree-ring archives, may be useful tools for extrapolating actual climate trends over time from the overlapping long-term and short-term climate cycles, such as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). In South Florida, both the AMO and ENSO strongly influence seasonal precipitation, and a more complete grasp of how these cycles have affected the region in the past could be applied to future freshwater management practices. Dendrochronology records for the terrestrial subtropics, including South Florida, are sparse because seasonality for this region is precipitation-driven; this is in contrast to the drastic temperature changes experienced in the temperate latitudes. Subtropical seasonality may lead to the complete lack of visible rings or to the formation of ring structures that may or may not represent annual growth. Fortunately, it has recently been demonstrated that Pinus elliottii trees in South Florida produce distinct annual growth rings; however ring width was not found to significantly correlate with either the AMO or ENSO. Dendrochronology studies may be taken a step beyond the physical tree-ring proxies by using the carbon isotope ratios to infer information about physiological controls and environmental factors that affect the distribution of isotopes within the plant. It has been well established that the stable isotope composition of cellulose can be related to precipitation, drought, large-scale ocean/atmospheric oscillations, and disturbance events, such as tropical cyclone impacts. Because slash pine growth is dependent on water availability, a chronology developed using carbon isotopes may provide greater insight into plant stress over time and ultimately may lead to better correlations with climate oscillations. The work presented here is the result of a carbon-isotope study of four slash pine trees located across a freshwater gradient on Big Pine Key, Florida. A site chronology has been developed by cross-dating the δ13C records for each of the trees. The tree located on the distal edge of the freshwater gradient shows an overall enriched isotopic signature over time compared to the trees growing over a deeper part of the local freshwater lens, indicating that these trees are sensitive to water stress. In addition, the carbon isotope data show seasonal stomatal activity in the trees and indicate the timing of two disturbance events.

Forest response to 1,000 years of drought variability in the Southwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, A. P.; Meko, D. M.; Woodhouse, C. A.; Cook, E.; Swetnam, T. W.; Macalady, A. K.; Allen, C. D.; Rauscher, S. A.; Jiang, X.; Grissino-Mayer, H.; McDowell, N. G.; Cai, M.

2011-12-01

Droughts in the early 1950s and early 2000s significantly accelerated tree mortality rates in the Southwestern United States. During the early 2000s, forest inventory data indicate that the proportion of dead piñon pine, ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir trees doubled in the Southwest. The 2000s drought peaked in 2002 and was the most severe drought in at least 100 years. In 2011, precipitation, dew-point, and wind data indicate the intensity of the 2002 drought has been surpassed in a number of ways. Measurements of water potential in piñon pine trees in northern New Mexico indicate that, at present, trees have less access to soil moisture than in 2002 when widespread mortality occurred. How do these recent droughts compare to those of the last 1000 years? We used records of annual tree-ring widths from 309 populations of piñon pine, ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir throughout the Southwestern United States to reconstruct a single record of regional drought stress from 1000-2005 AD. This record indicates that the last Southwestern drought similar in intensity to one in the early 2000s occurred in the late 1600s. Both of these droughts, however, paled in comparison to a mega-drought that occurred from 1575-1595. The emergence from this mega-drought, around 1600 AD, appears to mark a transition period from a time when droughts similar the early 2000s drought were much more common. Tree-age studies indicate a scarcity of Southwestern trees with rings extending back beyond the mega-drought of the late 1500s. This suggests that (1) the late-1500s mega-drought triggered a massive die-off of forests and/or (2) the higher frequency of drought events prior to the mega-drought sustained a much more sparse forest population than the one that has thrived from the 1600s through present. Given this apparent plasticity of Southwestern forests, a change in the forest population should be underway if higher temperatures contribute to forest drought stress. The Southwestern tree-ring record indicates that this is the case. During the 20th century, tree-ring widths correlated very positively with total winter precipitation and very negatively with spring-summer maximum temperature. This indicates that Southwestern forest growth is significantly impacted by both the amount of water delivered before the growing season and temperature during the growing season. We conclude that in the absence of a significant increase in winter precipitation, continued warming should lead to a more sparsely populated Southwestern forest population, similar to the one that appears to have existed during 1000-1600 AD.

Moisture transport across Canada: evidence from stable oxygen and deuterium isotope values of lakes and rivers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oakley, J. R.; Patterson, W. P.

2008-12-01

Global warming models often contain a prediction of changes in precipitation, yet modern moisture cycling is poorly understood. Stable oxygen and deuterium isotope values of several thousand lake and river water samples collected from 2004 to 2008 throughout Canada and the Northern United States provide a means to evaluate variations in the movement of moisture across the northern North American continent. Our particular focus is on the moisture tracking in the province of Saskatchewan. The dominant moisture source for Saskatchewan is the Gulf of Mexico, though precipitation contains some water from the Pacific and Arctic Oceans as well. By sampling locations multiple times, we established time series of isotope variability that we can relate to meteorological variation. A series of cross-plots of oxygen to deuterium isotopes for each year exhibits an increase in slope from year to year that reflects an increase in humidity and/or precipitation throughout the Prairies from 2004 to 2008. We define the influence of temperature, precipitation and humidity on the change in slope for each suite of samples. Ultimately, by combining our evidence of moisture transport with a grid of long-term secular records from lakes, speleothems and tree-ring isotope variability, we can not only reconstruct changes in atmospheric circulation through time, but also better predict what will happen in the future under various global climate change scenarios.

Analysis of Desert Shrubs along First-Order Channels on the Desert Piedmonts: Possible Indicators of Ecosystem Health and Historic Variation - (SEED Project)

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-06

sapwood area is usually consistent (Pataki et al., 2000; Smith et al., 1995 missing). This relation suggests that larger trees may be susceptible to... area , since leaf- area to sapwood areas are usually consistent. Larger trees along higher order channels, therefore, may prove to be more sensitive to...measurements of bulk soil electrical conductivity to measure soil moisture and possible anthropogenic effects over large areas as long as

Disturbance legacies and climate jointly drive tree growth and mortality in an intensively studied boreal forest.

PubMed

Bond-Lamberty, Ben; Rocha, Adrian V; Calvin, Katherine; Holmes, Bruce; Wang, Chuankuan; Goulden, Michael L

2014-01-01

Most North American forests are at some stage of post-disturbance regrowth, subject to a changing climate, and exhibit growth and mortality patterns that may not be closely coupled to annual environmental conditions. Distinguishing the possibly interacting effects of these processes is necessary to put short-term studies in a longer term context, and particularly important for the carbon-dense, fire-prone boreal forest. The goals of this study were to combine dendrochronological sampling, inventory records, and machine-learning algorithms to understand how tree growth and death have changed at one highly studied site (Northern Old Black Spruce, NOBS) in the central Canadian boreal forest. Over the 1999-2012 inventory period, mean tree diameter increased even as stand density and basal area declined significantly. Tree mortality averaged 1.4 ± 0.6% yr-(1), with most mortality occurring in medium-sized trees; new recruitment was minimal. There have been at least two, and probably three, significant influxes of new trees since stand initiation, but none in recent decades. A combined tree ring chronology constructed from sampling in 2001, 2004, and 2012 showed several periods of extreme growth depression, with increased mortality lagging depressed growth by ~5 years. Higher minimum and maximum air temperatures exerted a negative influence on tree growth, while precipitation and climate moisture index had a positive effect; both current- and previous-year data exerted significant effects. Models based on these variables explained 23-44% of the ring-width variability. We suggest that past climate extremes led to significant mortality still visible in the current forest structure, with decadal dynamics superimposed on slower patterns of fire and succession. These results have significant implications for our understanding of previous work at NOBS, the carbon sequestration capability of old-growth stands in a disturbance-prone landscape, and the sustainable management of regional forests in a changing climate.

A new serial pooling method of shifted tree ring blocks to construct millennia long tree ring isotope chronologies with annual resolution.

PubMed

Boettger, Tatjana; Friedrich, Michael

2009-03-01

The study presents a new serial pooling method of shifted tree ring blocks for the building of isotope chronologies. This method combines the advantages of traditional 'serial' and 'intertree' pooling, and can be recommended for the construction of sub-regional long isotope chronologies with sufficient replication, and on annual resolution, especially for the case of extremely narrow tree rings. For Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L., Khibiny Low Mountains, NW Russia) and Silver firs (Abies alba Mill., Franconia, Southern Germany), serial pooling of five consecutive tree rings seems appropriate because the species- and site-specific particularities lead to blurs of climate linkages in their tree rings for the period up to ca. five years back. An equivalent to a five-year running means that curve gained on the base annual data sets of single trees can be derived from the analysis of yearly shifted five-year blocks of consecutive tree rings, and therefore, with approximately 20% of the expense. Good coherence of delta(13)C- and delta(18)O-values between calculated means of annual total rings or late wood data and means of five-year blocks of consecutive total tree rings analysed experimentally on most similar material confirms this assumption.

Drought sensitivity changes over the last century at the North American savanna-forest boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilman, K.; McLachlan, J. S.

2017-12-01

Future environmental changes can affect the sensitivity of tree growth to climate. Theses changes are of particular concern at biome boundaries where tree distribution could shift as a result of changes in both drought and drought sensitivity. One such region is the North American savanna-forest boundary, where increased CO2 and droughts could alter savanna and forest ecosystem distributions in two contrasting ways: 1). More severe droughts may increase drought sensitivity, favoring open savanna ecosystems or, 2). Increases in water use efficiency resulting from higher atmospheric CO2 may decrease drought sensitivity, promoting forest expansion. This study sought to understand whether the past 100 years of climate and CO2 changes have impacted regional tree growth-climate sensitivity. To test for these climate sensitivity changes, we measured the sensitivity of Quercus spp. radial growth to Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Tree growth sensitivity to climate can vary according to many factors, including: stand structure, available moisture, and tree age. To control for these factors, we sampled tree growth-climate responses at sites in both open and closed forests, and at both low and high annual precipitation. Within each site, we compared growth responses to climate between trees established under high CO2 conditions after 1950 (high CO2 young), and tree established before 1950 under low CO2 levels (low CO2 young). At most sites, low CO2 young have a higher drought sensitivity than higher CO2 young. These changes in the sensitivity to drought are consistent with CO2 enhancement of water use efficiency. Furthermore, these differences in drought sensitivity are higher at sites with high temperature and low precipitation, suggesting that the alleviation of drought is more likely in hot and dry regions. Thus, if CO2 enhancement is indeed occurring in these systems, lower growth sensitivity to drought in hot and dry regions could favor increased forest growth. If changes in drought sensitivity scale to ecosystem level, decreased drought sensitivity may have helped promote regional forest expansion.

Uncertainty in sap flow-based transpiration due to xylem properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Looker, N. T.; Hu, J.; Martin, J. T.; Jencso, K. G.

2014-12-01

Transpiration, the evaporative loss of water from plants through their stomata, is a key component of the terrestrial water balance, influencing streamflow as well as regional convective systems. From a plant physiological perspective, transpiration is both a means of avoiding destructive leaf temperatures through evaporative cooling and a consequence of water loss through stomatal uptake of carbon dioxide. Despite its hydrologic and ecological significance, transpiration remains a notoriously challenging process to measure in heterogeneous landscapes. Sap flow methods, which estimate transpiration by tracking the velocity of a heat pulse emitted into the tree sap stream, have proven effective for relating transpiration dynamics to climatic variables. To scale sap flow-based transpiration from the measured domain (often <5 cm of tree cross-sectional area) to the whole-tree level, researchers generally assume constancy of scale factors (e.g., wood thermal diffusivity (k), radial and azimuthal distributions of sap velocity, and conducting sapwood area (As)) through time, across space, and within species. For the widely used heat-ratio sap flow method (HRM), we assessed the sensitivity of transpiration estimates to uncertainty in k (a function of wood moisture content and density) and As. A sensitivity analysis informed by distributions of wood moisture content, wood density and As sampled across a gradient of water availability indicates that uncertainty in these variables can impart substantial error when scaling sap flow measurements to the whole tree. For species with variable wood properties, the application of the HRM assuming a spatially constant k or As may systematically over- or underestimate whole-tree transpiration rates, resulting in compounded error in ecosystem-scale estimates of transpiration.

Drought impact on water use efficiency and intra-annual density fluctuations in Erica arborea on Elba (Italy).

PubMed

Battipaglia, Giovanna; DE Micco, Veronica; Brand, Willi A; Saurer, Matthias; Aronne, Giovanna; Linke, Petra; Cherubini, Paolo

2014-02-01

Erica arborea (L) is a widespread Mediterranean species, able to cope with water stress and colonize semiarid environments. The eco-physiological plasticity of this species was evaluated by studying plants growing at two sites with different soil moistures on the island of Elba (Italy), through dendrochronological, wood-anatomical analyses and stable isotopes measurements. Intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) were abundant in tree rings, and were identified as the key parameter to understand site-specific plant responses to water stress. Our findings showed that the formation of IADFs is mainly related to the high temperature, precipitation patterns and probably to soil water availability, which differs at the selected study sites. The recorded increase in the (13) C-derived intrinsic water use efficiency at the IADFs level was linked to reduced water loss rather than to increasing C assimilation. The variation in vessel size and the different absolute values of δ(18) O among trees growing at the two study sites underlined possible differences in stomatal control of water loss and possible differences in sources of water uptake. This approach not only helped monitor seasonal environmental differences through tree-ring width, but also added valuable information on E. arborea responses to drought and their ecological implications for Mediterranean vegetation dynamics. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Beyond annual streamflow reconstructions for the Upper Colorado River Basin: a paleo-water-balance approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gangopadhyay, Subhrendu; McCabe, Gregory J.; Woodhouse, Connie A.

2015-01-01

In this paper, we present a methodology to use annual tree-ring chronologies and a monthly water balance model to generate annual reconstructions of water balance variables (e.g., potential evapotrans- piration (PET), actual evapotranspiration (AET), snow water equivalent (SWE), soil moisture storage (SMS), and runoff (R)). The method involves resampling monthly temperature and precipitation from the instrumental record directed by variability indicated by the paleoclimate record. The generated time series of monthly temperature and precipitation are subsequently used as inputs to a monthly water balance model. The methodology is applied to the Upper Colorado River Basin, and results indicate that the methodology reliably simulates water-year runoff, maximum snow water equivalent, and seasonal soil moisture storage for the instrumental period. As a final application, the methodology is used to produce time series of PET, AET, SWE, SMS, and R for the 1404–1905 period for the Upper Colorado River Basin.

Climate signals in a multispecies tree-ring network from central and southern Italy and reconstruction of the late summer temperatures since the early 1700s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leonelli, Giovanni; Coppola, Anna; Salvatore, Maria Cristina; Baroni, Carlo; Battipaglia, Giovanna; Gentilesca, Tiziana; Ripullone, Francesco; Borghetti, Marco; Conte, Emanuele; Tognetti, Roberto; Marchetti, Marco; Lombardi, Fabio; Brunetti, Michele; Maugeri, Maurizio; Pelfini, Manuela; Cherubini, Paolo; Provenzale, Antonello; Maggi, Valter

2017-11-01

A first assessment of the main climatic drivers that modulate the tree-ring width (RW) and maximum latewood density (MXD) along the Italian Peninsula and northeastern Sicily was performed using 27 forest sites, which include conifers (RW and MXD) and broadleaves (only RW). Tree-ring data were compared using the correlation analysis of the monthly and seasonal variables of temperature, precipitation and standardized precipitation index (SPI, used to characterize meteorological droughts) against each species-specific site chronology and against the highly sensitive to climate (HSTC) chronologies (based on selected indexed individual series). We find that climate signals in conifer MXD are stronger and more stable over time than those in conifer and broadleaf RW. In particular, conifer MXD variability is directly influenced by the late summer (August, September) temperature and is inversely influenced by the summer precipitation and droughts (SPI at a timescale of 3 months). The MXD sensitivity to August-September (AS) temperature and to summer drought is mainly driven by the latitudinal gradient of summer precipitation amounts, with sites in the northern Apennines showing stronger climate signals than sites in the south. Conifer RW is influenced by the temperature and drought of the previous summer, whereas broadleaf RW is more influenced by summer precipitation and drought of the current growing season. The reconstruction of the late summer temperatures for the Italian Peninsula for the past 300 years, based on the HSTC chronology of conifer MXD, shows a stable model performance that underlines periods of climatic cooling (and likely also wetter conditions) in 1699, 1740, 1814, 1914 and 1938, and follows well the variability of the instrumental record and of other tree-ring-based reconstructions in the region. Considering a 20-year low-pass-filtered series, the reconstructed temperature record consistently deviates < 1 °C from the instrumental record. This divergence may also be due to the precipitation patterns and drought stresses that influence the tree-ring MXD at our study sites. The reconstructed late summer temperature variability is also linked to summer drought conditions and it is valid for the west-east oriented region including Sardinia, Sicily, the Italian Peninsula and the western Balkan area along the Adriatic coast.

[Variation characteristics of soil moisture in apple orchards of Luochuan County, Shaanxi Province of Northwest China].

PubMed

Wang, Yan-Ping; Han, Ming-Yu; Zhang, Lin-Sen; Dang, Yong-Jian; Qu, Jun-Tao

2012-03-01

To have an overall understanding on the soil moisture characteristics in the apple orchards of Luochuan County can not only provide theoretical basis for selecting apple orchard sites, choosing the best root-stock combination, and improving the soil water management, but also has reference importance in increasing the productive efficiency of our apple orchards. In this study, a fixed-point continuous monitoring was conducted on the overall soil moisture environment and the variation characteristics of soil moisture in the County apple orchards differed in age class, stand type, and tree type (standard or dwarfed). For the apple orchards in the County, the rhizosphere (0-200 cm) soils of most apple trees were water-deficient, and the deficit in 0-60 cm soil layer was less than that in 60-200 cm layer. During growth season, the water storage in 0-60 cm soil layer had the same variation trend as the rainfall pattern. The relative soil moisture content in most orchards was less than 60% , and seasonal drought was quite severe. The coefficient of variation of soil moisture content decreased with soil depth. With the increasing age of the orchards, soil water storage decreased. At the same planting density, the orchards with dwarfed trees had more water storage in 0-5 m soil layer than the orchards with standard trees. However, when the orchards were planted with dwarfed trees at a higher density, the soil water storage in the orchards with dwarfed trees was lesser than that in the standard orchards. The mature orchards on highland had the highest soil moisture content, followed by the mature orchards on flat land, and on terraced land. Tree density had great effects on the soil moisture content. When the tree density was the same, planting dwarfed trees could decrease the water consumption, and increase the soil moisture content significantly. To decrease the planting density through the removal of trees would be an effective way to maintain the soil water balance of apple orchards, and achieve the sustainable development of the orchards.

Dendrochemical patterns of calcium, zinc, and potassium related to internal factors detected by energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF)

Treesearch

Kevin T. Smith; Jean Christophe Balouet; Walter C. Shortle; Michel Chalot; François Beaujard; Hakan Grudd; Don A. Vroblesky; Joel G. Burken

2014-01-01

Energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) provides highly sensitive and precise spatial resolution of cation content in individual annual growth rings in trees. The sensitivity and precision have prompted successful applications to forensic dendrochemistry and the timing of environmental releases of contaminants. These applications have highlighted the need to...

Tree-ring variation in western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt. ) exposed to sulfur dioxide emissions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fox, C.A.; Kincaid, W.B.; Nash, T.H. III

1984-12-01

Tree-ring analysis of western larch (Larix occidentialis Nutt) demonstrated both direct and indirect affects of sulfur dioxide emissions from the lead/zinc smelter at Trail, B.C. Tree cores were collected from 5 stands known to have been polluted and from 3 control stands. Age effects were removed by fitting theoretical growth curves, and macrocliate was modeled using the average of the controls and two laged values thereof. Separate analyses were performed for years before and after installation of two tall stacks, for drought and nondrought years, and for years prior to initiation of smelting. Regression analyses revealed a negative effect onmore » annual growth that diminished with increasing distance from the smelter and during drought years. Furthermore, chronology statistics suggested an increase in sensitivity to climate that persisted decades beyond implementation of pollution controls, which reduced emissions 10-fold. 38 references, 6 figures, 3 tables.« less

Relation of Nickel Concentrations in Tree Rings to Groundwater Contamination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yanosky, Thomas M.; Vroblesky, Don A.

1992-08-01

Increment cores were collected from trees growing at two sites where groundwater is contaminated by nickel. Proton-induced X ray emission spectroscopy was used to determine the nickel concentrations in selected individual rings and in parts of individual rings. Ring nickel concentrations were interpreted on the basis of recent concentrations of nickel in aquifers, historical information about site use activities, and model simulations of groundwater flow. Nickel concentrations in rings increased during years of site use but not in trees outside the contaminated aquifers. Consequently, it was concluded that trees may preserve in their rings an annual record of nickel contamination in groundwater. Tulip trees and oaks contained higher concentrations of nickel than did sassafras, sweet gum, or black cherry. No evidence was found that nickel accumulates consistently within parts of individual rings or that nickel is translocated across ring boundaries.

Relation of nickel concentrations in tree rings to groundwater contamination

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yanosky, Thomas M.; Vroblesky, Don A.

1992-01-01

Increment cores were collected from trees growing at two sites where groundwater is contaminated by nickel. Proton-induced X ray emission spectroscopy was used to determine the nickel concentrations in selected individual rings and in parts of individual rings. Ring nickel concentrations were interpreted on the basis of recent concentrations of nickel in aquifers, historical information about site use activities, and model simulations of groundwater flow. Nickel concentrations in rings increased during years of site use but not in trees outside the contaminated aquifers. Consequently, it was concluded that trees may preserve in their rings an annual record of nickel contamination in groundwater. Tulip trees and oaks contained higher concentrations of nickel than did sassafras, sweet gum, or black cherry. No evidence was found that nickel accumulates consistently within parts of individual rings or that nickel is translocated across ring boundaries.

Forward modeling of tree-ring data: a case study with a global network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Breitenmoser, P. D.; Frank, D.; Brönnimann, S.

2012-04-01

Information derived from tree-rings is one of the most powerful tools presently available for studying past climatic variability as well as identifying fundamental relationships between tree-growth and climate. Climate reconstructions are typically performed by extending linear relationships, established during the overlapping period of instrumental and climate proxy archives into the past. Such analyses, however, are limited by methodological assumptions, including stationarity and linearity of the climate-proxy relationship. We investigate climate and tree-ring data using the Vaganov-Shashkin-Lite (VS-Lite) forward model of tree-ring width formation to examine the relations among actual tree growth and climate (as inferred from the simulated chronologies) to reconstruct past climate variability. The VS-lite model has been shown to produce skill comparable to that achieved using classical dendrochronological statistical modeling techniques when applied on simulations of a network of North American tree-ring chronologies. Although the detailed mechanistic processes such as photosynthesis, storage, or cell processes are not modeled directly, the net effect of the dominating nonlinear climatic controls on tree-growth are implemented into the model by the principle of limiting factors and threshold growth response functions. The VS-lite model requires as inputs only latitude, monthly mean temperature and monthly accumulated precipitation. Hence, this simple, process-based model enables ring-width simulation at any location where monthly climate records exist. In this study, we analyse the growth response of simulated tree-rings to monthly climate conditions obtained from the 20th century reanalysis project back to 1871. These simulated tree-ring chronologies are compared to the climate-driven variability in worldwide observed tree-ring chronologies from the International Tree Ring Database. Results point toward the suitability of the relationship among actual tree growth and climate (as inferred from the simulated chronologies) for use in global palaeoclimate reconstructions.

Evidence of solar activity and El Niño signals in tree rings of Araucaria araucana and A. angustifolia in South America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perone, A.; Lombardi, F.; Marchetti, M.; Tognetti, R.; Lasserre, B.

2016-10-01

Tree rings reveal climatic variations through years, but also the effect of solar activity in influencing the climate on a large scale. In order to investigate the role of solar cycles on climatic variability and to analyse their influences on tree growth, we focused on tree-ring chronologies of Araucaria angustifolia and Araucaria araucana in four study areas: Irati and Curitiba in Brazil, Caviahue in Chile, and Tolhuaca in Argentina. We obtained an average tree-ring chronology of 218, 117, 439, and 849 years for these areas, respectively. Particularly, the older chronologies also included the period of the Maunder and Dalton minima. To identify periodicities and trends observable in tree growth, the time series were analysed using spectral, wavelet and cross-wavelet techniques. Analysis based on the Multitaper method of annual growth rates identified 2 cycles with periodicities of 11 (Schwebe cycle) and 5.5 years (second harmonic of Schwebe cycle). In the Chilean and Argentinian sites, significant agreement between the time series of tree rings and the 11-year solar cycle was found during the periods of maximum solar activity. Results also showed oscillation with periods of 2-7 years, probably induced by local environmental variations, and possibly also related to the El-Niño events. Moreover, the Morlet complex wavelet analysis was applied to study the most relevant variability factors affecting tree-ring time series. Finally, we applied the cross-wavelet spectral analysis to evaluate the time lags between tree-ring and sunspot-number time series, as well as for the interaction between tree rings, the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and temperature and precipitation. Trees sampled in Chile and Argentina showed more evident responses of fluctuations in tree-ring time series to the variations of short and long periodicities in comparison with the Brazilian ones. These results provided new evidence on the solar activity-climate pattern-tree ring connections over centuries.

Winter precipitation effect in a mid-latitude temperature-limited environment: the case of common juniper at high elevation in the Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pellizzari, Elena; Pividori, Mario; Carrer, Marco

2014-10-01

Common juniper (Juniperus communis L.) is by far the most widespread conifer in the world. However, tree-ring research dealing with this species is still scarce, mainly due to the difficulty in crossdating associated with the irregular stem shape with strip-bark growth form in older individuals and the high number of missing and wedging rings. Given that many different species of the same genus have been successfully used in tree-ring investigations and proved to be reliable climate proxies, this study aims to (i) test the possibility to successfully apply dendrochronological techniques on common juniper growing above the treeline and (ii) verify the climate sensitivity of the species with special regard to winter precipitation, a climatic factor that generally does not affect tree-ring growth in all Alpine high-elevation tree species. Almost 90 samples have been collected in three sites in the central and eastern Alps, all between 2100 and 2400 m in elevation. Despite cross-dating difficulties, we were able to build a reliable chronology for each site, each spanning over 200 years. Climate-growth relationships computed over the last century highlight that juniper growth is mainly controlled by the amount of winter precipitation. The high variability of the climate-growth associations among sites, corresponds well to the low spatial dependence of this meteorological factor. Fairly long chronologies and the presence of a significant precipitation signal open up the possibility to reconstruct past winter precipitation.

Evidence of floods on the Potomac River from anatomical abnormalities in the wood of flood-plain trees

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yanosky, Thomas M.

1983-01-01

Ash trees along the Potomac River flood plain near Washington, D.C., were studied to determine changes in wood anatomy related to flood damage, and anomalous growth was compared to flood records for April 15 to August 31, 1930-79. Collectively, anatomical evidence was detected for 33 of the 34 growing-season floods during the study period. Evidence of 12 floods prior to 1930 was also noted, including catastrophic ones in 1889 and 1924. Trees damaged after the transition from earlywood to latewood growth typically formed ' flood rings ' of enlarged vessels within the latewood zone. Trees damaged near the beginning of the growth year developed flood rings within, or contiguous with, the earlywood. Both patterns are assumed to have developed when flood-damaged trees produced a second crop of leaves. Trees damaged by high-magnitude floods developed well formed flood rings along the entire height and around the entire circumference of the stem. Small floods were generally associated wtih diffuse or discontinuous anomalies restricted to stem apices. Frequency of flood rings was positively related to flood magnitude, and time of flood generation during the tree-growth season was estimated from the radial position of anomalous growth relative to annual ring width. Reconstructing tree heights in a year of flood-ring formation gives a minimum stage estimate along local stream reaches. Some trees provided evidence of numerous floods. Those with the greatest number of flood rings grew on frequently flooded surfaces subject to flood-flow velocities of at least 1 m/s, and more typically greater than 2 m/s. Tree size, more than age, was related to flood-ring formation. Trees kept small by frequent flood damage had more flood rings than taller trees of comparable age. (USGS)

Oxygen and carbon stable isotopes in coast redwood tree rings respond to spring and summer climate signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnstone, James A.; Roden, John S.; Dawson, Todd E.

2013-12-01

variability in the oxygen and carbon isotope composition of tree ring cellulose was investigated in coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) from three sites in coastal Northern California. Middle and late wood samples from annual tree rings were compared to regional climate indices and gridded ocean-atmosphere fields for the years 1952-2003. The strongest climate-isotope relationship (r = 0.72) was found with summer (June-September) daily maximum temperature and middle wood δ13, which also responds positively to coastal sea surface temperature and negatively to summer low cloud frequency. Late wood δ18O reflects a balance between 18O-enriched summer fog drip and depleted summer rainwater, while a combined analysis of late wood δ18O and δ13C revealed sensitivity to the sign of summer precipitation anomalies. Empirical orthogonal function analysis of regional summer climate indices and coast redwood stable isotopes identified multivariate isotopic responses to summer fog and drought that correspond to atmospheric circulation anomalies over the NE Pacific and NW U.S. The presence of regional climate signals in coast redwood stable isotope composition, consistent with known mechanistic processes and prior studies, offers the potential for high-resolution paleoclimate reconstructions of the California current system from this long-lived tree species.

Recent summer precipitation trends in the Greater Horn of Africa and the emerging role of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, A. Park; Funk, Chris; Michaelsen, Joel; Rauscher, Sara A.; Robertson, Iain; Wils, Tommy H. G.; Koprowski, Marcin; Eshetu, Zewdu; Loader, Neil J.

2012-11-01

We utilize a variety of climate datasets to examine impacts of two mechanisms on precipitation in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA) during northern-hemisphere summer. First, surface-pressure gradients draw moist air toward the GHA from the tropical Atlantic Ocean and Congo Basin. Variability of the strength of these gradients strongly influences GHA precipitation totals and accounts for important phenomena such as the 1960s-1980s rainfall decline and devastating 1984 drought. Following the 1980s, precipitation variability became increasingly influenced by the southern tropical Indian Ocean (STIO) region. Within this region, increases in sea-surface temperature, evaporation, and precipitation are linked with increased exports of dry mid-tropospheric air from the STIO region toward the GHA. Convergence of dry air above the GHA reduces local convection and precipitation. It also produces a clockwise circulation response near the ground that reduces moisture transports from the Congo Basin. Because precipitation originating in the Congo Basin has a unique isotopic signature, records of moisture transports from the Congo Basin may be preserved in the isotopic composition of annual tree rings in the Ethiopian Highlands. A negative trend in tree-ring oxygen-18 during the past half century suggests a decline in the proportion of precipitation originating from the Congo Basin. This trend may not be part of a natural cycle that will soon rebound because climate models characterize Indian Ocean warming as a principal signature of greenhouse-gas induced climate change. We therefore expect surface warming in the STIO region to continue to negatively impact GHA precipitation during northern-hemisphere summer.

Soil moisture depletion patterns around scattered trees

Treesearch

Robert R. Ziemer

1968-01-01

Soil moisture was measured around an isolated mature sugar pine tree (Pinus lambertiana Dougl.) in the mixed conifer forest type of the north central Sierra Nevada, California, from November 1965 to October 1966. From a sequence of measurements, horizontal and vertical soil moisture profiles were developed. Estimated soil moisture depletion from the 61-foot radius plot...

Sampling strategy and climatic implication of tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotopes of Hippophae tibetana and Abies georgei on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chenxi; Zhu, Haifeng; Nakatsuka, Takeshi; Sano, Masaki; Li, Zhen; Shi, Feng; Liang, Eryuan; Guo, Zhengtang

2017-05-01

The tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotopes (δ18O) for four trees of Hippophae tibetana and four trees of Abies georgei growing in different locations around the terminal moraine in Xincuo from 1951 to 2010 were measured to explore its potential for reconstructing climatic variations in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The mean and standard deviation of tree-ring δ18O at different heights do not have significant differences, and there are no significant differences in the mean and standard deviation of tree-ring δ18O between trees near the brook and trees at the top of moraine, indicating that we can collect samples for tree-ring δ18O analysis regardless of sampling heights and that the micro-environment does not affect tree-ring δ18O significantly. The mean inter-series correlations of cellulose δ18O for A. georgei/H. tibetana are 0.84/0.93, and the correlation between δ18O for A. georgei and H. tibetana is 0.92. The good coherence between inter-tree and inter-species cellulose δ18O demonstrates the possibility of using different species to develop a long chronology. Correlation analysis between tree-ring δ18O and climate parameters revealed that δ18O for A. georgei/H. tibetana had negative correlations (r = -0.62/r = -0.69) with relative humidity in July-August, and spatial correlation revealed that δ18O for A. georgei/H. tibetana reflected the regional Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (29°-32° N, 88°-98° E). In addition, tree-ring δ18O in Xincuo has a significant correlation with tree-ring δ18O in Bhutan. The results indicate that cellulose δ18O for A. georgei and H. tibetana in Xincuo is a good proxy for the regional hydroclimate.

Estimation of oxygen isotope in source water of tree-ring cellulose in Indonesia using tree-ring oxygen isotope model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hisamochi, R.; Watanabe, Y.; Kurita, N.; Sano, M.; Nakatsuka, T.; Matsuo, M.; Yamamoto, H.; Sugiyama, J.; Tsuda, T.; Tagami, T.

2016-12-01

Oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) of tree-ring cellulose has been used as paleoclimate proxy because its origin is atmospheric precipitation. However, interpretation of tree-ring cellulose δ18O is not simple because source water of tree-ring cellulose (the water took up by tree) is not atmospheric precipitation but soil water or ground water in growing season, precisely. In this study, we investigate the relationship between source water of tree-ring cellulose and precipitation in order to improve interpretation of tree-ring cellulose δ18O as paleoclimate proxy. We collected ten teak (Tectona grandis) plantation samples in Java Island, Indonesia. Teak is deciduous tree and grows in rainy season. Samples were cut into annual rings after cellulose extraction. δ18O of individual rings were measured by TCEA-IRMS at the Research Institute of Humanity and Nature. We calculatedδ18O of source water by means of tree-ring oxygen isotope model and then comparedδ18O of source water and that of monthly atmospheric precipitation at Jakarta (GNIP; Global Network of isotopes in Precipitation). Source waterδ18O shows two types of significant correlation withδ18O in atmospheric precipitation. One is positive correlation withδ18O of atmospheric precipitation in previous rainy season. Another is negative correlation with δ18O of atmospheric precipitation in beginning of the growing season. The former indicates that soil water in growing season contains rainfall in previous rainy season and teak mainly takes it up. The latter is difficult to interpret. It may be related to soil moisutre in beginning of growing season.

The late Holocene kauri chronology: assessing the potential of a 4500-year record for palaeoclimate reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boswijk, G.; Fowler, A. M.; Palmer, J. G.; Fenwick, P.; Hogg, A.; Lorrey, A.; Wunder, J.

2014-04-01

Millennial and multi-millennial tree-ring chronologies can provide useful proxy records of past climate, giving insight into a more complete range of natural climate variability prior to the 20th century. Since the 1980s a multi-millennial tree-ring chronology has been developed from kauri (Agathis australis) from the upper North Island, New Zealand. Previous work has demonstrated the sensitivity of kauri to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Here we present recent additions and extensions to the late Holocene kauri chronology (LHKC), and assess the potential of a composite master chronology, AGAUc13, for palaeoclimate reconstruction. The updated composite kauri chronology now spans 4491 years (2488 BCE-2002 CE) and includes data from 18 modern sites, 25 archaeological sites, and 18 sub-fossil (swamp) kauri sites. Consideration of the composition and statistical quality of AGAUc13 suggests the LHKC has utility for palaeoclimate reconstruction but there are caveats. These include: (a) differences in character between the three assemblages including growth rate and sensitivity; (b) low sample depth and low statistical quality in the 10th-13th century CE, when the record transitions from modern and archaeological material to the swamp kauri; (c) a potential difference in amplitude of the signal in the swamp kauri; (d) a westerly bias in site distribution prior to 911 CE; (e) variable statistical quality across the entire record associated with variable replication; and (f) complex changes in sample depth and tree age and size which may influence centennial scale trends in the data. Further tree ring data are required to improve statistical quality, particularly in the first half of the second millennium CE.

Carbon and nitrogen isotope variations in tree-rings as records of perturbations in regional carbon and nitrogen cycles.

PubMed

Bukata, Andrew R; Kyser, T Kurtis

2007-02-15

Increasing anthropogenic pollution from urban centers and fossil fuel combustion can impact the carbon and nitrogen cycles in forests. To assess the impact of twentieth century anthropogenic pollution on forested system carbon and nitrogen cycles, variations in the carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of tree-rings were measured. Individual annual growth rings in trees from six sites across Ontario and one in New Brunswick, Canada were used to develop site chronologies of tree-ring delta 15N and delta 13C values. Tree-ring 615N values were approximately 0.5% per hundred higher and correlated with contemporaneous foliar samples from the same tree, but not with delta 15N values of soil samples. Temporal trends in carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions of these tree-rings are consistent with increasing anthropogenic influence on both the carbon and nitrogen cycles since 1945. Tree-ring delta 13C values and delta 15N values are correlated at both remote and urban-proximal sites, with delta 15N values decreasing since 1945 and converging on 1% per hundred at urban-proximal sites and decreasing but not converging on a single delta 15N value in remote sites. These results indicate that temporal trends in tree-ring nitrogen and carbon isotopic compositions record the regional extent of pollution.

Design and Test of a Soil Profile Moisture Sensor Based on Sensitive Soil Layers

PubMed Central

Liu, Cheng; Qian, Hongzhou; Cao, Weixing; Ni, Jun

2018-01-01

To meet the demand of intelligent irrigation for accurate moisture sensing in the soil vertical profile, a soil profile moisture sensor was designed based on the principle of high-frequency capacitance. The sensor consists of five groups of sensing probes, a data processor, and some accessory components. Low-resistivity copper rings were used as components of the sensing probes. Composable simulation of the sensor’s sensing probes was carried out using a high-frequency structure simulator. According to the effective radiation range of electric field intensity, width and spacing of copper ring were set to 30 mm and 40 mm, respectively. A parallel resonance circuit of voltage-controlled oscillator and high-frequency inductance-capacitance (LC) was designed for signal frequency division and conditioning. A data processor was used to process moisture-related frequency signals for soil profile moisture sensing. The sensor was able to detect real-time soil moisture at the depths of 20, 30, and 50 cm and conduct online inversion of moisture in the soil layer between 0–100 cm. According to the calibration results, the degree of fitting (R2) between the sensor’s measuring frequency and the volumetric moisture content of soil sample was 0.99 and the relative error of the sensor consistency test was 0–1.17%. Field tests in different loam soils showed that measured soil moisture from our sensor reproduced the observed soil moisture dynamic well, with an R2 of 0.96 and a root mean square error of 0.04. In a sensor accuracy test, the R2 between the measured value of the proposed sensor and that of the Diviner2000 portable soil moisture monitoring system was higher than 0.85, with a relative error smaller than 5%. The R2 between measured values and inversed soil moisture values for other soil layers were consistently higher than 0.8. According to calibration test and field test, this sensor, which features low cost, good operability, and high integration, is qualified for precise agricultural irrigation with stable performance and high accuracy. PMID:29883420

Design and Test of a Soil Profile Moisture Sensor Based on Sensitive Soil Layers.

PubMed

Gao, Zhenran; Zhu, Yan; Liu, Cheng; Qian, Hongzhou; Cao, Weixing; Ni, Jun

2018-05-21

To meet the demand of intelligent irrigation for accurate moisture sensing in the soil vertical profile, a soil profile moisture sensor was designed based on the principle of high-frequency capacitance. The sensor consists of five groups of sensing probes, a data processor, and some accessory components. Low-resistivity copper rings were used as components of the sensing probes. Composable simulation of the sensor’s sensing probes was carried out using a high-frequency structure simulator. According to the effective radiation range of electric field intensity, width and spacing of copper ring were set to 30 mm and 40 mm, respectively. A parallel resonance circuit of voltage-controlled oscillator and high-frequency inductance-capacitance (LC) was designed for signal frequency division and conditioning. A data processor was used to process moisture-related frequency signals for soil profile moisture sensing. The sensor was able to detect real-time soil moisture at the depths of 20, 30, and 50 cm and conduct online inversion of moisture in the soil layer between 0⁻100 cm. According to the calibration results, the degree of fitting ( R ²) between the sensor’s measuring frequency and the volumetric moisture content of soil sample was 0.99 and the relative error of the sensor consistency test was 0⁻1.17%. Field tests in different loam soils showed that measured soil moisture from our sensor reproduced the observed soil moisture dynamic well, with an R ² of 0.96 and a root mean square error of 0.04. In a sensor accuracy test, the R ² between the measured value of the proposed sensor and that of the Diviner2000 portable soil moisture monitoring system was higher than 0.85, with a relative error smaller than 5%. The R ² between measured values and inversed soil moisture values for other soil layers were consistently higher than 0.8. According to calibration test and field test, this sensor, which features low cost, good operability, and high integration, is qualified for precise agricultural irrigation with stable performance and high accuracy.

Stable carbon and oxygen isotope chronologies from Araucaria angustifolia trees as proxies for investigating the impacts of Andean volcanism on South-Eastern American climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churakova (Sidorova), Olga; Saurer, Matthias; Evangelista da Silva, Heitor; Prestes, Alan; Corona, Christophe; Guillet, Sèbastien; Siegwolf, Rolf; Stoffel, Markus

2017-04-01

Stratospheric volcanic eruptions may lead to global cooling effects due to decreasing incoming solar radiation and perturbation of atmospheric circulation masses. Tree rings as indirect climate proxies, are able to capture information about temperature and precipitation changes from seasonal to annual scale. During past decades, studies of the impact of volcanic eruptions on tree-rings as well as stable isotopes in tree rings were focused mostly on the Northern Hemisphere. However, little attention has been paid to the Southern Hemisphere, particular to South America. Therefore, our goal is to quantify the impacts of Andean volcanism on Eastern South American climate in terms of temperature and hydrological changes over the past half millennium. To reconstruct past hydroclimatic and temperature changes after the 12 largest volcanic eruptions of the past 500 years we analyzed carbon and oxygen stable isotopes from cellulose chronologies from Araucaria angustifolia, indigenous climate sensitive conifer species from General Carneiro, State of Paraná, Brazil. The species distribution in southern Brazil is limited between the latitudes of 18° and 30° south, where species occurrence is often associated with Atlantic forest remnants, in mono dominant or mixed forest matrices. To date, a database of 20 tree-ring width chronologies is currently available and spans the last 634 years. We analyzed that material for precipitation and temperature anomalies, and model allocation of atmospheric circulation patterns after major volcanic eruptions. This will improve our understanding of driving factors of Southern Hemispheric climate over the past centuries. Acknowledgements: This work was supported by Brazilian-Swiss Joint Research Programme (BSJRP).

Dendroagricultural Signal in Algeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Touchan, R.; Kherchouche, D.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; Oudjehih, B.; Touchane, H.; Slimani, S.; Meko, D. M.

2015-12-01

Dalila Kherchouche2, Kevin J. Anchukaitis3, Bachir Oudjehih2, Hayat Touchan4, Said Slimani5, and David M. Meko1Drought is one of the main natural factors in declining tree-ring growth and the production of agricultural crops in Algeria. Here we will address the variability of growing conditions for wheat in Algeria with climatic data and a tree-ring reconstruction of January-June precipitation from ten Pinus halepensis tree-ring chronologies. A regression-based reconstruction equation explains up to 74% of the variance of precipitation in the 1970-2011 calibration period and cross validates well. Classification of dry years by the 30% percentile of observed precipitation (131 mm) yields a maximum length of drought of five years (1877-1881) and increasing frequency of dry years in the late 20th and early 21stcenturies. A correlation-based sensitivity analysis shows a similar pattern of dependence of tree-growth and wheat production on monthly and seasonal precipitation, but contrasting patterns of dependence on temperature. The patterns are interpreted by reference to phenology, growth phases, and - for wheat agricultural practices. We apply these interpretations to understand possible impacts of climate variability on the agricultural productivity of past civilizations in the Mediterranean. 2Institute of Veterinary and Agronomy Sciences, The University Hadj-Lakhdar, Batna 05000, Algeria, d.kherchouche@yahoo.fr and oudjehihbachir@yahoo.fr3University of Arizona, ENR2 Building, 1064 E Lowell Street, PO Box 210137, Tucson, AZ 85721-0137, kanchukaitis@email.arizona.edu4Faculty of Agriculture, University of Aleppo, Aleppo-Syria, dr.htouchan@gmail.com5Faculty of Biological Sciences and Agronomy, The University Mouloud Mammeri, Tizi Ouzou 15000, Algeria, slimanisaid@yahoo.fr1Laboratory of Tree Ring Research, The University of Arizona, 1215 E. Lowell St. Bldg. 45B, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA, dmeko@ltrr.arizona.edu

Using simulations and data to evaluate mean sensitivity (ζ) as a useful statistic in dendrochronology

Treesearch

Andrew G. Bunn; Esther Jansma; Mikko Korpela; Robert D. Westfall; James Baldwin

2013-01-01

Mean sensitivity (ζ) continues to be used in dendrochronology despite a literature that shows it to be of questionable value in describing the properties of a time series. We simulate first-order autoregressive models with known parameters and show that ζ is a function of variance and autocorrelation of a time series. We then use 500 random tree-ring...

Strip-Bark Morphology and Radial Growth Trends in Ancient Pinus sibirica Trees From Central Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leland, Caroline; Cook, Edward R.; Andreu-Hayles, Laia; Pederson, Neil; Hessl, Amy; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Byambasuren, Oyunsanaa; Nachin, Baatarbileg; Davi, Nicole; D'Arrigo, Rosanne; Griffin, Kevin; Bishop, Daniel A.; Rao, Mukund Palat

2018-03-01

Some of the oldest and most important trees used for dendroclimatic reconstructions develop strip-bark morphology, in which only a portion of the stem contains living tissue. Yet the ecophysiological factors initiating strip bark and the potential effect of cambial dieback on annual ring widths and tree-ring estimates of past climate remain poorly understood. Using a combination of field observations and tree-ring data, we investigate the causes and timing of cambial dieback events in Pinus sibirica strip-bark trees from central Mongolia and compare the radial growth rates and trends of strip-bark and whole-bark trees over the past 515 years. Results indicate that strip bark is more common on the southern aspect of trees, and dieback events were most prevalent in the 19th century, a cold and dry period. Further, strip-bark and whole-bark trees have differing centennial trends, with strip-bark trees exhibiting notably large increases in ring widths at the beginning of the 20th century. We find a steeper positive trend in the strip-bark chronology relative to the whole-bark chronology when standardizing with age-dependent splines. We hypothesize that localized warming on the southern side of stems due to solar irradiance results in physiological damage and dieback and leads to increasing tree-ring increment along the living portion of strip-bark trees. Because the impact of cambial dieback on ring widths likely varies depending on species and site, we suggest conducting a comparison of strip-bark and whole-bark ring widths before statistically treating ring-width data for climate reconstructions.

A Millennial-length Reconstruction of the Western Pacific Pattern with Associated Paleoclimate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wright, W. E.; Guan, B. T.; Wei, K.

2010-12-01

The Western Pacific Pattern (WP) is a lesser known 500 hPa pressure pattern similar to the NAO or PNA. As defined, the poles of the WP index are centered on 60°N over the Kamchatka peninsula and the neighboring Pacific and on 32.5°N over the western north Pacific. However, the area of influence for the southern half of the dipole includes a wide swath from East Asia, across Taiwan, through the Philippine Sea, to the western north Pacific. Tree rings of Taiwanese Chamaecyparis obtusa var. formosana in this extended region show significant correlation with the WP, and with local temperature. The WP is also significantly correlated with atmospheric temperatures over Taiwan, especially at 850hPa and 700 hPa, pressure levels that bracket the tree site. Spectral analysis indicates that variations in the WP occur at relatively high frequency, with most power at less than 5 years. Simple linear regression against high frequency variants of the tree-ring chronology yielded the most significant correlation coefficients. Two reconstructions are presented. The first uses a tree-ring time series produced as the first intrinsic mode function (IMF) from an Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD), based on the Hilbert-Huang Transform. The significance of the regression using the EEMD-derived time series was much more significant than time series produced using traditional high pass filtering. The second also uses the first IMF of a tree-ring time series, but the dataset was first sorted and partitioned at a specified quantile prior to EEMD decomposition, with the mean of the partitioned data forming the input to the EEMD. The partitioning was done to filter out the less climatically sensitive tree rings, a common problem with shade tolerant trees. Time series statistics indicate that the first reconstruction is reliable to 1241 of the Common Era. Reliability of the second reconstruction is dependent on the development of statistics related to the quantile partitioning, and the consequent reduction in sample depth. However, the correlation coefficients from regressions over the instrumental period greatly exceed those from any other method of chronology generation, and so the technique holds promise. Additional atmospheric parameters having significant correlations against the WPO and tree ring time series with similar spatial patterns are also presented. These include vertical wind shear (850hPa-700hPa) over the northern Philippines and the Philippine Sea, surface Omega and 850hPa v-winds over the East China Sea, Japan and Taiwan. Possible links to changes in the subtropical jet stream will also be discussed.

Major Mesoamerican droughts of the past millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stahle, D. W.; Diaz, J. Villanueva; Burnette, D. J.; Paredes, J. Cerano; Heim, R. R., Jr.; Fye, F. K.; Acuna Soto, R.; Therrell, M. D.; Cleaveland, M. K.; Stahle, D. K.

2011-03-01

Ancient Montezuma baldcypress (Taxodium mucronatum) trees found in Barranca de Amealco, Queretaro, have been used to develop a 1,238-year tree-ring chronology that is correlated with precipitation, temperature, drought indices, and crop yields in central Mexico. This chronology has been used to reconstruct the spring-early summer soil moisture balance over the heartland of the Mesoamerican cultural province, and is the first exactly dated, annually resolved paleoclimatic record for Mesoamerica spanning the Late Classic, Post Classic, Colonial, and modern eras. The reconstruction indicates that the Terminal Classic drought extended into central Mexico, supporting other sedimentary and speleothem evidence for this early 10th century drought in Mesoamerica. The reconstruction also documents severe and sustained drought during the decline of the Toltec state (1149-1167) and during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec state (1514-1539), providing a new precisely dated climate framework for Mesoamerican cultural change.

Drought and Epidemic Typhus, Central Mexico, 1655–1918

PubMed Central

Acuna-Soto, Rudofo; Stahle, David W.

2014-01-01

Epidemic typhus is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii and transmitted by body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis). This disease occurs where conditions are crowded and unsanitary. This disease accompanied war, famine, and poverty for centuries. Historical and proxy climate data indicate that drought was a major factor in the development of typhus epidemics in Mexico during 1655–1918. Evidence was found for 22 large typhus epidemics in central Mexico, and tree-ring chronologies were used to reconstruct moisture levels over central Mexico for the past 500 years. Below-average tree growth, reconstructed drought, and low crop yields occurred during 19 of these 22 typhus epidemics. Historical documents describe how drought created large numbers of environmental refugees that fled the famine-stricken countryside for food relief in towns. These refugees often ended up in improvised shelters in which crowding encouraged conditions necessary for spread of typhus. PMID:24564928

Drought and epidemic typhus, central Mexico, 1655-1918.

PubMed

Burns, Jordan N; Acuna-Soto, Rudofo; Stahle, David W

2014-03-01

Epidemic typhus is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Rickettsia prowazekii and transmitted by body lice (Pediculus humanus corporis). This disease occurs where conditions are crowded and unsanitary. This disease accompanied war, famine, and poverty for centuries. Historical and proxy climate data indicate that drought was a major factor in the development of typhus epidemics in Mexico during 1655-1918. Evidence was found for 22 large typhus epidemics in central Mexico, and tree-ring chronologies were used to reconstruct moisture levels over central Mexico for the past 500 years. Below-average tree growth, reconstructed drought, and low crop yields occurred during 19 of these 22 typhus epidemics. Historical documents describe how drought created large numbers of environmental refugees that fled the famine-stricken countryside for food relief in towns. These refugees often ended up in improvised shelters in which crowding encouraged conditions necessary for spread of typhus.

Record of the Solar Activity and of Other Geophysical Phenomenons in Tree Ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigozo, Nivaor Rodolfo

1999-01-01

Tree ring studies are usually used to determine or verify climatic factors which prevail in a given place or region and may cause tree ring width variations. Few studies are dedicated to the geophysical phenomena which may underlie these tree ring width variations. In order to look for periodicities which may be associated to the solar activity and/or to other geophysical phenomena which may influence tree ring growth, a new interactive image analysis method to measure tree ring width was developed and is presented here. This method makes use of a computer and a high resolution flatbed scanner; a program was also developed in Interactive Data Language (IDL 5.0) to study ring digitized images and transform them into time series. The main advantage of this method is the tree ring image interactive analysis without needing complex and high cost instrumentation. Thirty-nine samples were collected: 12 from Concordia - S. C., 9 from Canela - R. S., 14 from Sao Francisco de Paula - R. S., one from Nova Petropolis - R. S., 2 from Sao Martinho da Serra - R. S. e one from Chile. Fit functions are applied to ring width time series to obtain the best long time range trend (growth rate of every tree) curves and are eliminated through a standardization process that gives the tree ring index time series from which is performed spectral analysis by maximum entropy method and iterative regression. The results obtained show periodicities close to 11 yr, 22 yr Hale solar cycles and 5.5 yr for all sampling locations 52 yr and Gleissberg cycles for Concordia - S. C. and Chile samples. El Nino events were also observed with periods around 4 e 7 yr.

Seasonal and Inter-annual Variation in Wood Production in Tropical Trees on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, is Related to Local Climate and Species Functional Traits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cushman, K.; Muller-Landau, H. C.; Kellner, J. R.; Wright, S. J.; Condit, R.; Detto, M.; Tribble, C. M.

2015-12-01

Tropical forest carbon budgets play a major role in global carbon dynamics, but the responses of tropical forests to current and future inter-annual climatic variation remains highly uncertain. Better predictions of future tropical forest carbon fluxes require an improved understanding of how different species of tropical trees respond to changes in climate at seasonal and inter-annual temporal scales. We installed dendrometer bands on a size-stratified sample of 2000 trees in old growth forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, a moist lowland forest that experiences an annual dry season of approximately four months. Tree diameters were measured at the beginning and end of the rainy season since 2008. Additionally, we recorded the canopy illumination level, canopy intactness, and liana coverage of all trees during each census. We used linear mixed-effects models to evaluate how tree growth was related to seasonal and interannual variation in local climate, tree condition, and species identity, and how species identity effects related to tree functional traits. Climatic variables considered included precipitation, solar radiation, soil moisture, and climatological water deficit, and were all calculated from high-quality on-site measurements. Functional traits considered included wood density, maximum adult stature, deciduousness, and drought tolerance. We found that annual wood production was positively related to water availability, with higher growth in wetter years. Species varied in their response to seasonal water availability, with some species showing more pronounced reduction of growth during the dry season when water availability is limited. Interspecific variation in seasonal and interannual growth patterns was related to life-history strategies and species functional traits. The finding of higher growth in wetter years is consistent with previous tree ring studies conducted on a small subset of species with reliable annual rings. Together with previous findings that seed production at this site is higher in sunnier (and drier) years, this suggests strong climate-related shifts in allocation. This study highlights the importance of considering forest species composition and potential allocational shifts when predicting carbon fluxes in response to local climate variation.

Growth-climate relationships across topographic gradients in the northern Great Lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dymond, S.F.; D'Amato, A.W.; Kolka, R.K.; Bolstad, P.V.; Sebestyen, S.D.; Bradford, John B.

2016-01-01

Climatic conditions exert important control over the growth, productivity, and distribution of forests, and characterizing these relationships is essential for understanding how forest ecosystems will respond to climate change. We used dendrochronological methods to develop climate–growth relationships for two dominant species, Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) and Pinus resinosa (red pine), in the upper Great Lakes region to understand how climate and water availability influence annual forest productivity. Trees were sampled along a topographic gradient at the Marcell Experimental Forest (Minnesota, USA) to assess growth response to variations in temperature and different water availability metrics (precipitation, potential evapotranspiration (PET), cumulative moisture index (CMI), and soil water storage). Climatic variables were able to explain 33–58% of the variation in annual growth (as measured by ring-width increment) for quaking aspen and 37–74% of the variation for red pine. Climate–growth relationships were influenced by topography for quaking aspen but not for red pine. Annual ring growth for quaking aspen decreased with June CMI on ridges, decreased with temperature in the November prior to the growing season on sideslopes, and decreased with June PET on toeslopes. Red pine growth increased with increasing July PET across all topographic positions. These results indicate the sensitivity of both quaking aspen and red pine to local climate and show several vulnerabilities of these species to shifts in water supply and temperature because of climate change.

The Tree-Ring Mercury Record of Gold Mining in the Klondike, Central Yukon Territory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clackett, S.; Porter, T. J.; Lehnherr, I.

2016-12-01

Mercury (Hg) is an atmospherically mixed pollutant of global concern with the potential to become toxic methyl-Hg (MeHg) is some environments. Accurate projections of future health impacts caused by Hg pollution will partly depend on changes in the atmospheric Hg pool, but knowledge of natural Hg variability is limited by a lack of long term monitoring data, which precludes a robust analysis of how it may evolve in the future. Natural archives such as lake sediments, ice cores and tree-rings have the potential to fill this knowledge gap. Tree-rings may be ideally suited for this purpose since they are annually resolved, they span multiple centuries in some areas, and cover large portions of the Earth's surface. Few studies have evaluated tree-ring Hg, and generally agree tree-rings are a passive archive for local Hg emissions. However, further studies are needed to validate this hypothesis. An ideal site to test this proxy is Bear Creek in the Klondike where the Hg amalgamation method was used during the period 1918-1966 to recover fine gold from placer ore. Gaseous Hg was lost to the local environment during operations, as is confirmed by high soil Hg concentrations at the site today. Local trees would have been exposed to the elevated Hg emissions. We measured tree-ring Hg at Bear Creek to determine if historical Hg trends are preserved. Our preliminary results from a single tree reveal that: (1) peak tree-ring Hg coincides with Bear Creek operations; (2) the lowest tree-ring Hg is observed during the pre-industrial control period (1870-1880); and (3) post-Bear Creek operations (1970-2010) coincides with intermediate tree-ring Hg levels, presumably due to higher Hg global backgrounds in recent decades. Additional trees are being analysed to determine if this result is robust, and will provide important insights on the reliability of this proxy for reconstructing long-term atmospheric Hg at local and potentially broader spatial scales.

Tree-ring based February-April precipitation reconstruction for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, southeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Jiangfeng; Lu, Huayu; Li, Jinbao; Shi, Shiyuan; Wu, Shuangye; Hou, Xinyuan; Li, Lingling

2015-08-01

February-April drought strongly affects agriculture and socio-economics in southeastern China, yet its long-term variability has not been assessed due to the shortness of instrumental records. In this study, we reported a 168-year tree-ring width chronology from a steep, low-elevation site with thin soil layers in the Xianxia Mountains, southeastern China. Contrary to the existing chronologies that are mostly temperature sensitive, this chronology contained a strong February-April precipitation signal, indicating great potential for tree-ring based precipitation reconstructions in southeastern China. The reconstruction explained 47.8% of the instrumental variance during 1951-2012. The full reconstruction indicated that there were 3 dry periods (1873-1896, 1924-1971, 1995-2012) and 2 wet periods (1856-1872, 1972-1994) during 1856-2013. The extreme drought in 2011 was not unprecedented for the past 168 years, and the recent severe droughts may be part of interdecadal variations in regional February-April precipitation. Our results also suggested that February-April precipitation in southeastern China was highly influenced by the tropical Pacific climate system, in particular El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

Late Holocene Drought Variability in Eastern North America: Evidence From the Peatland Archive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Booth, R. K.; Jackson, S. T.

2006-12-01

Tree-ring based drought chronologies from semi-arid regions of western North America have revealed substantial variability in water balance during the past 1000 years, including episodes of persistent drought more severe than any observed during historical times. Delimitation of regional and continental-scale footprints of these past drought events, including their spatial patterning in humid regions where moisture-sensitive paleoclimate records are scarce, is critical to understanding their dynamics and potential causes. Ombrotrophic peatlands are scattered throughout humid regions of North America at mid-latitudes and represent an underutilized source of multidecadal-scale information on past moisture variations. We are developing a spatial network of peatland-derived paleoclimate and paleoecological records in eastern North America, in an effort to 1) determine whether large, decadal to multidecadal droughts of the past several thousand years were spatially and temporally coherent, 2) assess whether the magnitude of past drought events was sufficient to force ecological change in terrestrial ecosystems, and 3) assess the underlying mechanisms and dynamics of widespread drought in North America. We have completed water-level reconstructions based on testate-amoeba assemblages from two ombrotrophic peatlands in mid-continental North America, Hole in the Bog (NC Minnesota) and Minden Bog (SE Michgian). We also have developed reconstructions from three Sphagnum-dominated kettle peatlands, South Rhody Peatland (NC Michigan), Hornet Peatland (NW Wisconsin), and Irwin Smith Peatland (NE Michigan). Although these kettle peatlands are not truly ombrotrophic, high-magnitude water-table fluctuations should still be attributable to climate variability, and we use these records to supplement our interpretation of regional climate history. Our results indicate that all high-magnitude fluctuations in water balance were spatially extensive, affecting bog-surface moisture conditions throughout the western Great Lakes region. These include a large drought event during the late 16th century and a series of widespread drought events between 1900-1600 BP and 1100- 700 BP. The highest magnitude droughts of the last 2000 years occurred during an interval roughly consistent with the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), with individual drought events centered on 1000 BP, 800 BP, and 700 BP. These droughts were associated with major ecological changes, including abrupt changes in vegetation and fire regime. Tree-ring records from the western United States also document a series of extensive and high-magnitude drought events during this time period, suggesting these droughts affected a large portion of mid-latitude North America. Similarly widespread drought during the last 100 years has been linked to sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the adjacent ocean basins, particularly an anomalously warm North Atlantic and mid-latitude Pacific, and an anomalously cold Tropical Pacific. We hypothesize that the widespread droughts apparent in our bog records were related to amplification of a similar spatial mode of moisture variability. Comparison with available proxy SST records provides some support for this hypothesis, although a more extensive network of terrestrial hydroclimate records, derived using consistent methods and proxies, needs to be used in conjunction with the developing network of proxy SST records to fully test this hypothesis.

The Tunguska event in 1908: evidence from tree-ring anatomy.

PubMed

Vaganov, Evgenii A; Hughes, Malcolm K; Silkin, Pavel P; Nesvetailo, Valery D

2004-01-01

We analyzed tree rings in wood samples collected from some of the few surviving trees found close to the epicenter (within 4-5 km) of the Tunguska event that occurred on the last day of June 1908. Tree-ring growth shows a depression starting in the year after the event and continuing during a 4-5-year period. The most remarkable traces of the event were found in the rings' anatomical structure: (1) formation of "light" rings and a reduction of maximum density in 1908; (2) non-thickened tracheids (the cells that make up most of the wood volume) in the transition and latewood zones (the middle and last-formed parts of the ring, respectively); and (3) deformed tracheids, which are located on the 1908 annual ring outer boundary. In the majority of samples, normal earlywood and latewood tracheids were formed in all annual rings after 1908. The observed anomalies in wood anatomy suggest two main impacts of the Tunguska event on surviving trees--(1) defoliation and (2) direct mechanical stress on active xylem tissue. The mechanical stress needed to fell trees is less than the stress needed to cause the deformation of differentiating tracheids observed in trees close to the epicenter. In order to resolve this apparent contradiction, work is suggested on possible topographic modification of the overpressure experienced by these trees, as is an experimental test of the effects of such stresses on precisely analogous growing trees.

Building the Forest Inventory and Analysis Tree-Ring Data set

Treesearch

Robert J. DeRose; John D. Shaw; James N. Long

2017-01-01

The Interior West Forest Inventory and Analysis (IW-FIA) program measures forestland conditions at great extent with relatively high spatial resolution, including the collection of tree-ring data. We describe the development of an unprecedented spatial tree-ring data set for the IW-FIA that enhances the baseline plot data by incorporating ring-width increment measured...

Uranium mobility across annual growth rings in three deciduous tree species

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McHugh, Kelly C.; Widom, Elisabeth; Spitz, Henry B.

Black walnut (Juglans nigra), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), and white ash (Fraxinus americana) trees were evaluated as potential archives of past uranium (U) contamination. Like other metals, U mobility in annual growth rings of trees is potentially dependent on the tree species. Uranium concentrations and isotopic compositions (masses 234, 235, 236, and 238) were analyzed by thermal ionization mass spectrometry to test the efficacy of using tree rings to retroactively monitor U pollution from the FFMPC, a U purification facility operating from 1951 to 1989. This study found non-natural U (depleted U and detectable 236U) in growth rings of allmore » three tree species that pre-dated the start of operations at FFMPC and compositional trends that did not correspond with known contamination events. Therefore, the annual growth rings of these tree species cannot be used to reliably monitor the chronology of U contamination.« less

Uranium mobility across annual growth rings in three deciduous tree species.

PubMed

McHugh, Kelly C; Widom, Elisabeth; Spitz, Henry B; Wiles, Gregory C; Glover, Sam E

2018-02-01

Black walnut (Juglans nigra), slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), and white ash (Fraxinus americana) trees were evaluated as potential archives of past uranium (U) contamination. Like other metals, U mobility in annual growth rings of trees is dependent on the tree species. Uranium concentrations and isotopic compositions (masses 234, 235, 236, and 238) were analyzed by thermal ionization mass spectrometry to test the efficacy of using tree rings to retroactively monitor U pollution from the FFMPC, a U purification facility operating from 1951 to 1989. This study found non-natural U (depleted U and detectable 236 U) in growth rings of all three tree species that pre-dated the start of operations at FFMPC and compositional trends that did not correspond with known contamination events. Therefore, the annual growth rings of these tree species cannot be used to reliably monitor the chronology of U contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detection of climate signal in dendrochronological data analysis: a comparison of tree-ring standardization methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helama, S.; Lindholm, M.; Timonen, M.; Eronen, M.

2004-12-01

Tree-ring standardization methods were compared. Traditional methods along with the recently introduced approaches of regional curve standardization (RCS) and power-transformation (PT) were included. The difficulty in removing non-climatic variation (noise) while simultaneously preserving the low-frequency variability in the tree-ring series was emphasized. The potential risk of obtaining inflated index values was analysed by comparing methods to extract tree-ring indices from the standardization curve. The material for the tree-ring series, previously used in several palaeoclimate predictions, came from living and dead wood of high-latitude Scots pine in northernmost Europe. This material provided a useful example of a long composite tree-ring chronology with the typical strengths and weaknesses of such data, particularly in the context of standardization. PT stabilized the heteroscedastic variation in the original tree-ring series more efficiently than any other standardization practice expected to preserve the low-frequency variability. RCS showed great potential in preserving variability in tree-ring series at centennial time scales; however, this method requires a homogeneous sample for reliable signal estimation. It is not recommended to derive indices by subtraction without first stabilizing the variance in the case of series of forest-limit tree-ring data. Index calculation by division did not seem to produce inflated chronology values for the past one and a half centuries of the chronology (where mean sample cambial age is high). On the other hand, potential bias of high RCS chronology values was observed during the period of anomalously low mean sample cambial age. An alternative technique for chronology construction was proposed based on series age decomposition, where indices in the young vigorously behaving part of each series are extracted from the curve by division and in the mature part by subtraction. Because of their specific nature, the dendrochronological data here should not be generalized to all tree-ring records. The examples presented should be used as guidelines for detecting potential sources of bias and as illustrations of the usefulness of tree-ring records as palaeoclimate indicators.

Hunter-gatherer adaptations and environmental change in the southern Great Basin: The evidence from Pahute and Rainier mesas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pippin, L.C.

This paper reviews the evidence for fluctuations in past environments in the southern Great Basin and examines how these changes may have affected the strategies followed by past hunter and gatherers in their utilization of the resources available on a highland in this region. The evidence used to reconstruct past environments for the region include botanical remains from packrat middens, pollen spectra from lake and spring deposits, faunal remains recovered from archaeological and geologic contexts, tree-ring indices from trees located in sensitive (tree-line) environments, and eolian, alluvial and fluvial sediments deposited in a variety of contexts. Interpretations of past huntermore » and gatherer adaptive strategies are based on a sample of 1,311 archaeological sites recorded during preconstruction surveys on Pahute and Rainier mesas in advance of the US Department of Energy`s nuclear weapons testing program. Projectile point chronologies and available tree-ring, radiocarbon, thermoluminescence and obsidian hydration dates were used to assign these archaeological sites to specific periods of use.« less

A stable isotope-based approach to tropical dendroclimatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Michael N.; Schrag, Daniel P.

2004-08-01

We describe a strategy for development of chronological control in tropical trees lacking demonstrably annual ring formation, using high resolution δ 18O measurements in tropical wood. The approach applies existing models of the oxygen isotopic composition of alpha-cellulose (Roden et al., 2000), a rapid method for cellulose extraction from raw wood (Brendel et al., 2000), and continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometry (Brenna et al., 1998) to develop proxy chronological, rainfall and growth rate estimates from tropical trees lacking visible annual ring structure. Consistent with model predictions, pilot datasets from the temperate US and Costa Rica having independent chronological control suggest that observed cyclic isotopic signatures of several permil (SMOW) represent the annual cycle of local rainfall and relative humidity. Additional data from a plantation tree of known age from ENSO-sensitive northwestern coastal Peru suggests that the 1997-8 ENSO warm phase event was recorded as an 8‰ anomaly in the δ 18O of α-cellulose. The results demonstrate reproducibility of the stable isotopic chronometer over decades, two different climatic zones, and three tropical tree genera, and point to future applications in paleoclimatology.

Thinning increases climatic resilience of red pine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Magruder, Matthew; Chhin, Sophan; Palik, Brian; Bradford, John B.

2013-01-01

Forest management techniques such as intermediate stand-tending practices (e.g., thinning) can promote climatic resiliency in forest stands by moderating tree competition. Residual trees gain increased access to environmental resources (i.e., soil moisture, light), which in turn has the potential to buffer trees from stressful climatic conditions. The influences of climate (temperature and precipitation) and forest management (thinning method and intensity) on the productivity of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) in Michigan were examined to assess whether repeated thinning treatments were able to increase climatic resiliency (i.e., maintaining productivity and reduced sensitivity to climatic stress). The cumulative productivity of each thinning treatment was determined, and it was found that thinning from below to a residual basal area of 14 m2·ha−1 produced the largest average tree size but also the second lowest overall biomass per acre. On the other hand, the uncut control and the thinning from above to a residual basal area of 28 m2·ha−1 produced the smallest average tree size but also the greatest overall biomass per acre. Dendrochronological methods were used to quantify sensitivity of annual radial growth to monthly and seasonal climatic factors for each thinning treatment type. Climatic sensitivity was influenced by thinning method (i.e., thinning from below decreased sensitivity to climatic stress more than thinning from above) and by thinning intensity (i.e., more intense thinning led to a lower climatic sensitivity). Overall, thinning from below to a residual basal area of 21 m2·ha−1 represented a potentially beneficial compromise to maximize tree size, biomass per acre, and reduced sensitivity to climatic stress, and, thus, the highest level of climatic resilience.

Tree growth and vegetation activity at the ecosystem-scale in the eastern Mediterranean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coulthard, Bethany L.; Touchan, Ramzi; Anchukaitis, Kevin J.; Meko, David M.; Sivrikaya, Fatih

2017-08-01

Linking annual tree growth with remotely-sensed terrestrial vegetation indices provides a basis for using tree rings as proxies for ecosystem primary productivity over large spatial and long temporal scales. In contrast with most previous tree ring/remote sensing studies that have focused on temperature-limited boreal and taiga environments, here we compare the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) with a network of Pinus brutia tree ring width chronologies collected along ecological gradients in semiarid Cyprus, where both radial tree growth and broader vegetation activity are controlled by drought. We find that the interaction between precipitation, elevation, and land-cover type generate a relationship between radial tree growth and NDVI. While tree ring chronologies at higher-elevation forested sites do not exhibit climate-driven linkages with NDVI, chronologies at lower-elevation dry sites are strongly correlated with NDVI during the winter precipitation season. At lower-elevation sites, land cover is dominated by grasslands and shrublands and tree ring widths operate as a proxy for ecosystem-scale vegetation activity. Tree rings can therefore be used to reconstruct productivity in water-limited grasslands and shrublands, where future drought stress is expected to alter the global carbon cycle, biodiversity, and ecosystem functioning in the 21st century.

Reconstructing 800 years of summer temperatures in Scotland from tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rydval, Miloš; Loader, Neil J.; Gunnarson, Björn E.; Druckenbrod, Daniel L.; Linderholm, Hans W.; Moreton, Steven G.; Wood, Cheryl V.; Wilson, Rob

2017-11-01

This study presents a summer temperature reconstruction using Scots pine tree-ring chronologies for Scotland allowing the placement of current regional temperature changes in a longer-term context. `Living-tree' chronologies were extended using `subfossil' samples extracted from nearshore lake sediments resulting in a composite chronology >800 years in length. The North Cairngorms (NCAIRN) reconstruction was developed from a set of composite blue intensity high-pass and ring-width low-pass filtered chronologies with a range of detrending and disturbance correction procedures. Calibration against July-August mean temperature explains 56.4% of the instrumental data variance over 1866-2009 and is well verified. Spatial correlations reveal strong coherence with temperatures over the British Isles, parts of western Europe, southern Scandinavia and northern parts of the Iberian Peninsula. NCAIRN suggests that the recent summer-time warming in Scotland is likely not unique when compared to multi-decadal warm periods observed in the 1300s, 1500s, and 1730s, although trends before the mid-sixteenth century should be interpreted with some caution due to greater uncertainty. Prominent cold periods were identified from the sixteenth century until the early 1800s—agreeing with the so-called Little Ice Age observed in other tree-ring reconstructions from Europe—with the 1690s identified as the coldest decade in the record. The reconstruction shows a significant cooling response 1 year following volcanic eruptions although this result is sensitive to the datasets used to identify such events. In fact, the extreme cold (and warm) years observed in NCAIRN appear more related to internal forcing of the summer North Atlantic Oscillation.

Tree-ring stable isotopes record the impact of a foliar fungal pathogen on CO(2) assimilation and growth in Douglas-fir.

PubMed

Saffell, Brandy J; Meinzer, Frederick C; Voelker, Steven L; Shaw, David C; Brooks, J Renée; Lachenbruch, Barbara; McKay, Jennifer

2014-07-01

Swiss needle cast (SNC) is a fungal disease of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) that has recently become prevalent in coastal areas of the Pacific Northwest. We used growth measurements and stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in tree-rings of Douglas-fir and a non-susceptible reference species (western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla) to evaluate their use as proxies for variation in past SNC infection, particularly in relation to potential explanatory climate factors. We sampled trees from an Oregon site where a fungicide trial took place from 1996 to 2000, which enabled the comparison of stable isotope values between trees with and without disease. Carbon stable isotope discrimination (Δ(13)C) of treated Douglas-fir tree-rings was greater than that of untreated Douglas-fir tree-rings during the fungicide treatment period. Both annual growth and tree-ring Δ(13)C increased with treatment such that treated Douglas-fir had values similar to co-occurring western hemlock during the treatment period. There was no difference in the tree-ring oxygen stable isotope ratio between treated and untreated Douglas-fir. Tree-ring Δ(13)C of diseased Douglas-fir was negatively correlated with relative humidity during the two previous summers, consistent with increased leaf colonization by SNC under high humidity conditions that leads to greater disease severity in following years. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Capturing spiral radial growth of conifers using the superellipse to model tree-ring geometric shape

PubMed Central

Shi, Pei-Jian; Huang, Jian-Guo; Hui, Cang; Grissino-Mayer, Henri D.; Tardif, Jacques C.; Zhai, Li-Hong; Wang, Fu-Sheng; Li, Bai-Lian

2015-01-01

Tree-rings are often assumed to approximate a circular shape when estimating forest productivity and carbon dynamics. However, tree rings are rarely, if ever, circular, thereby possibly resulting in under- or over-estimation in forest productivity and carbon sequestration. Given the crucial role played by tree ring data in assessing forest productivity and carbon storage within a context of global change, it is particularly important that mathematical models adequately render cross-sectional area increment derived from tree rings. We modeled the geometric shape of tree rings using the superellipse equation and checked its validation based on the theoretical simulation and six actual cross sections collected from three conifers. We found that the superellipse better describes the geometric shape of tree rings than the circle commonly used. We showed that a spiral growth trend exists on the radial section over time, which might be closely related to spiral grain along the longitudinal axis. The superellipse generally had higher accuracy than the circle in predicting the basal area increment, resulting in an improved estimate for the basal area. The superellipse may allow better assessing forest productivity and carbon storage in terrestrial forest ecosystems. PMID:26528316

Capturing spiral radial growth of conifers using the superellipse to model tree-ring geometric shape.

PubMed

Shi, Pei-Jian; Huang, Jian-Guo; Hui, Cang; Grissino-Mayer, Henri D; Tardif, Jacques C; Zhai, Li-Hong; Wang, Fu-Sheng; Li, Bai-Lian

2015-01-01

Tree-rings are often assumed to approximate a circular shape when estimating forest productivity and carbon dynamics. However, tree rings are rarely, if ever, circular, thereby possibly resulting in under- or over-estimation in forest productivity and carbon sequestration. Given the crucial role played by tree ring data in assessing forest productivity and carbon storage within a context of global change, it is particularly important that mathematical models adequately render cross-sectional area increment derived from tree rings. We modeled the geometric shape of tree rings using the superellipse equation and checked its validation based on the theoretical simulation and six actual cross sections collected from three conifers. We found that the superellipse better describes the geometric shape of tree rings than the circle commonly used. We showed that a spiral growth trend exists on the radial section over time, which might be closely related to spiral grain along the longitudinal axis. The superellipse generally had higher accuracy than the circle in predicting the basal area increment, resulting in an improved estimate for the basal area. The superellipse may allow better assessing forest productivity and carbon storage in terrestrial forest ecosystems.

Particular geoscientific perspectives on stable isotope analysis in the arboreal system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helle, Gerhard; Balting, Daniel; Pauly, Maren; Slotta, Franziska

2017-04-01

In geosciences stable isotopes of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen from the tree ring archive have been used for several decades to trace the course of past environmental and climatological fluctuations. In contrast to ice cores, the tree ring archive is of biological nature (like many other terrestrial archives), but provides the opportunity to establish site networks with very high resolution in space and time. Many of the basic physical mechanisms of isotope shifts are known, but biologically mediated processes may lead to isotope effects that are poorly understood. This implies that the many processes within the arboreal system leading to archived isotope ratios in wood material are governed by a multitude of environmental variables that are not only tied to the isotopic composition of atmospheric source values (precipitation, CO2), but also to seasonally changing metabolic flux rates and pool sizes of photosynthates within the trees. Consequently, the extraction of climate and environmental information is particularly challenging and reconstructions are still of rather qualitative nature. Over the last 10 years or so, monitoring studies have been implemented to investigate stable isotope, climate and environmental signal transfer within the arboreal system to develop transfer or response functions that can translate the relevant isotope values extracted from tree rings into climate or other environmental variables. To what extent have these efforts lead to a better understanding that helps improving the meaningfulness of tree ring isotope signals? For example, do monitoring studies help deciphering the causes for age-related trends in tree ring stable isotope sequences that are published in a growing number of papers. Are existing monitoring studies going into detail enough or is it already too much effort for the outcome? Based on what we know already particularly in mesic habitats, tree ring stable isotopes are much better climate proxies than other tree ring parameters. However, millennial or multi-millennial high quality reconstructions from tree ring isotopes are still rare. This is because of i) methodological constraints related to mass spectrometric analyses and ii) the nature of tree-ring chronologies that are put together by many trees of various individual ages. In view of this: What is the state-of-the-art in high throughput tree ring stable isotope analyses? Is it necessary to advance existing methodologies further to conserve the annual time resolution provided by the tree-ring archive? Other terrestrial archives, like lake sediments and speleothems rarely provide annually resolved stable isotope data. Furthermore, certain tree species from tropical or sub-tropical regions cannot be dated properly by dendrochronology and hence demand specific stable isotope measuring strategies, etc.. Although the points raised here do specifically apply for the tree ring archive, some of them are important for all proxy archives of organic origin.

Modeling the Differential Sensitivity of Loblolly Pine to Climatic Change Using Tree Rings

Treesearch

Edward R. Cook; Warren L. Nance; Paul J. Krusic; James Grissom

1998-01-01

The Southwide Pine Seed Source Study (SPSSS) was undertaken in 1951 to determine to what extent inherent geographic variation in four southern pine species (loblolly pine, Pinus taeda L.; slash pine, P. elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii; longleaf pine, P. palutris Mill.; and shortleaf pine,

Biogeochemical modelling vs. tree-ring data - comparison of forest ecosystem productivity estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zorana Ostrogović Sever, Maša; Barcza, Zoltán; Hidy, Dóra; Paladinić, Elvis; Kern, Anikó; Marjanović, Hrvoje

2017-04-01

Forest ecosystems are sensitive to environmental changes as well as human-induce disturbances, therefore process-based models with integrated management modules represent valuable tool for estimating and forecasting forest ecosystem productivity under changing conditions. Biogeochemical model Biome-BGC simulates carbon, nitrogen and water fluxes, and it is widely used for different terrestrial ecosystems. It was modified and parameterised by many researchers in the past to meet the specific local conditions. In this research, we used recently published improved version of the model Biome-BGCMuSo (BBGCMuSo), with multilayer soil module and integrated management module. The aim of our research is to validate modelling results of forest ecosystem productivity (NPP) from BBGCMuSo model with observed productivity estimated from an extensive dataset of tree-rings. The research was conducted in two distinct forest complexes of managed Pedunculate oak in SE Europe (Croatia), namely Pokupsko basin and Spačva basin. First, we parameterized BBGCMuSo model at a local level using eddy-covariance (EC) data from Jastrebarsko EC site. Parameterized model was used for the assessment of productivity on a larger scale. Results of NPP assessment with BBGCMuSo are compared with NPP estimated from tree ring data taken from trees on over 100 plots in both forest complexes. Keywords: Biome-BGCMuSo, forest productivity, model parameterization, NPP, Pedunculate oak

How Much Water Trees Access and How It Determines Forest Response to Drought

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berdanier, A. B.; Clark, J. S.

2015-12-01

Forests are transformed by drought as water availability drops below levels where trees of different sizes and species can maintain productivity and survive. Physiological studies have provided detailed understanding of how species differences affect drought vulnerability but they offer almost no insights about the amount of water different trees can access beyond general statements about rooting depth. While canopy architecture provides strong evidence for light availability aboveground, belowground moisture availability remains essentially unknown. For example, do larger trees always have greater access to soil moisture? In temperate mixed forests, the ability to access a large soil moisture pool could minimize damage during drought events and facilitate post-drought recovery, potentially at the expense of neighboring trees. We show that the pool of accessible soil moisture can be estimated for trees with data on whole-plant transpiration and that this data can be used to predict water availability for forest stands. We estimate soil water availability with a Bayesian state-space model based on a simple water balance, where cumulative depressions in water use below potential transpiration indicate soil resource depletion. We compare trees of different sizes and species, extend these findings to the entire stand, and connect them to our recent research showing that tree survival after drought depends on post-drought growth recovery and local moisture availability. These results can be used to predict competitive abilities for soil water, understand ecohydrological variation within stands, and identify trees that are at risk of damage from future drought events.

The last millennium of Aleutian low variability based on dendrochonolgy and water isotope proxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaglioti, B.; Mann, D. H.; Andreu-Hayles, L.; Wiles, G. C.; Streverler, G.; Williams, P.; Field, R. D.; D'Arrigo, R.

2017-12-01

How the wintertime Aleutian Low pressure system (AL) will respond to climate forcing is germane to the forest resources, glaciers, and fisheries in the North Pacific region. Recent work suggests the AL has strengthened over the last few centuries, and new, high-resolution paleo-records could help evaluate this trend. Namely, when it started, whether it has any historical precedents, and what it means for high-latitude climate feedbacks? Our study area is Southeast Alaska and the Southwest Yukon Territory, where the winters are warmer and wetter when the AL is stronger (deeper) and positioned further east. First, we use newly developed winter-sensitive tree-ring records to determine how AL variability has changed over the past 1000 years. During winters with a stronger AL, meridional flow brings: (i) heavy ice storms and snow loads to the coastal mountains that can injure sub-alpine trees; (ii) thaw events that can compromise growth in coastal forests; and (iii) changes in seasonality that can moderate the climate sensitivity of mid-elevation trees. Therefore, a time series of changing tree architecture in the mountains, tree ring widths in the lowlands, and running inter-series correlation in mid-slope chronologies collectively provide a landscape-level view of paleo-AL variability. Second, we compare and complement this dendro perspective with new proxy records based on stable oxygen isotope ratios measured in tree-ring and peat cellulose (d18O cell). To interpret how these proxies reflect the AL, we analyze the precipitation isotopes in Gustavus, Alaska over the past 16 months. We then use d18Ocell time series along a coastal to inland transect that records the degree of heavy-isotope rainout over the St. Elias Mountains, a factor that depends on the sources and pathways of the dominant storm tracks, which are influenced by the AL strength. We will present these new data in the context of existing AL reconstructions, and discuss the implications for the ongoing trends, and environmental corollaries of AL strength.

Arctic temperature and moisture trends during the past 2000 years - Progress from multiproxy-paleoclimate data compilations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaufman, Darrell; Routson, Cody; McKay, Nicholas; Beltrami, Hugo; Jaume-Santero, Fernando; Konecky, Bronwen; Saenger, Casey

2017-04-01

Instrumental climate data and climate-model projections show that Arctic-wide surface temperature and precipitation are positively correlated. Higher temperatures coincide with greater moisture by: (1) expanding the duration and source area for evaporation as sea ice retracts, (2) enhancing the poleward moisture transport, and (3) increasing the water-vapor content of the atmosphere. Higher temperature also influences evaporation rate, and therefore precipitation minus evaporation (P-E), the climate variable often sensed by paleo-hydroclimate proxies. Here, we test whether Arctic temperature and moisture also correlate on centennial timescales over the Common Era (CE). We use the new PAGES2k multiproxy-temperature dataset along with a first-pass compilation of moisture-sensitive proxy records to calculate century-scale composite timeseries, with a focus on longer records that extend back through the first millennium CE. We present a new Arctic borehole temperature reconstruction as a check on the magnitude of Little Ice Age cooling inferred from the proxy records, and we investigate the spatial pattern of centennial-scale variability. Similar to previous reconstructions, v2 of the PAGES2k proxy temperature dataset shows that, prior to the 20th century, mean annual Arctic-wide temperature decreased over the CE. The millennial-scale cooling trend is most prominent in proxy records from glacier ice, but is also registered in lake and marine sediment, and trees. In contrast, the composite of moisture-sensitive (primarily P-E) records does not exhibit a millennial-scale trend. Determining whether fluctuations in the mean state of Arctic temperature and moisture were in fact decoupled is hampered by the difficulty in detecting a significant trend within the relatively small number of spatially heterogeneous multi-proxy moisture-sensitive records. A decoupling of temperature and moisture would indicate that evaporation had a strong counterbalancing effect on precipitation and/or that shifting circulation patterns overwhelmed any multi-centennial-scale co-variability.

Intra-annual variability of anatomical structure and δ13C values within tree rings of spruce and pine in alpine, temperate and boreal Europe

PubMed Central

Vaganov, Eugene A.; Skomarkova, Marina V.; Knohl, Alexander; Brand, Willi A.; Roscher, Christiane

2009-01-01

Tree-ring width, wood density, anatomical structure and 13C/12C ratios expressed as δ13C-values of whole wood of Picea abies were investigated for trees growing in closed canopy forest stands. Samples were collected from the alpine Renon site in North Italy, the lowland Hainich site in Central Germany and the boreal Flakaliden site in North Sweden. In addition, Pinus cembra was studied at the alpine site and Pinus sylvestris at the boreal site. The density profiles of tree rings were measured using the DENDRO-2003 densitometer, δ13C was measured using high-resolution laser-ablation-combustion-gas chromatography-infra-red mass spectrometry and anatomical characteristics of tree rings (tracheid diameter, cell-wall thickness, cell-wall area and cell-lumen area) were measured using an image analyzer. Based on long-term statistics, climatic variables, such as temperature, precipitation, solar radiation and vapor pressure deficit, explained <20% of the variation in tree-ring width and wood density over consecutive years, while 29–58% of the variation in tree-ring width were explained by autocorrelation between tree rings. An intensive study of tree rings between 1999 and 2003 revealed that tree ring width and δ13C-values of whole wood were significantly correlated with length of the growing season, net radiation and vapor pressure deficit. The δ13C-values were not correlated with precipitation or temperature. A highly significant correlation was also found between δ13C of the early wood of one year and the late wood of the previous year, indicating a carry-over effect of the growing conditions of the previous season on current wood production. This latter effect may explain the high autocorrelation of long-term tree-ring statistics. The pattern, however, was complex, showing stepwise decreases as well as stepwise increases in the δ13C between late wood and early wood. The results are interpreted in the context of the biochemistry of wood formation and its linkage to storage products. It is clear that the relations between δ13C and tree-ring width and climate are multi-factorial in seasonal climates. PMID:19653008

Tree Ring Chronology Indexes and Reconstructions of Precipitation in Central Iowa, USA (1984) (NDP-002)

DOE Data Explorer

Blasing, T. J. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Duvick, D. N. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Building Technologies Research and Integration Center (BTRIC)

2012-01-01

Tree core samples (4 mm in diameter) were extracted from the trunks of white oak (Quercus alba) at three sites in central Iowa (Duvick Back Woods, Ledges State Park, and Pammel). At least 60 trees were sampled at each site, and at least two cores were taken from each tree. The growth rings of each core were dated by calendar year and measured; the measurements were then transformed into dimensionless ring-width indices and correlated with annual precipitation. Data were collected for the years 1680 through 1979. Each tree ring was characterized by the site, year, tree-ring-width index, number of core samples, decade year, and the annual reconstructed precipitation estimate. These data have more than 50% of their variance in common with the known annual statewide average precipitation for Iowa and serve as useful indicators of the precipitation and drought history of the region for the past 300 years. The data are in two files: tree-ring-chronology data (8 kB) and the annual reconstructed precipitation data for central Iowa (2 kB).

Pooled versus separate tree-ring δD measurements, and implications for reconstruction of the Arctic Oscillation in northwestern China.

PubMed

Liu, Xiaohong; An, Wenling; Treydte, Kerstin; Wang, Wenzhi; Xu, Guobao; Zeng, Xiaomin; Wu, Guoju; Wang, Bo; Zhang, Xuanwen

2015-04-01

Stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δD) in tree rings are an attractive but still rarely explored terrestrial archive of past climatic information. Because the preparation of the cellulose nitrate for δD measurements requires more wood and a longer preparation time than preparation techniques for other isotopes in cellulose (δ18O or δ13C), it is challenging to obtain high-resolution records, especially for slow-growing trees at high elevations and in boreal regions. Here, we tested whether annually pooled samples of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) trees from northwestern China provided results similar to those derived as the mean of individual measurements of the same trees and whether the resulting chronologies recorded useful climate information. Inter-tree variability of δD was higher than that of measured ring width for the same trees. We found higher and significant coherence between pooled and mean isotope chronologies than that among the individual series. It showed a logarithmic relationship between ring mass and δD; however, accounting for the influence of ring mass on δD values only slightly improved the strength of climatic signals in the pooled records. Tree-ring δD was significantly positively correlated with the mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures during the previous winter and with maximum temperature during the current August, and significantly negatively correlated with precipitation in the previous November to January and the current July. The winter climate signal seems to dominate tree-ring δD through the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, i.e. the Arctic Oscillation. These results will facilitate reconstruction of winter atmospheric circulation patterns over northwestern China based on a regional tree-ring δD networks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Cedrela odorata (Meliaceae) potential for dendrochronological studies in the Selva Central of Perú].

PubMed

Pereyra Espinoza, Manuel Jesús; Inga Guillen, Gaby Janet; Santos Morales, Mariano; Arisméndiz Rodríguez, Rodolfo

2014-06-01

Despite the progress made during the past 20 years, searching dendrochronological potential in tropical and subtropical tree species, tropical dendrochronology, is still in a development stage. The aim of this research was to determine the potential of C. odorata for dendrochronological studies in the Selva Central of Perú. The tree-ring anatomical characteristics were carefully examined and we were able to develop a 215 year (1795-2 009) tree-ring chronology and correlate it with precipitation records. The tree-ring chronology was developed based on 47 series of 27 trees. Tree rings are clearly delimited by large pore diameters in earlywood and small ones in latewood associated with marginal and paratracheal parenchyma. The tree-ring chronology was related to precipitation records from Satipo and significant correlations were found with the previous rainy season and late dry season of the current growth period. Moreover, we found close relationship between tree growth and total precipitations of the hydrological period (December to September) for the interval 1990-2009. These results demonstrate the influence of rainfall at different stages of C. odorata radial growth. The good discrimination of annual rings, strong relationship with precipitation, the wide range and longevity of trees (200 years) make C. odorata a very promising species for dendrochronological studies in tropical and subtropical forest of America.

Analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tree-rings of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) from two industrial sites in the Pearl River Delta, south China.

PubMed

Kuang, Yuan-wen; Zhou, Guo-yi; Wen, Da-zhi; Li, Jiong; Sun, Fang-fang

2011-09-01

Concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were examined and potential sources of PAHs were identified from the dated tree-rings of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana L.) near two industrial sites (Danshuikeng, DSK and Xiqiaoshan, XQS) in the Pearl River Delta of south China. Total concentrations of PAHs (∑PAHs) were revealed with similar patterns of temporal trends in the tree-rings at both sites, suggesting tree-rings recorded the historical variation in atmospheric PAHs. The differences of individual PAHs and of ∑PAHs detected in the tree-rings between the two sites reflected the historical differences of airborne PAHs. Regional changes in industrial activities might contribute to the site-specific and period-specific patterns of the tree-ring PAHs. The diagnostic PAH ratios of Ant/(Ant + PA), FL/(FL + Pyr), and BaA/(BaA + Chr)) revealed that PAHs in the tree-rings at both sites mainly stemmed from the combustion process (pyrogenic sources). Principal component analysis further confirmed that wood burning, coal combustion, diesel, and gasoline-powered vehicular emissions were the dominant contributors of PAHs sources at DSK, while diesel combustion, gasoline and natural gas combustion, and incomplete coal combustion were responsible for the main origins of PAHs at XQS. Tree-ring analysis of PAHs was indicative of PAHs from a mixture of sources of combustion, thus minimizing the bias of short-term active air sampling.

Cold adaptation recorded in tree rings highlights risks associated with climate change and assisted migration.

PubMed

Montwé, David; Isaac-Renton, Miriam; Hamann, Andreas; Spiecker, Heinrich

2018-04-23

With lengthening growing seasons but increased temperature variability under climate change, frost damage to plants may remain a risk and could be exacerbated by poleward planting of warm-adapted seed sources. Here, we study cold adaptation of tree populations in a wide-ranging coniferous species in western North America to inform limits to seed transfer. Using tree-ring signatures of cold damage from common garden trials designed to study genetic population differentiation, we find opposing geographic clines for spring frost and fall frost damage. Provenances from northern regions are sensitive to spring frosts, while the more productive provenances from central and southern regions are more susceptible to fall frosts. Transferring the southern, warm-adapted genotypes northward causes a significant loss of growth and a permanent rank change after a spring frost event. We conclude that cold adaptation should remain an important consideration when implementing seed transfers designed to mitigate harmful effects of climate change.

Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) based reconstruction of 130 years of water table fluctuations in a peatland and its relevance for moisture variability assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamkevičiūtė, Marija; Edvardsson, Johannes; Pukienė, Rūtilė; Taminskas, Julius; Stoffel, Markus; Corona, Christophe; Kibirkštis, Gintautas

2018-03-01

Continuous water-table (WT) measurements from peatlands are scarce and - if existing at all -very short. Consequently, proxy indicators are critically needed to simulate hydrological changes in peatlands over longer time periods. In this study, we demonstrate that tree-ring width (TRW) records of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing in the Čepkeliai peatland (southern Lithuania) can be used as a proxy to reconstruct hydrological variability in a raised bog environment. A two-step modelling procedure was applied to extend existing measurements and to develop a new and longer peatland WT time series. To this end, we used instrumental WT measurements extending back to 2002, meteorological records, a P-PET (difference between precipitation and potential evapotranspiration) series covering the period 1935-2014, so as to construct a tree-ring based time series of WT fluctuations at the site for the period 1870-2014. Strongest correlations were obtained between average annual WT measured at the bog margin and total P-PET over 7 years (r = 0.923, p < 0.00001), as well as between modelled WT and standardized TRW data with a two years lag (r = -0.602, p < 0.001) for those periods where WT fluctuated at the level of pine roots which is typically at <50 cm depth below the peat surface. Our results suggest that moisture is a limiting factor for tree growth at peatlands, but below a certain WT level (<50 cm under the soil surface), drought becomes a limiting factor instead. To validate the WT reconstruction from the Čepkeliai bog, results were compared to Nemunas river runoff since CE 1812 (r = 0.39, p < 0.00001, 1870-2014). We conclude that peatlands can act both as sinks and sources of greenhouse gases in case that hydrological conditions change, but that hydrological lags and complex feedbacks still hamper our understanding of several processes affecting the hydrology and carbon budget in peatlands. We therefore call for the development of further proxy records of water-table variability in peatlands to improve our understanding of peatland responses to climatic changes.

Oak tree-rings record spatial-temporal pollution trends from different sources in Terni (Central Italy).

PubMed

Perone, A; Cocozza, C; Cherubini, P; Bachmann, O; Guillong, M; Lasserre, B; Marchetti, M; Tognetti, R

2018-02-01

Monitoring atmospheric pollution in industrial areas near urban center is essential to infer past levels of contamination and to evaluate the impact for environmental health and safety. The main aim of this study was to understand if the chemical composition of tree-ring wood can be used for monitoring spatial-temporal variability of pollutants in Terni, Central Italy, one of the most polluted towns in Italy. Tree cores were taken from 32 downy oaks (Quercus pubescens) located at different distances from several pollutant sources, including a large steel factory. Trace element (Cr, Co, Cu, Pb, Hg, Mo, Ni, Tl, W, U, V, and Zn) index in tree-ring wood was determined using high-resolution laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS). We hypothesized that the presence of contaminants detected in tree-rings reflected industrial activities over time. The accumulation of contaminants in tree-rings was affected by anthropogenic activities in the period 1958-2009, though signals varied in intensity with the distance of trees from the industrial plant. A stronger limitation of tree growth was observed in the proximity of the industrial plant in comparison with other pollutant sources. Levels of Cr, Ni, Mo, V, U and W increased in tree-ring profiles of trees close to the steel factory, especially during the 80's and 90's, in correspondence to a peak of pollution in this period, as recorded by air quality monitoring stations. Uranium contents in our tree-rings were difficult to explain, while the higher contents of Cu, Hg, Pb, and Tl could be related to the contaminants released from an incinerator located close to the industrial plant. The accumulation of contaminants in tree-rings reflected the historical variation of environmental pollution in the considered urban context. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Growth, carbon-isotope discrimination, and drought-associated mortality across a Pinus ponderosa elevational transect

USGS Publications Warehouse

McDowell, N.G.; Allen, Craig D.; Marshall, L.

2010-01-01

Drought- and insect-associated tree mortality at low-elevation ecotones is a widespread phenomenon but the underlying mechanisms are uncertain. Enhanced growth sensitivity to climate is widely observed among trees that die, indicating that a predisposing physiological mechanism(s) underlies tree mortality. We tested three, linked hypotheses regarding mortality using a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) elevation transect that experienced low-elevation mortality following prolonged drought. The hypotheses were: (1) mortality was associated with greater growth sensitivity to climate, (2) mortality was associated with greater sensitivity of gas exchange to climate, and (3) growth and gas exchange were correlated. Support for all three hypotheses would indicate that mortality results at least in part from gas exchange constraints. We assessed growth using basal area increment normalized by tree basal area [basal area increment (BAI)/basal area (BA)] to account for differences in tree size. Whole-crown gas exchange was indexed via estimates of the CO2 partial pressure difference between leaf and atmosphere (pa−pc) derived from tree ring carbon isotope ratios (δ13C), corrected for temporal trends in atmospheric CO2 and δ13C and elevation trends in pressure. Trees that survived the drought exhibited strong correlations among and between BAI, BAI/BA, pa−pc, and climate. In contrast, trees that died exhibited greater growth sensitivity to climate than trees that survived, no sensitivity of pa−pc to climate, and a steep relationship between pa−pc and BAI/BA. The pa−pc results are consistent with predictions from a theoretical hydraulic model, suggesting trees that died had a limited buffer between mean water availability during their lifespan and water availability during drought – i.e., chronic water stress. It appears that chronic water stress predisposed low-elevation trees to mortality during drought via constrained gas exchange. Continued intensification of drought in mid-latitude regions may drive increased mortality and ecotone shifts in temperate forests and woodlands.

Biophysical control of whole tree transpiration under an urban environment in Northern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Lixin; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Li, Zhandong; Tang, Jianwu; Caldwell, Peter; Zhang, Wenjuan

2011-05-01

SummaryUrban reforestation in China has led to increasing debate about the impact of urban trees and forests on water resources. Although transpiration is the largest water flux leaving terrestrial ecosystems, little is known regarding whole tree transpiration in urban environments. In this study, we quantified urban tree transpiration at various temporal scales and examined the biophysical control of the transpiration pattern under different water conditions to understand how trees survive in an urban environment. Concurrent with microclimate and soil moisture measurements, transpiration from C edrus deodara(Roxb)Loud ., Zelkova schneideriana Hend.-Mazz., Euonymus bungeanus Maxim., and Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et cheng was measured over a 2-year period using thermal dissipation probe (TDP) techniques. The average monthly transpiration rates reached 12.78 ± 0.73 (S.E.) mm, 1.79 ± 0.16 mm, 10.18 ± 0.55 mm and 19.28 ± 2.24 mm for C. deodara, Z.schneideriana, E. bungeanus and M. glyptostroboides, respectively. Transpiration rates from M. glyptostroboides reported here may need further study as this species showed much higher sap flows and greater transpiration fluctuation under different environmental conditions than other species. Because of deep soil moisture supply, summer dry spells did not reduce transpiration rates even when tree transpiration exceeded rainfall. While vapor pressure deficit ( VPD) was the dominant environmental factor on transpiration, trees controlled canopy conductance effectively to limit transpiration in times of water stress. Our results provide evidence that urban trees could adopt strong physiological control over transpiration under high evaporative demands to avoid dehydration and can make use of water in deeper soil layers to survive summer dry spells. Moreover, urban trees have the ability to make the best use of precipitation when it is limited, and are sensitive to soil and air dryness.

Variation in herbaceous vegetation and soil moisture under treated and untreated oneseed juniper trees

Treesearch

Hector Ramirez; Alexander Fernald; Andres Cibils; Michelle Morris; Shad Cox; Michael Rubio

2008-01-01

Clearing oneseed juniper (Juniperus monosperma) may make more water available for aquifer recharge or herbaceous vegetation growth, but the effects of tree treatment on soil moisture dynamics are not fully understood. This study investigated juniper treatment effects on understory herbaceous vegetation concurrently with soil moisture dynamics using vegetation sampling...

Tree-ring δ13C and δ18O, leaf δ13C and wood and leaf N status demonstrate tree growth strategies and predict susceptibility to disturbance

PubMed Central

Billings, S.A.; Boone, A.S.; Stephen, F.M.

2016-01-01

Understanding how tree growth strategies may influence tree susceptibility to disturbance is an important goal, especially given projected increases in diverse ecological disturbances this century. We use growth responses of tree rings to climate, relationships between tree-ring stable isotopic signatures of carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O), wood nitrogen concentration [N], and contemporary leaf [N] and δ13C values to assess potential historic drivers of tree photosynthesis in dying and apparently healthy co-occurring northern red oak (Quercus rubra L. (Fagaceae)) during a region-wide oak decline event in Arkansas, USA. Bole growth of both healthy and dying trees responded negatively to drought severity (Palmer Drought Severity Index) and temperature; healthy trees exhibited a positive, but small, response to growing season precipitation. Contrary to expectations, tree-ring δ13C did not increase with drought severity. A significantly positive relationship between tree-ring δ13C and δ18O was evident in dying trees (P < 0.05) but not in healthy trees. Healthy trees’ wood exhibited lower [N] than that of dying trees throughout most of their lives (P < 0.05), and we observed a significant, positive relationship (P < 0.05) in healthy trees between contemporary leaf δ13C and leaf N (by mass), but not in dying trees. Our work provides evidence that for plants in which strong relationships between δ13C and δ18O are not evident, δ13C may be governed by plant N status. The data further imply that historic photosynthesis in healthy trees was linked to N status and, perhaps, C sink strength to a greater extent than in dying trees, in which tree-ring stable isotopes suggest that historic photosynthesis was governed primarily by stomatal regulation. This, in turn, suggests that assessing the relative dominance of photosynthetic capacity vs stomatal regulation as drivers of trees’ C accrual may be a feasible means of predicting tree responses to some disturbance events. Our work demonstrates that a dual isotope, tree-ring approach can be integrated with tree N status to begin to unravel a fundamental question in forest ecology: why do some trees die during a disturbance, while other conspecifics with apparently similar access to resources remain healthy? PMID:26960389

Growth responses of Scots pine to climatic factors on reclaimed oil shale mined land.

PubMed

Metslaid, Sandra; Stanturf, John A; Hordo, Maris; Korjus, Henn; Laarmann, Diana; Kiviste, Andres

2016-07-01

Afforestation on reclaimed mining areas has high ecological and economic importance. However, ecosystems established on post-mining substrate can become vulnerable due to climate variability. We used tree-ring data and dendrochronological techniques to study the relationship between climate variables and annual growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) growing on reclaimed open cast oil shale mining areas in Northeast Estonia. Chronologies for trees of different age classes (50, 40, 30) were developed. Pearson's correlation analysis between radial growth indices and monthly climate variables revealed that precipitation in June-July and higher mean temperatures in spring season enhanced radial growth of pine plantations, while higher than average temperatures in summer months inhibited wood production. Sensitivity of radial increment to climatic factors on post-mining soils was not homogenous among the studied populations. Older trees growing on more developed soils were more sensitive to precipitation deficit in summer, while growth indices of two other stand groups (young and middle-aged) were highly correlated to temperature. High mean temperatures in August were negatively related to annual wood production in all trees, while trees in the youngest stands benefited from warmer temperatures in January. As a response to thinning, mean annual basal area increment increased up to 50 %. By managing tree competition in the closed-canopy stands, through the thinning activities, tree sensitivity and response to climate could be manipulated.

Statistical methodologies for tree-ring research to understand the climate-growth relationships over time and space

EPA Science Inventory

The International Tree-Ring Database is a valuable resource for studying climate change and its effects on terrestrial ecosystems over time and space. We examine the statistical methods in current use in dendroclimatology and dendroecology to process the tree-ring data and make ...

Acid deposition and water use efficiency in Appalachian forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malcomb, J.

2017-12-01

Multiple studies have reported increases in forest water use efficiency in recent decades, but the drivers of these trends remain uncertain. While acid deposition has profoundly altered the biogeochemistry of Appalachian forests in the past century, its impacts on forest water use efficiency have been largely overlooked. Plant ecophysiology literature suggests that plants up-regulate transpiration in response to soil nutrient limitation in order to maintain sufficient mass flow of nutrients. To test the impacts of acid deposition on forest eco-hydrology in central Appalachia, we integrated dendrochronological techniques, including tree ring δ13C analysis, with catchment water balance data from the Fernow Experimental Forest in West Virginia. Tree cores from four species were collected in Fernow Watershed 3, which has received experimental ammonium sulfate additions since 1989, and Watershed 7, an adjacent control catchment. Initial results suggest that acidification treatments have not significantly influenced tree productivity compared to a control watershed, but the effect varies by species, with tulip poplar showing greatest sensitivity to acidification. Climatic water balance, defined as the difference between growing season precipitation and evapotranspiration, is significantly related to annual tree ring growth, suggesting that climate may be driving tree growth trends in chronically acidified Appalachian forests. Tree ring 13C analysis from Fernow cores is underway and these data will be integrated with catchment hydrology data from five other sites in central Appalachia and the U.S. Northeast, representing a range of forest types, soil base saturations, and acid deposition histories. This work will advance understanding of how climate and acid deposition interact to influence forest productivity and water use efficiency, and improve our ability to model carbon and water cycling in forested ecosystems impacted by acid deposition.

Vegetation succession and impacts of biointrusion on covers used to limit acid mine drainage.

PubMed

Smirnova, Evgeniya; Bussière, Bruno; Tremblay, Francine; Bergeron, Yves

2011-01-01

A cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) was constructed in 1998 on the abandoned Lorraine mine tailings impoundment to limit the generation of acid mine drainage. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Fauna of Quebec (MRNF) is responsible for the site and for all restoration works on it, including CCBE construction. The CCBE is made up of three layers: a 0.3-m layer of sand used as a support and capillary break layer; a moisture-retaining layer with a thickness of 0.5 m (this layer is constructed of a nonplastic silt); and a 0.3-m sand and gravel layer on top. The main objective of the CCBE is to maintain one (or more) of the layers at a high degree of water saturation to impede oxygen migration and acid generation. Vegetation succession on the Lorraine CCBE results in an improvement in soil conditions, leading to the installation of deep-rooted species, which could represent a risk to CCBE long-term performance. Hence, the characterization of vegetation succession is an important aspect of the monitoring strategy for the Lorraine CCBE. Species occurrence was documented, and depth of tree roots was measured by excavation on a regular basis. Eight functional groups of plants were identified; herbaceous plants were the most abundant ecological plant groups. Tree ring counts confirmed that tree colonization started the year of CCBE construction (1999). Of the 11 tree species identified, the most abundant were poplar (Populus spp.), paper birch (Betula payrifera Marsh.), black spruce (Picea mariana Mill.), and willow (Salix spp.). Significant differences in occurrence related to environmental conditions were observed for most functional groups. Root excavation showed that tree roots exceeded the depth of the protective layer and started to reach the moisture-retaining layer; in 2008, root average depth was 0.4 m and the maximal root depth was 1.7 m.

Downscaling soil moisture over East Asia through multi-sensor data fusion and optimization of regression trees

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, Seonyoung; Im, Jungho; Park, Sumin; Rhee, Jinyoung

2017-04-01

Soil moisture is one of the most important keys for understanding regional and global climate systems. Soil moisture is directly related to agricultural processes as well as hydrological processes because soil moisture highly influences vegetation growth and determines water supply in the agroecosystem. Accurate monitoring of the spatiotemporal pattern of soil moisture is important. Soil moisture has been generally provided through in situ measurements at stations. Although field survey from in situ measurements provides accurate soil moisture with high temporal resolution, it requires high cost and does not provide the spatial distribution of soil moisture over large areas. Microwave satellite (e.g., advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer on the Earth Observing System (AMSR2), the Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT), and Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)) -based approaches and numerical models such as Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) and Modern- Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) provide spatial-temporalspatiotemporally continuous soil moisture products at global scale. However, since those global soil moisture products have coarse spatial resolution ( 25-40 km), their applications for agriculture and water resources at local and regional scales are very limited. Thus, soil moisture downscaling is needed to overcome the limitation of the spatial resolution of soil moisture products. In this study, GLDAS soil moisture data were downscaled up to 1 km spatial resolution through the integration of AMSR2 and ASCAT soil moisture data, Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM), and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data—Land Surface Temperature, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, and Land cover—using modified regression trees over East Asia from 2013 to 2015. Modified regression trees were implemented using Cubist, a commercial software tool based on machine learning. An optimization based on pruning of rules derived from the modified regression trees was conducted. Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Correlation coefficients (r) were used to optimize the rules, and finally 59 rules from modified regression trees were produced. The results show high validation r (0.79) and low validation RMSE (0.0556m3/m3). The 1 km downscaled soil moisture was evaluated using ground soil moisture data at 14 stations, and both soil moisture data showed similar temporal patterns (average r=0.51 and average RMSE=0.041). The spatial distribution of the 1 km downscaled soil moisture well corresponded with GLDAS soil moisture that caught both extremely dry and wet regions. Correlation between GLDAS and the 1 km downscaled soil moisture during growing season was positive (mean r=0.35) in most regions.

Searching for early-warning signals of impending dieback and death in Mediterranean oaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colangelo, Michele; Ripullone, Francesco; Julio Camarero, Jesus; De Micco, Veronica; Gazol, Antonio; Gentilesca, Tiziana; Borghetti, Marco

2017-04-01

In recent decades, forest dieback episodes have been recorded worldwide affecting different tree species. In particular, several cases of widespread dieback and increased mortality rates have been described for Mediterranean oak (Quercus spp.) species. These dieback cases are revealing the high vulnerability of Mediterranean oaks, manifested as a loss in tree vigour (leaf shedding, canopy and shoot dieback), growth decline and sometimes tree death, as a consequence of temperatures rising at unprecedented rates and drying trends. However, in the wake of the so-called 'oak decline phenomenon', the attention on these species has generally been limited, perhaps because they are often regarded as well-adapted to the dry conditions typical of Mediterranean areas. Indeed, according to recent studies, the reduced size, the ability to sprout and the anisohydric behavior of Mediterranean oak species (reduced control of water loss and high stomatal conductance rates) would make them better adapted to withstand heat and drought stress then taller and non-sprouting isohydric species (e.g. conifer, with strict control of water loss by closing stomata). Here, we investigated the vulnerability of Mediterranean oaks by comparing neighboring living and recently dead trees in species with low (Q. pubescens), intermediate (Q. cerris, Q. frainetto) and high (Q. robur) sensitivity to water shortage. We analysed changes in tree vigour using tree-ring width and functional wood anatomical traits as proxies to search for early-warning signals of dieback, in connection with the main proposed dieback mechanisms (hydraulic failure and/or carbon starvation). We also modeled the probability of tree death as a function of tree size (diameter, height) by quantifying recent changes in growth and wood anatomy along tree-ring series. Contrary to the general concept that trees tend to experience increasing cavitation risk with increasing height, our studies show that smaller oaks are more prone to die than taller conspecifics. Further, irrespective of differences in drought sensitivity, dead trees showed lower radial-growth rates than surviving trees from 10 to 20 years prior to tree death. Contrastingly, differences in wood anatomical traits (vessel lumen size, vessel density) between dead and living trees were not always significant, being species-dependent. Our findings indicate that: (i) tree height is a proxy of the probability of drought-induced death, and (ii) recent growth trends constitute valuable early-warning signals of impending dieback and death in Mediterranean oak species.

Novel Hydraulic Vulnerability Proxies for a Boreal Conifer Species Reveal That Opportunists May Have Lower Survival Prospects under Extreme Climatic Events.

PubMed

Rosner, Sabine; Světlík, Jan; Andreassen, Kjell; Børja, Isabella; Dalsgaard, Lise; Evans, Robert; Luss, Saskia; Tveito, Ole E; Solberg, Svein

2016-01-01

Top dieback in 40-60 years old forest stands of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] in southern Norway is supposed to be associated with climatic extremes. Our intention was to learn more about the processes related to top dieback and in particular about the plasticity of possible predisposing factors. We aimed at (i) developing proxies for P 50 based on anatomical data assessed by SilviScan technology and (ii) testing these proxies for their plasticity regarding climate, in order to (iii) analyze annual variations of hydraulic proxies of healthy looking trees and trees with top dieback upon their impact on tree survival. At two sites we selected 10 tree pairs, i.e., one healthy looking tree and one tree with visual signs of dieback such as dry tops, needle shortening and needle yellowing (n = 40 trees). Vulnerability to cavitation (P 50) of the main trunk was assessed in a selected sample set (n = 19) and we thereafter applied SilviScan technology to measure cell dimensions (lumen (b) and cell wall thickness (t)) in these specimen and in all 40 trees in tree rings formed between 1990 and 2010. In a first analysis step, we searched for anatomical proxies for P 50. The set of potential proxies included hydraulic lumen diameters and wall reinforcement parameters based on mean, radial, and tangential tracheid diameters. The conduit wall reinforcement based on tangential hydraulic lumen diameters ((t/b ht)(2)) was the best estimate for P 50. It was thus possible to relate climatic extremes to the potential vulnerability of single annual rings. Trees with top dieback had significantly lower (t/b ht)(2) and wider tangential (hydraulic) lumen diameters some years before a period of water deficit (2005-2006). Radial (hydraulic) lumen diameters showed however no significant differences between both tree groups. (t/b ht)(2) was influenced by annual climate variability; strongest correlations were found with precipitation in September of the previous growing season: high precipitation in previous September resulted in more vulnerable annual rings in the next season. The results are discussed with respect to an "opportunistic behavior" and genetic predisposition to drought sensitivity.

Temperature histories from tree rings and corals

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cook, E.R.

1995-05-01

Recent temperature trends in long tree-ring and coral proxy temperature histories are evaluated and compared in an effort to objectively determine how anomalous twentieth century temperature changes have been. These histories mostly reflect regional variations in summer warmth from the tree rings and annual warmth from the corals. In the Northern Hemisphere. the North American tree-ring temperature histories and those from the north Polar Urals, covering the past 1000 or more years, indicate that the twentieth century has been anomalously warm relative to the past. In contrast, the tree-ring history from northern Fennoscandia indicates that summer temperatures during the {open_quote}Medievalmore » Warm Period{close_quote} were probably warmer on average than those than during this century. In the Southern Hemisphere, the tree-ring temperature histories from South America show no indication of recent warming, which is in accordance with local instrumental records. In contrast, the tree-ring, records from Tasmania and New Zealand indicate that the twentieth century has been unusually warm particularly since 1960. The coral temperature histories from the Galapagos Islands and the Great Barrier Reef are in broad agreement with the tree-ring temperature histories in those sectors, with the former showing recent cooling and the latter showing recent warming that may be unprecedented. Overall, the regional temperature histories evaluated here broadly support the larger-scale evidence for anomalous twentieth century warming based on instrumental records. However, this warming cannot be confirmed as an unprecedented event in all regions. 38 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Historic Hydroclimatic Variability in Northern Mexico

Treesearch

José Villanueva-Diaz; J. Cerano-Paredes; D.W. Stahle; B. H. Luckman; M.D. Therrell; M.K. Cleaveland; G. Gutierrez-Garcia

2006-01-01

The understanding of historic hydroclimatic variability is basic to plan for a proper management of limited water resources in northern Mexico. The objective of this study was to develop a network of tree-ring chronologies for climate reconstruction and to analyze the influence of circulatory patterns, such as ENSO. Climatic sensitive treering chronologies were...

[Research advances in dendrochronology].

PubMed

Fang, Ke-Yan; Chen, Qiu-Yan; Liu, Chang-Zhi; Cao, Chun-Fu; Chen, Ya-Jun; Zhou, Fei-Fei

2014-07-01

Tree-ring studies in China have achieved great advances since the 1990s, particularly for the dendroclimatological studies which have made some influence around the world. However, because of the uneven development, limited attention has been currently paid on the other branches of dendrochronology. We herein briefly compared the advances of dendrochronology in China and of the world and presented suggestions on future dendrochronological studies. Large-scale tree-ring based climate reconstructions in China are highly needed by employing mathematical methods and a high quality tree-ring network of the ring-width, density, stable isotope and wood anatomy. Tree-ring based field climate reconstructions provide potentials on explorations of climate forcings during the reconstructed periods via climate diagnosis and process simulation.

Soil-Site Factors Affecting Southern Upland Oak Managment and Growth

Treesearch

John K. Francis

1980-01-01

Soil supplies trees with physical support, moisture, oxygen, and nutrients. Amount of moisture most limits tree growth; and soil and topographic factors such as texture and aspect, which influence available soil moisture. are most useful in predicting growth. Equations that include soil and topographic variables can be used to predict site index. Foresters can also...

Expanding the network of crossdated tree-ring chronologies for Sequoia sempervirens

Treesearch

Allyson L. Carroll; Stephen C. Sillett; Ethan J. Coonen; Benjamin G. Iberle

2017-01-01

Crossdated tree-ring chronologies for the Arcata Community Forest (ACF) and Muir Woods National Monument (Muir Woods) expand the spatial coverage of dated coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.) series. Crossdating relies on the common pattern of ring-width variation among tree populations, and dated chronologies have many applications...

Solar-Terrestrial Signal Record in Tree Ring Width Time Series from Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigozo, Nivaor Rodolfo; Lisi, Cláudio Sergio; Filho, Mário Tomazello; Prestes, Alan; Nordemann, Daniel Jean Roger; de Souza Echer, Mariza Pereira; Echer, Ezequiel; da Silva, Heitor Evangelista; Rigozo, Valderez F.

2012-12-01

This work investigates the behavior of the sunspot number and Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) signal recorded in the tree ring time series for three different locations in Brazil: Humaitá in Amazônia State, Porto Ferreira in São Paulo State, and Passo Fundo in Rio Grande do Sul State, using wavelet and cross-wavelet analysis techniques. The wavelet spectra of tree ring time series showed signs of 11 and 22 years, possibly related to the solar activity, and periods of 2-8 years, possibly related to El Niño events. The cross-wavelet spectra for all tree ring time series from Brazil present a significant response to the 11-year solar cycle in the time interval between 1921 to after 1981. These tree ring time series still have a response to the second harmonic of the solar cycle (5.5 years), but in different time intervals. The cross-wavelet maps also showed that the relationship between the SOI x tree ring time series is more intense, for oscillation in the range of 4-8 years.

High-altitude forest sensitivity to global warming: results from long-term and short-term analyses in the eastern italian alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrer, Marco; Anfodillo, Tommaso; Urbinati, Carlo; Carraro, Vinicio

Dendroecological (long-term) analysis and ecophysiological (short-term) monitoring were used interactively to study the responses of tree-ring growth to climate in timberline mixed forests (consisting of Larix decidua Mill., Picea abies (L.) Karst. and Pinus cembra (L.)) in the Italian Eastern Alps (2000-2100 m a.s.l.). Climate-growth linear response functions (LRF) revealed that warm temperatures in June and July have a positive effect on radial growth whereas precipitation during the vegetation period has no effect. Monitoring of the intra-annual radial growth dynamics using band dendrometers confirmed that the radial growth rate of the three species in June and July was greater when air temperatures were higher. Tree-ring formation lasted about 50-60 days (from mid-June to the beginning of August).

Some climatic indicators in the period A.D. 1200-1400 in New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leopold, Luna Bergere; Leopold, Estella B.; Wendorf, F.

1963-01-01

Three centuries before Columbus landed in America, the alluvial valleys of the south-western United States teemed with activity. The indigenous peoples had been building for 300 years a culture centred around community life based on flood-water farming and on hunting. A large number of pueblos had developed on sites earlier occupied by pit-house people. Community organization had brought advances in the ceramic and decorative arts, and changes in these artistic activities were sufficiently rapid that accurate chronologies have become available through the work of archaeologists during the twentieth century. These chronologies were at first unrelated to absolute dates, but the excavations of the 1920s at Chaco Canyon (New Mexico) provided the materials through which absolute dates could be established. This was accomplished by matching the changes in tree-ring width backward in time from living trees through successively older samples. Trees overlapping in age provided, by unique successions of distinctive tree-ring widths, a calendar by which individual logs could be dated. Beams found in the excavations at Chaco Canyon gave the first material by which the cultural developments culminating about A.D. 1300 could be dated.As a result of the time sequence provided by the tree-ring calendar, the dates within which different pottery types were developed could be accurately established. The dates of pottery types have been checked at a sufficiently large number of sites throughout the south-western United States that absolute dating of a large number of distinctive patterns can be considered unassailable. The sequence of tree-ring widths gives some climatic indications of great interest both to archaeologists and to climatologists. A relatively large number of logs spanning the period from A.D. 1200 to 1300 and, in particular, the years between 1276 and 1299, indicate that this period was generally characterized by smaller tree-ring widths than in the centuries immediately before and after. As a first approximation, the hundred years of narrow tree-ring widths were interpreted as a time of relative aridity, and have been referred to as the “Pueblo Drought”. More recent studies of tree-ring widths using sophisticated statistical techniques have thrown some doubts on any direct correlation of tree-ring widths with rainfall. Such doubts have been put forward before by Glock (1955) whose studies have been aimed at separating the various effects of seasonal occurrence of precipitation, the amount falling in various seasons, and other climatic factors in their relative influence on tree-ring widths. At present, then, tree-ring widths may be considered more satisfactory for reading chronology than for reading climate. It is this concern about direct correlation of tree-ring width with climate that led to initiation of the present study. This work is a preliminary attempt to obtain independent evidence from pollen concerning the probable nature of the vegetation and thus the climate in a period known to be characterized by narrow tree rings.

Statistical treatment for the wet bias in tree-ring chronologies: A case study from the InteriorWest, USA

Treesearch

Yan Sun; Matthew F. Bekker; R. Justin DeRose; Roger Kjelgren; S. -Y. Simon Wang

2017-01-01

Dendroclimatic research has long assumed a linear relationship between tree-ring increment and climate variables. However, ring width frequently underestimates extremely wet years, a phenomenon we refer to as ‘wet bias’. In this paper, we present statistical evidence for wet bias that is obscured by the assumption of linearity. To improve tree-ring-climate modeling, we...

Tree-ring proxies of larch bud moth defoliation: latewood width and blue intensity are more precise than tree-ring width.

PubMed

Arbellay, Estelle; Jarvis, Ingrid; Chavardès, Raphaël D; Daniels, Lori D; Stoffel, Markus

2018-05-19

Reconstructions of defoliation by larch bud moth (LBM, Zeiraphera diniana Gn.) based on European larch (Larix decidua Mill.) tree rings have unraveled outbreak patterns over exceptional temporal and spatial scales. In this study, we conducted tree-ring analyses on 105 increment cores of European larch from the Valais Alps, Switzerland. The well-documented history of LBM outbreaks in Valais provided a solid baseline for evaluating the LBM defoliation signal in multiple tree-ring parameters. First, we used tree-ring width measurements along with regional records of LBM outbreaks to reconstruct the occurrence of these events at two sites within the Swiss Alps. Second, we measured earlywood width, latewood width and blue intensity, and compared these parameters with tree-ring width to assess the capacity of each proxy to detect LBM defoliation. A total of six LBM outbreaks were reconstructed for the two sites between AD 1850 and 2000. Growth suppression induced by LBM was, on average, highest in latewood width (59%), followed by total ring width (54%), earlywood width (51%) and blue intensity (26%). We show that latewood width and blue intensity can improve the temporal accuracy of LBM outbreak reconstructions, as both proxies systematically detected LBM defoliation in the first year it occurred, as well as the differentiation between defoliation and non-defoliation years. This study introduces blue intensity as a promising new proxy of insect defoliation and encourages its use in conjunction with latewood width.

Inferring biome-scale net primary productivity from tree-ring isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pederson, N.; Levesque, M.; Williams, A. P.; Hobi, M. L.; Smith, W. K.; Andreu-Hayles, L.

2017-12-01

Satellite estimates of vegetation growth (net primary productivity; NPP), tree-ring records, and forest inventories indicate that ongoing climate change and rising atmospheric CO2 concentration are altering productivity and carbon storage of forests worldwide. The impact of global change on the trends of NPP, however, remain unknown because of the lack of long-term high-resolution NPP data. For the first time, we tested if annually resolved carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) stable isotopes from the cellulose of tree rings from trees in temperate regions could be used as a tool for inferring NPP across spatiotemporal scales. We compared satellite NPP estimates from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer sensor (MODIS, product MOD17A) and a newly developed global NPP dataset derived from the Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS) dataset to annually resolved tree-ring width and δ13C and δ18O records from four sites along a hydroclimatic gradient in Eastern and Central United States. We found strong correlations across large geographical regions between satellite-derived NPP and tree-ring isotopes that ranged from -0.40 to -0.91. Notably, tree-ring derived δ18O had the strongest relation to climate. The results were consistent among the studied tree species (Quercus rubra and Liriodendron tulipifera) and along the hydroclimatic conditions of our network. Our study indicates that tree-ring isotopes can potentially be used to reconstruct NPP in time and space. As such, our findings represent an important breakthrough for estimating long-term changes in vegetation productivity at the biome scale.

A study of Solar-Enso correlation with southern Brazil tree ring index (1955- 1991)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigozo, N.; Nordemann, D.; Vieira, L.; Echer, E.

The effects of solar activity and El Niño-Southern Oscillation on tree growth in Southern Brazil were studied by correlation analysis. Trees for this study were native Araucaria (Araucaria Angustifolia)from four locations in Rio Grande do Sul State, in Southern Brazil: Canela (29o18`S, 50o51`W, 790 m asl), Nova Petropolis (29o2`S, 51o10`W, 579 m asl), Sao Francisco de Paula (29o25`S, 50o24`W, 930 m asl) and Sao Martinho da Serra (29o30`S, 53o53`W, 484 m asl). From these four sites, an average tree ring Index for this region was derived, for the period 1955-1991. Linear correlations were made on annual and 10 year running averages of this tree ring Index, of sunspot number Rz and SOI. For annual averages, the correlation coefficients were low, and the multiple regression between tree ring and SOI and Rz indicates that 20% of the variance in tree rings was explained by solar activity and ENSO variability. However, when the 10 year running averages correlations were made, the coefficient correlations were much higher. A clear anticorrelation is observed between SOI and Index (r=-0.81) whereas Rz and Index show a positive correlation (r=0.67). The multiple regression of 10 year running averages indicates that 76% of the variance in tree ring INdex was explained by solar activity and ENSO. These results indicate that the effects of solar activity and ENSO on tree rings are better seen on long timescales.

Can Tree Ring Analyses Predict Resilience of Black Spruce Forests to Fire in Interior Alaska?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, X. J.; Johnstone, J. F.; Mack, M. C.

2015-12-01

Climate change has increased the occurrence, severity, and impact of disturbances on forested ecosystems worldwide. As such there is a growing need to identify factors that contribute to an ecosystem's ability to recover from disturbance, commonly referred to as ecosystem resilience. In trees, drought-induced growth declines may signal decreased ecosystem resilience if mature trees are able to survive in stressful environmental conditions that do not permit successful post-disturbance recruitment and survival. Here we explore links between ecosystem resilience and the growth-climate relationships of pre-fire trees, specifically drought stress signals, across topographic moisture gradients within the boreal forest. We sampled 72 recently (2004) burned black spruce stands within interior Alaska and found the proportion of black spruce relative to deciduous trees decreased post-fire, ranging from almost no change to a 90% decrease. The largest shifts in post-fire species composition occurred in sites where trees showed negative growth responses to warm spring temperatures, and shallow post-fire organic layer depths due to dry site conditions or high fire severity. These sites were generally located at warmer and drier landscape positions, suggesting they are less resilient to disturbance than sites at the wetter end of the gradient. Tree growth-climate responses can provide an estimate of stand environmental stress to ongoing climate change and as such are a valuable tool for predicting landscape variations in forest ecosystem resilience and forecasting future forest composition.

Potential utility of tree ring δ18O series for reconstructing precipitation records from the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, southeast China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Chenxi; Ge, Junyi; Nakatsuka, Takeshi; Yi, Liang; Zheng, Huaizhou; Sano, Masaki

2016-04-01

In this study, we investigated the interannual and intraannual variabilities in the oxygen isotope composition (δ18O) preserved in the tree ring cellulose of Pinus taiwanensis in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, southeast China, to explore its potential utility for precipitation reconstruction over the period of 1855-2013. Intraannual variations of tree ring cellulose δ18O show distinct annual cycles that are characterized by δ18O maxima in the early growth near the ring boundary and δ18O minima in the middle and late portions of the ring. Seasonal patterns of tree ring δ18O were influenced by August-October typhoons. The tree ring cellulose δ18O was measured in both young and old trees to test for the juvenile effect. The results revealed no significant differences in the mean values and long-term trends in δ18O in the old and young trees. A response analysis indicated that tree ring δ18O correlated significantly with precipitation and relative humidity between May and October, and the δ18O chronology accounted for 37.4% of the actual variation in the May-October precipitation between 1951 and 2013. The extremely dry and wet years revealed by the tree ring δ18O-based reconstructed precipitation also corresponded to actual local drought and flood events from the documentary records. Reconstructed precipitation showed significant relationship with central tropical Pacific sea surface temperature, which indicated that El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exerted influences on May-October precipitation in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River. In addition, the relationship between ENSO and precipitation weakened between 1920 and 1940, and low variance of ENSO from 1920 to 1940 may result in the damped ENSO's influences on precipitation in southeast China.

Influence of Bravo fungicide applications on wood density and moisture content of Swiss needle cast affected Douglas-fir trees.

Treesearch

G.R. Johnson; Barbara L. Gartner; Doug Maguire; Alan Kanaskie

2003-01-01

Wood density, moisture content, tracheld width and cell wall size were examined in trees from plots that were sprayed for 5 years with chlorothalonil (Bravo ®) fungicide to reduce the impact of Swiss needle-cast (SNC) and from trees in adjacent unsprayed plots. The unsprayed (more heavily diseased) trees had significantly narrower sapwood, narrower growth tings, lower...

Increased tree-ring network density reveals more precise estimations of sub-regional hydroclimate variability and climate dynamics in the Midwest, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maxwell, Justin T.; Harley, Grant L.

2017-08-01

Understanding the historic variability in the hydroclimate provides important information on possible extreme dry or wet periods that in turn inform water management plans. Tree rings have long provided historical context of hydroclimate variability of the U.S. However, the tree-ring network used to create these countrywide gridded reconstructions is sparse in certain locations, such as the Midwest. Here, we increase ( n = 20) the spatial resolution of the tree-ring network in southern Indiana and compare a summer (June-August) Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reconstruction to existing gridded reconstructions of PDSI for this region. We find both droughts and pluvials that were previously unknown that rival the most intense PDSI values during the instrumental period. Additionally, historical drought occurred in Indiana that eclipsed instrumental conditions with regard to severity and duration. During the period 1962-2004 CE, we find that teleconnections of drought conditions through the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation have a strong influence ( r = -0.60, p < 0.01) on secondary tree growth in this region for the late spring-early summer season. These findings highlight the importance of continuing to increase the spatial resolution of the tree-ring network used to infer past climate dynamics to capture the sub-regional spatial variability. Increasing the spatial resolution of the tree-ring network for a given region can better identify sub-regional variability, improve the accuracy of regional tree-ring PDSI reconstructions, and provide better information for climatic teleconnections.

The Reconstruction Potential of a 350 year-long, Mid-Elevation Proxy for PDSI in a Tree-Ring Record from Tropical North Queensland, Australia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

English, N. B.; Duffy, R.; Balanzategui, D.; Baker, P. J.; Evans, M. N.

2014-12-01

In far northern Queensland (FNQ) there are only sporadic coral and speleothem precipitation proxy records, and only one annually resolved, terrestrial record of rainfall that predates 1850 CE. Black kauri pine, Agathis atropurpurea, is a large conifer present in isolated stands near 1000 masl in the wet tropical dividing range of FNQ. Little is known about its phenology or responses to climate, although its presence near the elevational limit of the dividing range may hinder its ability to respond to increased temperature or decreased precipitation through elevational migration. We hypothesize that in this energy-limited forest, increased (decreased) solar radiation leads to increased (decreased) ring widths, and higher (lower) evapotranspiration rates produce increases (decreases) in the oxygen isotopic composition (δ18O) of the a-cellulose component of wood. To test this hypothesis, we collected over 60 cores from 21 large (dbh = 56 to 186 cm) A. atropurpurea trees from Spurgeon Peak National Park. The resulting tree-ring chronology extends from 2013 to 1438 CE and shows high average mean sensitivity (0.642) although expressed population signal drops off at 1650 CE as sample depth decreases. Comparison of the most recent 100 years of ring widths and direct climate observations show a significant positive relationship (r2 = 0.4, p < 0.01) to PDSI in December through March, coinciding with the austral rainy season associated with onset of the northern Australian Monsoon. Annualized δ18Oxygen (a-cellulose) maxima for 1983-2013 show strong and significant spatial positive relationships to Tmax and Pacific seasurface temperatures. Work to refine the interpretation of the data is onoing, but the resulting dataset may enable extension of the terrestrial climate record of north Queensland two centuries beyond current tree-ring proxies and historical observations.

Multiple dendrochronological responses to the eruption of Cinder Cone, Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sheppard, P.R.; Ort, M.H.; Anderson, K.C.; Clynne, M.A.; May, E.M.

2009-01-01

Two dendrochronological properties – ring width and ring chemistry – were investigated in trees near Cinder Cone in Lassen Volcanic National Park, northeastern California, for the purpose of re-evaluating the date of its eruption. Cinder Cone is thought to have erupted in AD 1666 based on ring-width evidence, but interpreting ring-width changes alone is not straightforward because many forest disturbances can cause changes in ring width. Old Jeffrey pines growing in Cinder Cone tephra and elsewhere for control comparison were sampled. Trees growing in tephra show synchronous ring-width changes at AD 1666, but this ring-width signal could be considered ambiguous for dating the eruption because changes in ring width can be caused by other events. Trees growing in tephra also show changes in ring phosphorus, sulfur, and sodium during the late 1660s, but inter-tree variability in dendrochemical signals makes dating the eruption from ring chemistry alone difficult. The combination of dendrochemistry and ring-width signals improves confidence in dating the eruption of Cinder Cone over the analysis of just one ring-growth property. These results are similar to another case study using dendrochronology of ring width and ring chemistry at Parícutin, Michoacán, Mexico, a cinder cone that erupted beginning in 1943. In both cases, combining analysis with ring width and ring chemistry improved confidence in the dendro-dating of the eruptions.

Five centuries of Czech May-June precipitation and drought variability inferred from instrumental measurements, tree rings and documentary archives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brázdil, R.; Büntgen, U.; Dobrovolný, P.; Trnka, M.; Kyncl, T.

2010-09-01

Precipitation is one of the most important meteorological elements for different natural processes as well as for human society. Its long term fluctuations in the Czech Lands (recent Czech Republic) can be studied using long instrumental series (Brno since January 1803, Prague-Klementinum since May 1804), a tree-ring chronology from southern Moravian fir Abies alba Mill. developed from living and historical trees (since A.D. 1376), and monthly precipitation indices derived from documentary evidence (from A.D. 1500). The analysis focuses on May-June precipitation and drought patterns represented by the Z-index for the past 500 years showing the highest response of the tree-ring chronology to the mentioned months in the calibration/verification period between 1803 and 1932. Tree-ring and documentary-based May-June Z-index reconstructions explaining ca 30-40% of its variability are compared with existing reconstructions of hydroclimatic patterns of the Central European region. Uncertainties of tree-ring and documentary datasets and corresponding reconstructions are discussed.

Basic tree-ring sample preparation techniques for aging aspen

Treesearch

Lance A. Asherin; Stephen A. Mata

2001-01-01

Aspen is notoriously difficult to age because of its light-colored wood and faint annual growth rings. Careful preparation and processing of aspen ring samples can overcome these problems, yield accurate age and growth estimates, and concisely date disturbance events present in the tree-ring record. Proper collection of aspen wood is essential in obtaining usable ring...

Dry seasons identified in oak tree-ring chronology in the Czech Lands over the last millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobrovolny, Petr; Brazdil, Rudolf; Büntgen, Ulf; Rybnicek, Michal; Kolar, Tomas; Reznickova, Ladislava; Valasek, Hubert; Kotyza, Oldrich

2015-04-01

There is growing evidence on amplification of hydrological regimes as a consequence of rising temperatures, increase in evaporation and changes in circulation patterns. These processes may be responsible for higher probability of hydroclimatic extremes occurrence in regional scale. Extreme events such as floods or droughts are rare from their definition and for better understanding of possible changes in the frequency and intensity of their occurrence, long-term proxy archives may be analysed. Recently several tree ring width chronologies were compiled from hardwood species occurring in lowland positions and their analysis proved that they are moisture-sensitive and suitable for hydroclimate reconstructions. Here, we introduce a new oak (Quercus sp) ring width (RW) dataset for the Czech Republic and the last 1250 years. We explain the process of oak chronology standardization that was based on several only slightly different de-trending techniques and subsequent chronology development steps. We hypothesize that the most severe RW increment reductions (negative extremes) reflect extremely dry spring-summer conditions. Negative extremes were assigned for years in which transformed oak RWs were lower than the minus 1.5 standard deviation. To verify our hypothesis, we compare typical climatic conditions in negative extreme years with climatology of the reference period 1961-1990. Comparison was done for various instrumental measurements (1805-2012), existing proxy reconstructions (1500-1804) and also for documentary evidence from historical archives (before 1500). We found that years of negative extremes are characterized with distinctly above average spring (MAM) and summer (JJA) air temperatures and below average precipitation amounts. Typical sea level pressure spatial distribution in those years shows positive pressure anomaly over British Isles and Northern Sea, the pattern that synoptically corresponds to blocking anticyclone bringing to Central Europe warm air from SW and low precipitation totals with higher probability of drought occurrence. Our results provide consistent physical explanation of extremely dry seasons occurring in Central Europe. However, direct comparisons of individual RW extreme seasons with existing documentary evidence show the complexity the problem as some extremes identified in oak RW chronology were not confirmed in documentary archives and vice versa. We discuss possible causes of such differences related to the fact that various proxies may have problems to record real intensity or duration of extreme events e.g. due to non-linear response of proxy data to climate drivers or due to shift in seasonality.

Light, soil moisture, and tree reproduction in hardwood forest openings.

Treesearch

Leon S. Minckler; John D. Woerheide; Richard C. Schlesinger

1973-01-01

Light, soil moisture, and tree reproduction were measured at five positions in six openings on each of three aspects in southern Illinois. Amount of light received was clearly related to position in the light openings, opening size, and aspect. More moisture was available in the centers of the openings, although 4 years after openings were made the differences...

15N in tree rings as a bio-indicator of changing nitrogen cycling in tropical forests: an evaluation at three sites using two sampling methods

PubMed Central

van der Sleen, Peter; Vlam, Mart; Groenendijk, Peter; Anten, Niels P. R.; Bongers, Frans; Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh; Hietz, Peter; Pons, Thijs L.; Zuidema, Pieter A.

2015-01-01

Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is currently causing a more than twofold increase of reactive nitrogen input over large areas in the tropics. Elevated 15N abundance (δ15N) in the growth rings of some tropical trees has been hypothesized to reflect an increased leaching of 15N-depleted nitrate from the soil, following anthropogenic nitrogen deposition over the last decades. To find further evidence for altered nitrogen cycling in tropical forests, we measured long-term δ15N values in trees from Bolivia, Cameroon, and Thailand. We used two different sampling methods. In the first, wood samples were taken in a conventional way: from the pith to the bark across the stem of 28 large trees (the “radial” method). In the second, δ15N values were compared across a fixed diameter (the “fixed-diameter” method). We sampled 400 trees that differed widely in size, but measured δ15N in the stem around the same diameter (20 cm dbh) in all trees. As a result, the growth rings formed around this diameter differed in age and allowed a comparison of δ15N values over time with an explicit control for potential size-effects on δ15N values. We found a significant increase of tree-ring δ15N across the stem radius of large trees from Bolivia and Cameroon, but no change in tree-ring δ15N values over time was found in any of the study sites when controlling for tree size. This suggests that radial trends of δ15N values within trees reflect tree ontogeny (size development). However, for the trees from Cameroon and Thailand, a low statistical power in the fixed-diameter method prevents to conclude this with high certainty. For the trees from Bolivia, statistical power in the fixed-diameter method was high, showing that the temporal trend in tree-ring δ15N values in the radial method is primarily caused by tree ontogeny and unlikely by a change in nitrogen cycling. We therefore stress to account for tree size before tree-ring δ15N values can be properly interpreted. PMID:25914707

(15)N in tree rings as a bio-indicator of changing nitrogen cycling in tropical forests: an evaluation at three sites using two sampling methods.

PubMed

van der Sleen, Peter; Vlam, Mart; Groenendijk, Peter; Anten, Niels P R; Bongers, Frans; Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh; Hietz, Peter; Pons, Thijs L; Zuidema, Pieter A

2015-01-01

Anthropogenic nitrogen deposition is currently causing a more than twofold increase of reactive nitrogen input over large areas in the tropics. Elevated (15)N abundance (δ(15)N) in the growth rings of some tropical trees has been hypothesized to reflect an increased leaching of (15)N-depleted nitrate from the soil, following anthropogenic nitrogen deposition over the last decades. To find further evidence for altered nitrogen cycling in tropical forests, we measured long-term δ(15)N values in trees from Bolivia, Cameroon, and Thailand. We used two different sampling methods. In the first, wood samples were taken in a conventional way: from the pith to the bark across the stem of 28 large trees (the "radial" method). In the second, δ(15)N values were compared across a fixed diameter (the "fixed-diameter" method). We sampled 400 trees that differed widely in size, but measured δ(15)N in the stem around the same diameter (20 cm dbh) in all trees. As a result, the growth rings formed around this diameter differed in age and allowed a comparison of δ(15)N values over time with an explicit control for potential size-effects on δ(15)N values. We found a significant increase of tree-ring δ(15)N across the stem radius of large trees from Bolivia and Cameroon, but no change in tree-ring δ(15)N values over time was found in any of the study sites when controlling for tree size. This suggests that radial trends of δ(15)N values within trees reflect tree ontogeny (size development). However, for the trees from Cameroon and Thailand, a low statistical power in the fixed-diameter method prevents to conclude this with high certainty. For the trees from Bolivia, statistical power in the fixed-diameter method was high, showing that the temporal trend in tree-ring δ(15)N values in the radial method is primarily caused by tree ontogeny and unlikely by a change in nitrogen cycling. We therefore stress to account for tree size before tree-ring δ(15)N values can be properly interpreted.

Shifting Pacific storm tracks as stressors to ecosystems of western North America.

PubMed

Dannenberg, Matthew P; Wise, Erika K

2017-11-01

Much of the precipitation delivered to western North America arrives during the cool season via midlatitude Pacific storm tracks, which may experience future shifts in response to climate change. Here, we assess the sensitivity of the hydroclimate and ecosystems of western North America to the latitudinal position of cool-season Pacific storm tracks. We calculated correlations between storm track variability and three hydroclimatic variables: gridded cool-season standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index, April snow water equivalent, and water year streamflow from a network of USGS stream gauges. To assess how historical storm track variability affected ecosystem processes, we derived forest growth estimates from a large network of tree-ring widths and land surface phenology and wildfire estimates from remote sensing. From 1980 to 2014, cool-season storm tracks entered western North America between approximately 41°N and 53°N. Cool-season moisture supply and snowpack responded strongly to storm track position, with positive correlations to storm track latitude in eastern Alaska and northwestern Canada but negative correlations in the northwestern U.S. Ecosystems of the western United States were greener and more productive following winters with south-shifted storm tracks, while Canadian ecosystems were greener in years when the cool-season storm track was shifted to the north. On average, larger areas of the northwestern United States were burned by moderate to high severity wildfires when storm tracks were displaced north, and the average burn area per fire also tended to be higher in years with north-shifted storm tracks. These results suggest that projected shifts of Pacific storm tracks over the 21st century would likely alter hydroclimatic and ecological regimes in western North America, particularly in the northwestern United States, where moisture supply and ecosystem processes are highly sensitive to the position of cool-season storm tracks. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Progress towards the use of publicly available data networks to conduct cross-scale historical reconstructions of carbon dynamics in US Drylands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Washington-Allen, R. A.; Landolt, K.; Emanuel, R. E.; Therrell, M. D.; Nagle, N.; Grissino-Mayer, H. D.; Poulter, B.

2016-12-01

Emergent scale properties of water-limited or Dryland ecosystem's carbon flux are unknown at spatial scales from local to global and time scales of 10 - 1000 years or greater. The width of a tree ring is a metric of production that has been correlated with the amount of precipitation. This relationship has been used to reconstruct rainfall and fire histories in the Drylands of the southwestern US. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) is globally measured by selected satellite sensors and is highly correlated with the fraction of solar radiation which is absorbed for photosynthesis by plants (FPAR), as well as with vegetation biomass, net primary productivity (NPP), and tree ring width. Publicly available web-based archives of free NDVI and tree ring data exist and have allowed historical temporal reconstructions of carbon dynamics for the past 300 to 500 years. Climate and tree ring databases have been used to spatially reconstruct drought dynamics for the last 500 years in the western US. In 2007, we hypothesized that NDVI and tree ring width could be used to spatially reconstruct carbon dynamics in US Drylands. In 2015, we succeeded with a 300-year historical spatial reconstruction of NPP in California using a Blue Oak tree ring chronology. Online eddy covariance flux tower measures of NPP are well correlated with satellite measures of NPP. This suggests that net ecosystem exchange (NEE = NPP - soil Respiration) could be historically reconstructed across Drylands. Ongoing research includes 1) scaling historical spatial reconstruction to US Drylands, 2) comparing the use of single versus multiple tree ring species (r2 = 68) and 3) use of the eddy flux tower network, remote sensing, and tree ring data to historically spatially reconstruct Dryland NEE.

Tree-ring-based drought reconstruction in the Iberian Range (east of Spain) since 1694

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tejedor, Ernesto; de Luis, Martín; Cuadrat, José María; Esper, Jan; Saz, Miguel Ángel

2016-03-01

Droughts are a recurrent phenomenon in the Mediterranean basin with negative consequences for society, economic activities, and natural systems. Nevertheless, the study of drought recurrence and severity in Spain has been limited so far due to the relatively short instrumental period. In this work, we present a reconstruction of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the Iberian Range. Growth variations and climatic signals within the network are assessed developing a correlation matrix and the data combined to a single chronology integrating 336 samples from 169 trees of five different pine species distributed throughout the province of Teruel. The new chronology, calibrated against regional instrumental climatic data, shows a high and stable correlation with the July SPI integrating moisture conditions over 12 months forming the basis for a 318-year drought reconstruction. The climate signal contained in this reconstruction is highly significant ( p < 0.05) and spatially robust over the interior areas of Spain located above 1000 meters above sea level (masl). According to our SPI reconstruction, seven substantially dry and five wet periods are identified since the late seventeenth century considering ≥±1.76 standard deviations. Besides these, 36 drought and 28 pluvial years were identified. Some of these years, such as 1725, 1741, 1803, and 1879, are also revealed in other drought reconstructions in Romania and Turkey, suggesting that coherent larger-scale synoptic patterns drove these extreme deviations. Since regional drought deviations are also retained in historical documents, the tree-ring-based reconstruction presented here will allow us to cross-validate drought frequency and magnitude in a highly vulnerable region.

Tree-ring-based drought reconstruction in the Iberian Range (east of Spain) since 1694.

PubMed

Tejedor, Ernesto; de Luis, Martín; Cuadrat, José María; Esper, Jan; Saz, Miguel Ángel

2016-03-01

Droughts are a recurrent phenomenon in the Mediterranean basin with negative consequences for society, economic activities, and natural systems. Nevertheless, the study of drought recurrence and severity in Spain has been limited so far due to the relatively short instrumental period. In this work, we present a reconstruction of the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the Iberian Range. Growth variations and climatic signals within the network are assessed developing a correlation matrix and the data combined to a single chronology integrating 336 samples from 169 trees of five different pine species distributed throughout the province of Teruel. The new chronology, calibrated against regional instrumental climatic data, shows a high and stable correlation with the July SPI integrating moisture conditions over 12 months forming the basis for a 318-year drought reconstruction. The climate signal contained in this reconstruction is highly significant (p < 0.05) and spatially robust over the interior areas of Spain located above 1000 meters above sea level (masl). According to our SPI reconstruction, seven substantially dry and five wet periods are identified since the late seventeenth century considering ≥±1.76 standard deviations. Besides these, 36 drought and 28 pluvial years were identified. Some of these years, such as 1725, 1741, 1803, and 1879, are also revealed in other drought reconstructions in Romania and Turkey, suggesting that coherent larger-scale synoptic patterns drove these extreme deviations. Since regional drought deviations are also retained in historical documents, the tree-ring-based reconstruction presented here will allow us to cross-validate drought frequency and magnitude in a highly vulnerable region.

Combining wood anatomy and stable isotope variations in a 600-year multi-parameter climate reconstruction from Corsican black pine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szymczak, Sonja; Hetzer, Timo; Bräuning, Achim; Joachimski, Michael M.; Leuschner, Hanns-Hubert; Kuhlemann, Joachim

2014-10-01

We present a new multi-parameter dataset from Corsican black pine growing on the island of Corsica in the Western Mediterranean basin covering the period AD 1410-2008. Wood parameters measured include tree-ring width, latewood width, earlywood width, cell lumen area, cell width, cell wall thickness, modelled wood density, as well as stable carbon and oxygen isotopes. We evaluated the relationships between different parameters and determined the value of the dataset for climate reconstructions. Correlation analyses revealed that carbon isotope ratios are influenced by cell parameters determining cell size, whereas oxygen isotope ratios are influenced by cell parameters determining the amount of transportable water in the xylem. A summer (June to August) precipitation reconstruction dating back to AD 1185 was established based on tree-ring width. No long-term trends or pronounced periods with extreme high/low precipitation are recorded in our reconstruction, indicating relatively stable moisture conditions over the entire time period. By comparing the precipitation reconstruction with a summer temperature reconstruction derived from the carbon isotope chronologies, we identified summers with extreme climate conditions, i.e. warm-dry, warm-wet, cold-dry and cold-wet. Extreme climate conditions during summer months were found to influence cell parameter characteristics. Cold-wet summers promote the production of broad latewood composed of wide and thin-walled tracheids, while warm-wet summers promote the production of latewood with small thick-walled cells. The presented dataset emphasizes the potential of multi-parameter wood analysis from one tree species over long time scales.

Douglas-fir displays a range of growth responses to ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) growth in the Pacific Northwest is affected by climatic, edaphic factors and Swiss needle cast (SNC) disease. We examine Douglas-fir growth responses to temperature, dewpoint deficit (DPD), soil moisture, and SNC using time series intervention analysis of intra-annual tree-ring width data collected at nine forest stands in western Oregon, USA. The effects of temperature and SNC were similar in importance on tree growth at all sites. Previous-year DPD during the annual drought period was a key factor limiting growth regionally. Winter temperature was more important at high elevation cool sites, whereas summer temperature was more important at warm and dry sites. Growth rate increased with summer temperature to an optimum (Topt) then decreased at higher temperatures. At drier sites, temperature and water affected growth interactively such that Topt decreased with decreasing summer soil moisture. With climate change, growth rates increased at high elevation sites and declined at mid-elevation inland sites since ~1990. Growth response to climate is masked by SNC regionally. We conclude that as temperature rises and precipitation patterns shift towards wetter winters and drier summers, Douglas-fir will experience greater temperature and water stress and an increase in severity of SNC. By the end of the 21st century, climate models predict hotter, drier summers and warmer, wetter winters in the Pac

Transpiration characteristics of a rubber plantation in central Cambodia.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Nakako; Kumagai, Tomo'omi; Miyazawa, Yoshiyuki; Matsumoto, Kazuho; Tateishi, Makiko; Lim, Tiva K; Mudd, Ryan G; Ziegler, Alan D; Giambelluca, Thomas W; Yin, Song

2014-03-01

The rapid and widespread expansion of rubber plantations in Southeast Asia necessitates a greater understanding of tree physiology and the impacts of water consumption on local hydrology. Sap flow measurements were used to study the intra- and inter-annual variations in transpiration rate (Et) in a rubber stand in the low-elevation plain of central Cambodia. Mean stand sap flux density (JS) indicates that rubber trees actively transpire in the rainy season, but become inactive in the dry season. A sharp, brief drop in JS occurred simultaneously with leaf shedding in the middle of the dry season in January. Although the annual maxima of JS were approximately the same in the two study years, the maximum daily stand Et of ∼2.0 mm day(-1) in 2010 increased to ∼2.4 mm day(-1) in 2011. Canopy-level stomatal response was well explained by changes in solar radiation, vapor pressure deficit, soil moisture availability, leaf area, and stem diameter. Rubber trees had a relatively small potential to transpire at the beginning of the study period, compared with average diffuse-porous species. After 2 years of growth in stem diameter, transpiration potential was comparable to other species. The sensitivity of canopy conductance (gc) to atmospheric drought indicates isohydric behavior of rubber trees. Modeling also predicted a relatively small sensitivity of gc to the soil moisture deficit and a rapid decrease in gc under extreme drought conditions. However, annual observations suggest the possibility of a change in leaf characteristics with tree maturity and/or initiation of latex tapping. The estimated annual stand Et was 469 mm year(-1) in 2010, increasing to 658 mm year(-1) in 2011. Diagnostic analysis using the derived gc model showed that inter-annual change in stand Et in the rapidly growing young rubber stand was determined mainly by tree growth rate, not by differences in air and soil variables in the surrounding environment. Future research should focus on the potentially broad applicability of the relationship between Et and tree size as well as environmental factors at stands different in terms of clonal type and age.

Element concentrations in growth rings of trees near an abandoned wood-preserving plant site at Jackson, Tennessee

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yanosky, T.M.; Carmichael, J.K.

1993-01-01

Multielement analysis was performed on individual annual rings of trees growing at and near an abandoned wood-preserving plant site in Jackson, Tennessee, that operated from the early 1930's until 1981. Numerous organic compounds associated with the wood-preserving process have been detected in soils, ground water, and surface water within much of the site. Tree-ring investigations were conducted prior to investigations of ground water downgradient from the site to determine if trees preserved an areal and temporal record of contaminant movement into offsite areas. Increment cores were collected from trees on the abandoned plant site, in downgradient areas west and south of the site, and at two locations presumably unaffected by contamination from the site. Multielement analysis by proton-induced X-ray emission was performed on 5 to 15 individual growth rings from each of 34 trees that ranged in age from about 5 to 50 years. Concentrations of 16 elements were evaluated by analyzing average concentrations within the 1987, 1989, and 1990 rings of all trees; analyzing element-concentration trends along entire core radii; and analyzing element correlations between and among trees. Concentrations of some nutrients and trace metals were elevated in the outermost sapwood rings of some trees that grow south and southwest of the most contaminated part of the site; small trees on the main part of the site and larger trees to the west generally contained fewer rings with elevated concentrations, particularly of trace metals. Concentrations of several elements elevated in tree rings also were elevated in water samples collected from the reach of a stream that flows near the southwestern part of the site. Multielement analysis of each ring of a willow growing along the southern boundary of the site detected extremely large concentrations of chromium, nickel, and iron in rings that formed in 1986 and thereafter. Relative increases in the concentrations of these elements also were detected in a silver maple growing next to the willow, but not in another silver maple growing 150 meters farther to the west. An oak growing in the southwestern part of the study area contained large concentrations of calcium and several trace elements, and some trees south of the abandoned site contained large concentrations of phosphorus or potassium. Concentrations of trace metals and nutrients in some trees may be related to wood-preserving activities at the site and possibly to remedial efforts conducted during the early to mid 1980's.However, the possibility cannot be discounted that large concentrations of some elements are from sources other than the wood-preserving facility, or in part from flooding of the South Fork Forked Deer River.

How Has Human-induced Climate Change Affected California Drought Risk?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, L.; Hoerling, M. P.; Aghakouchak, A.; Livneh, B.; Quan, X. W.; Eischeid, J. K.

2015-12-01

The current California drought has cast a heavy burden on statewide agriculture and water resources, further exacerbated by concurrent extreme high temperatures. Furthermore, industrial-era global radiative forcing brings into question the role of long-term climate change on CA drought. How has human-induced climate change affected California drought risk? Here, observations and model experimentation are applied to characterize this drought employing metrics that synthesize drought duration, cumulative precipitation deficit, and soil moisture depletion. The model simulations show that increases in radiative forcing since the late 19th Century induces both increased annual precipitation and increased surface temperature over California, consistent with prior model studies and with observed long-term change. As a result, there is no material difference in the frequency of droughts defined using bivariate indicators of precipitation and near-surface (10-cm) soil moisture, because shallow soil moisture responds most sensitively to increased evaporation driven by warming, which compensates the increase in the precipitation. However, when using soil moisture within a deep root zone layer (1-m) as co-variate, droughts become less frequent because deep soil moisture responds most sensitively to increased precipitation. The results illustrate the different land surface responses to anthropogenic forcing that are relevant for near-surface moisture exchange and for root zone moisture availability. The latter is especially relevant for agricultural impacts as the deep layer dictates moisture availability for plants, trees, and many crops. The results thus indicate the net effect of climate change has made agricultural drought less likely, and that the current severe impacts of drought on California's agriculture has not been substantially caused by long-term climate changes.

Constraining the Carbon Cycle through Tree Rings: A Case Study of the Valles Caldera, NM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexander, M. R.; Babst, F.; Moore, D. J.; Trouet, V.

2013-12-01

Terrestrial ecosystems take up approximately 120 Gt of carbon as Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) from the atmosphere annually, but it is challenging to track the allocation of that carbon throughout the biosphere. Here, we combine eddy covariance measurements of net carbon uptake with above ground biomass increments derived from tree-ring data to better understand the interannual variability associated with biomass accumulation. In the summer of 2012, we collected tree cores near two eddy covariance towers in the Jemez Mountains of northern New Mexico. One tower was located in an upper elevation mixed-conifer forest, and the other in a lower elevation Pinus ponderosa forest. Our analysis shows that the annual above ground biomass increment accounted for approximately 40% of the GPP at the lower elevation Pinus ponderosa site and approximately 70% of GPP at the upper elevation mixed-conifer site. We have also used the above ground biomass increment to constrain the Simple Photosynthesis EvapoTranspiration (SiPNET) model to gain a better understanding of allocation within the forest. Tree growth at both elevations was negatively influenced by spring (March-June) temperature and positively by cool season (October-April) precipitation and warm (May-September) and cool season PDSI. We also analyzed the six most extreme temperature and moisture (PDSI) years of the record to determine the response of productivity to climatic forcing. During the driest years, biomass production was reduced by 40% at the upper elevation site and 43% at the lower elevation site. During the hottest years of the record the biomass decreased 28% at the upper site and 45% at the lower site. Our results indicate that tree rings can be used to effectively constrain the above ground biomass component of a forest's carbon budget and to estimate allocation of carbon to woody biomass as a function of climate. However, many variables remain unknown. The combined results of the extreme year analyses and the derived biomass increments illustrate that the forests at the Valles Caldera are considerably less productive during years of extreme drought and warmer than average temperatures. With future projections calling for consecutive years of extreme conditions in the American Southwest, this could have a substantial effect on the overall productivity of these forests.

A 400 year reconstruction of July relative air humidity for the region Vienna (eastern Austria) based on carbon and oxygen stable isotope ratios in tree-ring latewood cellulose of oaks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haupt, M.; Boettger, T.; Weigl, M.; Grabner, M.

2009-04-01

Stable isotope chronologies and correlation to climate. We present the stable isotope chronologies of carbon (^13Clw) and oxygen (^18Olw) for the period from 1600 to 2003 respectively of non-exchangeable hydrogen (^2Hlw) for the last century constructed base upon tree-ring latewood cellulose from oaks (Quercus petraea Matt. Liebl.) grown in the region Vienna (Austria). The stable isotope ratios correspond mainly to the summer climate conditions. For the calibration period (1900-2003) we found high significant correlations (p < 0.001) between ^13Clw and relative air humidity (RH) of July (-0.66), between ^18Olw and RHV I-V II (-0.61) and between ^2Hlw and RHV I-V III(-0.56). In the case of temperatures high significant correlations between the growing season temperature and ^13Clw (0.55), between the annual mean temperatures and ^18Olw ratios (0.45) and between summer mean temperatures (June to August) and ^2Hlw values (0.49) were estimated. Modeling. Various univariate and multivariate linear regressions models were proved for the reconstruction of summer relative air humidity and temperature. We found that establishing of robust models had several uncertainties: - using common linear transfer functions which oversimplify the complexity of relations; - using of pooled material and neglecting of different reactions from individual trees to climate; - high-order autocorrelations in the isotope time series; - climatic trends in the investigated region which are different in the first and in the second half of 20th century; - temporal instability of climate signals in the isotope ratios of tree ring cellulose. In the case of temperature no valid model could be estimated caused by temporal instabilities of signal strength. For relative air humidity two bivariate models RHV II = (-4.3 ± 0.7) * ^13Clw + (-2.8 ± 0.5) * ^18Olw + 44 [1] and RHV II = (-4.7 ± 0.7) * ^13Clw + (-0.35 ± 0.07) * ^2Hlw - 68 [2] were found as verifiable and applicable to reconstruct RHV II. Using of ^2Hlw instead of ^18Olw enhances significantly the model verification. Unfortunately the data of non-exchangeable hydrogen were available only for the last 100 years. Therefore the reconstruction of July relative air humidity was carried out only with eq. [1]. Reconstruction. The predicted RHV II values oscillate in the period from 1600 to 2003 around a mean of 74.7±4.4%. The course of RHV II during this time seems to be periodic with wetting and drying periods in a cycle of approximately 130 years. Predominant wet conditions could be reconstructed for the periods 1690-1710, 1765-1820 and 1900-1960, predominant dry periods for the periods from 1715 to 1730, from 1830 to 1870 and from approximately 1960 to recent. These results correspond in general with the European Alpine moisture variability for the period 1800-2003 reported by van der Schrier et al. (2006). Extreme wet summer conditions could be reconstructed for 1663, 1795, 1816, 1906, 1915 and 1926. Exceptionally dry summers were supposed for 1616, 1636, 1637, 1751, 1822, 1857, 1863, 1990, 1992 and 2001. These results correspond to instrumental data and can be well verified by independent reconstructions (Glaser 2001; Casty et al. 2005). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This work was funded by EC grants EVK2-CT-2002-00147 (ISONET) and 017008 (GOCE; MILLENNIUM). REFERENCES Casty C, Wanner, H, Luterbacher J, Esper J, Böhm R (2005) Temperature and precipitation variability in the European Alps since 1500. Int J Climatol 25: 1855-1880. Fritts HC (1976) Tree-Rings and Climate. Academic Press Inc., London. Glaser R (2001) Klimageschichte Mitteleuropas. Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, Darmstadt. Rebetez M, Saurer M, Cherubini P (2003) To what extent can oxygen isotopes in tree rings and precipitation be used to reconstruct past atmospheric temperature? A case study. Climatic Change 61: 237-248. Treydte K, Frank D, Esper J, Andreu L, Bednarz Z, Berninger F, Boettger T, D'Allessandro CM, Etien N, Filot M, Grabner M, Guillemin MT, Gutierrez E, Haupt M, Helle G, Hilasvuori E, Jungner H, Kalela-Brundin M, Krapiec M, Leuenberger M, Loader NJ, Masson-Delmotte V, Pazdur A, Pawelczyk S, Pierre M, Planells O, Pukiene R, Reynolds-Henne CE, Rinne KT, Saracino A, Saurer M, Sonninen E, Stievenard M, Switsur VR, Szczepanek M, Szychowska-Krapiec E, Todaro L, Waterhouse JS, Weigl M, Schleser GH (2007) Signal strength and climate calibration of a European tree ring isotope network. Geophys Res Lett 34: L24302. van der Schrier G, Efthymiadis D, Briffa KR, Jones PD (2007) European Alpine moisture variability for 1900-2003. Int J Climatol 27: 415-427.

Continuous earlywood vessels chronologies in floodplain ring-porous species can improve dendrohydrological reconstructions of spring high flows and flood levels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kames, S.; Tardif, J. C.; Bergeron, Y.

2016-03-01

Plants respond to environmental stimuli through changes in growth and development. Characteristics of wood cells such as the cross-sectional area of vessel elements (hereafter referred to as vessels) may store information about environmental factors present at the time of vessel differentiation. The analysis of vessel characteristics therefore offers a different time resolution than annual ring width because vessels in tree rings differentiate within days to a few weeks. Little research has been conducted on the sensitivity of earlywood vessels in ring-porous species in response to flooding. The general objectives of this study were to determine the plasticity of earlywood vessel to high flows and spring flooding in floodplain black ash (Fraxinus nigra Marsh.) trees and to assess the utility of developing continuous earlywood vessel chronologies in dendrohydrological reconstruction. In contrast, most dendrohydrological studies until now have mainly used vessel anomalies (flood rings) as discrete variables to identify exceptional flood events. The study area is located in the boreal region of northwestern Québec. Vessel and ring-width chronologies were generated from F. nigra trees growing on the floodplain of Lake Duparquet. Spring discharge had among all hydro-climatic variables the strongest impact on vessel formation and this signal was coherent spatially and in the frequency domain. The mean vessel area chronology was significantly and negatively correlated to discharge and both the linearity and the strength of this association were unique. In floodplain F. nigra trees, spring flooding promoted the formation of more abundant but smaller earlywood vessels. Earlywood vessels chronologies were also significantly associated with other hydrological indicators like Lake Duparquet's ice break-up date and both ice-scar frequency and height chronologies. These significant relationships stress the utility of developing continuous vessels chronologies for hydrological reconstructions prior to instrumental data. Continuous earlywood vessel chronologies may also be useful in determining the impact of altered hydrological regime in floodplain habitat regulated by spring floods. Future research should involve quantifying the impact of high flows and flooding on other cell constituents and also determining the plasticity and utility of continuous anatomical series in floodplain diffuse-porous species.

Recent drought-induced mortality of aspen forests along a water-balance tipping point for ecosystems in western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogg, E.

2009-05-01

In western Canada, the boundary between boreal forest and prairie grasslands marks a dramatic change in nearly all aspects of ecosystem functioning. These include a steep spatial gradient in hydrological characteristics of the landscape (lake level variability, water runoff and stream flow patterns) that coincides with the southern range limit of peatlands and several species of boreal conifers. Previous studies indicate that the forest-grassland boundary in this region represents a critical "tipping point" (Lenton et al. 2008) where long-term water input by precipitation is barely sufficient to satisfy the water use demands of productive, closed-canopy forests. This concept is consistent with the observed, regional gradient in the character of forests dominated by aspen (Populus tremuloides), the most abundant and widespread deciduous tree in North America. Aspen-dominated forests are productive and continuous in the boreal zone, but are stunted and patchy in the boreal-grassland transition zone, often referred to as the aspen parkland. Based on the "tipping point" concept, there are concerns that aspen forests in this region are especially sensitive to the projected trend toward warmer and drier conditions under human-induced climate change. In response to these concerns, a large-scale study was established across west-central Canada in 2000, entitled "Climate Impacts on Productivity and Health of Aspen" (CIPHA). The study has hierarchical sampling design that is aimed at "scaling up" forest-climate responses from individual trees to the region. During 2001-2002, the region was affected by an exceptionally severe drought that subsequently led to massive dieback and mortality of aspen forests within the boreal-grassland transition zone. Drought severity and extent was quantified using a simple climate moisture index (CMI), and drought impacts were quantified using tree-ring analysis, in combination with plot-based and remotely-sensed measures. Results showed that stand-level productivity, dieback and mortality were governed primarily by moisture variation. Furthermore, during and following this drought there was increasing damage by wood-boring insects and elevated, regional-scale mortality of aspen over at least 6 years (2002-2008). Although it is premature to attribute these impacts to anthropogenic climate change, they provide an excellent analog for what may be expected in future, even under a modest trend toward drying over the next few decades. Furthermore, the recent aspen mortality in western Canada shares many features common to other recent episodes of drought-induced forest mortality that have been documented on all of the earth's forested continents. This suggests the need for an integrated, global research and monitoring system that would enable early detection and attribution of large-scale ecosystem changes, especially in climatically-sensitive regions along forest-grassland boundaries around the world.

Missing rings in Pinus halepensis – the missing link to relate the tree-ring record to extreme climatic events

Treesearch

Klemen Novak; Martin de Luis; Miguel A. Saz; Luis A. Longares; Roberto Serrano-Notivoli; Josep Raventos; Katarina Cufar; Jozica Gricar; Alfredo Di Filippo; Gianluca Piovesan; Cyrille B.K. Rathgeber; Andreas Papadopoulos; Kevin T. Smith

2016-01-01

Climate predictions for the Mediterranean Basin include increased temperatures, decreased precipitation, and increased frequency of extreme climatic events (ECE). These conditions are associated with decreased tree growth and increased vulnerability to pests and diseases. The anatomy of tree rings responds to these environmental conditions. Quantitatively, the width of...

Tree-ring chemistry response in black cherry to ammonium sulfate fertilization at two West Virginia sites

Treesearch

David R. DeWalle; Jeffrey S. Tepp; Callie J. Pickens; Pamela J. Edwards; William E. Sharpe

1995-01-01

The chemical element content of black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) tree rings showed significant changes related to annual ammonium sulfate treatments on one watershed (Fernow WS-3) which exhibited a significant increase in streamflow N export due to treatment. However, tree-ring, soil and streamflow chemistry did not respond to the same treatment...

Forest - water dynamics in a Mediterranean mountain environment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eliades, Marinos; Bruggeman, Adriana; Lange, Manfred; Camera, Corrado; Christou, Andreas

2015-04-01

In semi-arid Mediterranean mountain environments, the soil layer is very shallow or even absent due to the steep slopes. Soil moisture in these environments is limited, but still vegetation thrives. There is limited knowledge about where the vegetation extracts the water from, how much water it uses, and how it interacts with other processes in the hydrological cycle. The main objective of this study is to quantify the water balance components of a Pinus brutia forest at tree level, by measuring the tree transpiration and the redistribution of the water from trees to the soil and the bedrock fractures. The study area is located on a forested hill slope on the outside edge of Peristerona watershed in Cyprus. The site was mapped with the use of a total station and a differentially-corrected GPS, in order to create a high resolution DEM and soil depth map of the area. Soil depth was measured at a 1-m grid around the trees. Biometric measurements were taken from a total of 45 trees. Four trees were selected for monitoring. Six sap flow sensors are installed in the selected trees for measuring transpiration and reverse flows. Two trees have two sensors each to assess the variability. Four volumetric soil moisture sensors are installed around each tree at distances 1 m and 2 m away from the tree trunk. An additional fifth soil moisture sensor is installed in soil depths exceeding 20-cm depth. Four throughfall rain gauges were installed randomly around each tree to compute interception losses. Stemflow is measured by connecting an opened surface plastic tube collar at 1.6 m height around each tree trunk. The trunk surface gaps were filled with silicon glue in order to avoid any stemflow losses. The plastic collar is connected to a sealed surface rain gauge. A weather station monitors all meteorological variables on an hourly basis. Results showed a maximum sap flow volume of 77.9 L/d, from November to January. The sensors also measured a maximum negative flow of 7.9 L/d, indicating reverse flow. Soil moisture ranged between 10 to 37 % at all sensors. Soil moisture contents showed an increase over 100% after rainfall events, but decreased quickly. Also individual sensor peak values were recorded when rainfall was not occurring, indicating soil moisture increase as a result of reverse flow. Interception losses revealed values, ranging from 10% to 50 % of the total rainfall. Stem flow was recorded after intense rain fall events. To our knowledge, this is the first water use quantification study for Pinus brutia trees. The negative sap flow implies that these trees have the ability to harvest water from the air moisture and redistribute it in the ground. Perhaps part of the intercepted water is captured by the tree and thus contributing to the negative sap flow. All the variables will be monitored for two more years to quantify the role of the trees in the water balance of the area.

The Needs of Trees

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyd, Amy E.; Cooper, Jim

2004-01-01

Tree rings can be used not only to look at plant growth, but also to make connections between plant growth and resource availability. In this lesson, students in 2nd-4th grades use role-play to become familiar with basic requirements of trees and how availability of those resources is related to tree ring sizes and tree growth. These concepts can…

Columbia River flow and drought since 1750.

Treesearch

Ze' ev Gedalof; David L. Peterson; Nathan J. Mantua

2004-01-01

A network of 32 drought sensitive tree-ring chronologies is used to reconstruct mean water year flow on the Columbia River at The Dalles, Oregon, since 1750. The reconstruction explains 30 percent of the variability in mean water year (October to September) flow, with a large portion of unexplained variance caused by underestimates of the most severe low flow events....

Vulnerability of white spruce tree growth in interior Alaska in response to climate variability: Dendrochronological, demographic, and experimental perspectives

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, A. David; Ruess, Roger W.; Lloyd, A.; Yarie, J.; Clein, Joy S.; Juday, G.P.

2010-01-01

This paper integrates dendrochronological, demographic, and experimental perspectives to improve understanding of the response of white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) tree growth to climatic variability in interior Alaska. The dendrochronological analyses indicate that climate warming has led to widespread declines in white spruce growth throughout interior Alaska that have become more prevalent during the 20th century. Similarly, demographic studies show that white spruce tree growth is substantially limited by soil moisture availability in both mid- and late-successional stands. Interannual variability in tree growth among stands within a landscape exhibits greater synchrony than does growth of trees that occupy different landscapes, which agrees with dendrochronological findings that the responses depend on landscape position and prevailing climate. In contrast, the results from 18 years of a summer moisture limitation experiment showed that growth in midsuccessional upland stands was unaffected by moisture limitation and that moisture limitation decreased white spruce growth in floodplain stands where it was expected that growth would be less vulnerable because of tree access to river water. Taken together, the evidence from the different perspectives analyzed in this study clearly indicates that white spruce tree growth in interior Alaska is vulnerable to the effects of warming on plant water balance.

Monitoring moisture content, temperature, and humidity in whole-tree pine chip piles

Treesearch

John Klepac; Dana Mitchell; Jason Thompson

2015-01-01

Two whole-tree chip piles were monitored for moisture content, temperature, and relative humidity from October 8th, 2010 to March 16th, 2011 at a location in south Alabama. Initial moisture content samples were collected immediately after chips were delivered to the study location on October 8th for Pile 1 and October 22nd for Pile 2. During pile construction, Lascar...

Tree ring imprints of long-term changes in climate in western Himalaya, India.

PubMed

Yadav, R R

2009-11-01

Tree-ring analyses from semi-arid to arid regions in western Himalaya show immense potential for developing millennia long climate records. Millennium and longer ring-width chronologies of Himalayan pencil juniper (Juniperus polycarpos), Himalayan pencil cedar (Cedrus deodara) and Chilgoza pine (Pinus gerardiana) have been developed from different sites in western Himalaya. Studies conducted so far on various conifer species indicate strong precipitation signatures in ring-width measurement series. The paucity of weather records from stations close to tree-ring sampling sites poses diffi culty in calibrating tree-ring data against climate data especially precipitation for its strong spatial variability in mountain regions. However, for the existence of strong coherence in temperature, even in data from distant stations, more robust temperature reconstructions representing regional and hemispheric signatures have been developed. Tree-ring records from the region indicate multi-century warm and cool anomalies consistent with the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age anomalies. Signifi cant relationships noted between mean premonsoon temperature over the western Himalaya and ENSO features endorse utility of climate records from western Himalayan region in understanding long-term climate variability and attribution of anthropogenic impact.

Five centuries of Southern Moravian drought variations revealed from living and historic tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Büntgen, Ulf; Brázdil, Rudolf; Dobrovolný, Petr; Trnka, Mirek; Kyncl, Tomáš

2011-08-01

Past, present, and projected fluctuations of the hydrological cycle, associated to anthropogenic climate change, describe a pending challenge for natural ecosystems and human civilizations. Here, we compile and analyze long meteorological records from Brno, Czech Republic and nearby tree-ring measurements of living and historic firs from Southern Moravia. This unique paleoclimatic compilation together with innovative reconstruction methods and error estimates allows regional-scale May-June drought variability to be estimated back to ad 1500. Driest and wettest conditions occurred in 1653 and 1713, respectively. The ten wettest decades are evenly distributed throughout time, whereas the driest episodes occurred in the seventeenth century and from the 1840s onward. Discussion emphasizes agreement between the new reconstruction and documentary evidence, and stresses possible sources of reconstruction uncertainty including station inhomogeneity, limited frequency preservation, reduced climate sensitivity, and large-scale constraints.

Testing the reliability of δ13C of tree rings as climate tool in Pistacia khinjuk of Syrian desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caracuta, Valentina; Fiorentino, Girolamo

2010-05-01

High-resolution measures of past climate variations have been found to be of a critical importance for understanding anthropic resilience in drought-sensitive areas. The hills (Jebels) Abu-Rujmain and Abd al Aziz, with their 350 millimetre of rain and their steppe-forest spreading in the middle of the flat syrian desert, represent an unicum where analysing the effect of short term climate changes on pastoral communities. Thanks to a cooperation project in Syrian Arab republic with CIHEAM-Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari -Italy (Rationalization of Ras El Ain Irrigation systems), we were allowed to carry out dendroclimate and carbon isotope analyses on tree-rings of local Pistacia khinjuk, a long-lived wood taxon, in order to test their reliability as tool for determining annual and seasonal rainfall/temperature variations. Comparison between the last 25 year rainfall and temperature values of the nearby meteorological stations and dendro-isotopes values have been carried out to point out which factor mostly affect the growth pattern of the trees in that particular area.

Ring Counts in Second-Growth Baldcypress

Treesearch

W. R. Beaufait; T. C. Nelson

1957-01-01

Many thrifty, second-growth baldcypress trees (Taxodium distichum) [L.] Rich. ) appear to lay down several rings each year. These false rings may cause foresters to underestimate the growth potential of a highly prized species by overestimating the age of sample trees.

Effects of height on treetop transpiration and stomatal conductance in coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens).

PubMed

Ambrose, Anthony R; Sillett, Stephen C; Koch, George W; Van Pelt, Robert; Antoine, Marie E; Dawson, Todd E

2010-10-01

Treetops become increasingly constrained by gravity-induced water stress as they approach maximum height. Here we examine the effects of height on seasonal and diurnal sap flow dynamics at the tops of 12 unsuppressed Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl. (coast redwood) trees 68-113 m tall during one growing season. Average treetop sap velocity (V(S)), transpiration per unit leaf area (E(L)) and stomatal conductance per unit leaf area (G(S)) significantly decreased with increasing height. These differences in sap flow were associated with an unexpected decrease in treetop sapwood area-to-leaf area ratios (A(S):A(L)) in the tallest trees. Both E(L) and G(S) declined as soil moisture decreased and vapor pressure deficit (D) increased throughout the growing season with a greater decline in shorter trees. Under high soil moisture and light conditions, reference G(S) (G(Sref); G(S) at D = 1 kPa) and sensitivity of G(S) to D (-δ; dG(S)/dlnD) significantly decreased with increasing height. The close relationship we observed between G(Sref) and -δ is consistent with the role of stomata in regulating E(L) and leaf water potential (Ψ(L)). Our results confirm that increasing tree height reduces gas exchange of treetop foliage and thereby contributes to lower carbon assimilation and height growth rates as S. sempervirens approaches maximum height.

Enumeration method for tree-like chemical compounds with benzene rings and naphthalene rings by breadth-first search order.

PubMed

Jindalertudomdee, Jira; Hayashida, Morihiro; Zhao, Yang; Akutsu, Tatsuya

2016-03-01

Drug discovery and design are important research fields in bioinformatics. Enumeration of chemical compounds is essential not only for the purpose, but also for analysis of chemical space and structure elucidation. In our previous study, we developed enumeration methods BfsSimEnum and BfsMulEnum for tree-like chemical compounds using a tree-structure to represent a chemical compound, which is limited to acyclic chemical compounds only. In this paper, we extend the methods, and develop BfsBenNaphEnum that can enumerate tree-like chemical compounds containing benzene rings and naphthalene rings, which include benzene isomers and naphthalene isomers such as ortho, meta, and para, by treating a benzene ring as an atom with valence six, instead of a ring of six carbon atoms, and treating a naphthalene ring as two benzene rings having a special bond. We compare our method with MOLGEN 5.0, which is a well-known general purpose structure generator, to enumerate chemical structures from a set of chemical formulas in terms of the number of enumerated structures and the computational time. The result suggests that our proposed method can reduce the computational time efficiently. We propose the enumeration method BfsBenNaphEnum for tree-like chemical compounds containing benzene rings and naphthalene rings as cyclic structures. BfsBenNaphEnum was from 50 times to 5,000,000 times faster than MOLGEN 5.0 for instances with 8 to 14 carbon atoms in our experiments.

On modeling the paleohydrologic response of closed-basin lakes to fluctuations in climate: Methods, applications, and implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ganming; Schwartz, Franklin W.

2014-04-01

Climate reconstructions using tree rings and lake sediments have contributed significantly to the understanding of Holocene climates. Approaches focused specifically on reconstructing the temporal water-level response of lakes, however, are much less developed. This paper describes a statistical correlation approach based on time series with Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) values derived from instrumental records or tree rings as a basis for reconstructing stage hydrographs for closed-basin lakes. We use a distributed lag correlation model to calculate a variable, ωt that represents the water level of a lake at any time t as a result of integrated climatic forcing from preceding years. The method was validated using both synthetic and measured lake-stage data and the study found that a lake's "memory" of climate fades as time passes, following an exponential-decay function at rates determined by the correlation time lag. Calculated trends in ωt for Moon Lake, Rice Lake, and Lake Mina from A.D. 1401 to 1860 compared well with the established chronologies (salinity, moisture, and Mg/Ca ratios) reconstructed from sediments. This method provides an independent approach for developing high-resolution information on lake behaviors in preinstrumental times and has been able to identify problems of climate signal deterioration in sediment-based climate reconstructions in lakes with a long time lag.

Record of the North American southwest monsoon from Gulf of Mexico sediment cores

USGS Publications Warehouse

Poore, R.Z.; Pavich, M.J.; Grissino-Mayer, H. D.

2005-01-01

Summer monsoonal rains (the southwest monsoon) are an important source of moisture for parts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Improved documentation of the variability in the southwest monsoon is needed because changes in the amount and seasonal distribution of precipitation in this semiarid region of North America influence overall water supply and fire severity. Comparison of abundance variations in the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides sacculifer in marine cores from the western and northern Gulf of Mexico with terrestrial proxy records of precipitation (tree-ring width and packrat-midden occurrences) from the southwestern United States indicate that G. sacculifer abundance is a proxy for the southwest monsoon on millennial and submillennial time scales. The marine record confirms the presence of a severe multicentury drought centered ca. 1600 calendar (cal.) yr B.P. as well as several multidecadal droughts that have been identified in a long tree-ring record spanning the past 2000 cal. yr from westcentral New Mexico. The marine record further suggests that monsoon circulation, and thus summer rainfall, was enhanced in the middle Holocene (ca. 6500-4500 14C yr B.P.; ca. 6980-4710 cal. yr B.P.). The marine proxy provides the potential for constructing a highly resolved, well-dated, and continuous history of the southwest monsoon for the entire Holocene. ?? 2005 Geological Society of America.

Spatial variations of sapwood chemistry with soil acidity in Appalachian forests. [Quercus rubra; Prunus serotina; Pinus strobus L. ; Tsuga canadensis; Quercus prinus; Carya glabra

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DeWalle, D.R.; Swistock, B.R.; Sharpe, W.E.

Studies were conducted at five Appalchian sites to determine if chemical element concentrations in sapwood tree rings from six tree species varied with soil and soil leachate acidity. The most recent 5-yr-growth increment was extracted from 10 tree boles of each species at each site and analyzed for chemical content using plasma emission spectroscopy. Sapwood tree rings generally showed higher concentrations of Mn and lower concentrations of Sr at sites with lower soil pH. Differences in tree-ring concentrations for Ca and Mn among sites were also found in soil water samples at these sites. Significant differences in soil leachate Almore » between sites were not duplicated in tree rings. Sapwood tree-ring chemistry in red oak (Quercus rubra L.), black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.), eastern white pine (pinus strobus L.) and eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.) was generally responsive to differences in soil chemistry between sites. Chestnut oak (Quercus prinus L.) and pignut hickory (Carya glabra (Mill.) Sweet) were the least responsive species tested. Overall, results show that several common tree species and selected elements are potentially useful for studying historic soil acidification trends at these study sites.« less

Urban Tree Species Show the Same Hydraulic Response to Vapor Pressure Deficit across Varying Tree Size and Environmental Conditions

PubMed Central

Chen, Lixin; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Ewers, Brent E.

2012-01-01

Background The functional convergence of tree transpiration has rarely been tested for tree species growing under urban conditions even though it is of significance to elucidate the relationship between functional convergence and species differences of urban trees for establishing sustainable urban forests in the context of forest water relations. Methodology/Principal Findings We measured sap flux of four urban tree species including Cedrus deodara, Zelkova schneideriana, Euonymus bungeanus and Metasequoia glyptostroboides in an urban park by using thermal dissipation probes (TDP). The concurrent microclimate conditions and soil moisture content were also measured. Our objectives were to examine 1) the influence of tree species and size on transpiration, and 2) the hydraulic control of urban trees under different environmental conditions over the transpiration in response to VPD as represented by canopy conductance. The results showed that the functional convergence between tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree canopy transpiration amount (E c) was not reliable to predict stand transpiration and there were species differences within same DBH class. Species differed in transpiration patterns to seasonal weather progression and soil water stress as a result of varied sensitivity to water availability. Species differences were also found in their potential maximum transpiration rate and reaction to light. However, a same theoretical hydraulic relationship between G c at VPD = 1 kPa (G cref) and the G c sensitivity to VPD (−dG c/dlnVPD) across studied species as well as under contrasting soil water and R s conditions in the urban area. Conclusions/Significance We concluded that urban trees show the same hydraulic regulation over response to VPD across varying tree size and environmental conditions and thus tree transpiration could be predicted with appropriate assessment of G cref. PMID:23118904

Urban tree species show the same hydraulic response to vapor pressure deficit across varying tree size and environmental conditions.

PubMed

Chen, Lixin; Zhang, Zhiqiang; Ewers, Brent E

2012-01-01

The functional convergence of tree transpiration has rarely been tested for tree species growing under urban conditions even though it is of significance to elucidate the relationship between functional convergence and species differences of urban trees for establishing sustainable urban forests in the context of forest water relations. We measured sap flux of four urban tree species including Cedrus deodara, Zelkova schneideriana, Euonymus bungeanus and Metasequoia glyptostroboides in an urban park by using thermal dissipation probes (TDP). The concurrent microclimate conditions and soil moisture content were also measured. Our objectives were to examine 1) the influence of tree species and size on transpiration, and 2) the hydraulic control of urban trees under different environmental conditions over the transpiration in response to VPD as represented by canopy conductance. The results showed that the functional convergence between tree diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree canopy transpiration amount (E(c)) was not reliable to predict stand transpiration and there were species differences within same DBH class. Species differed in transpiration patterns to seasonal weather progression and soil water stress as a result of varied sensitivity to water availability. Species differences were also found in their potential maximum transpiration rate and reaction to light. However, a same theoretical hydraulic relationship between G(c) at VPD = 1 kPa (G(cref)) and the G(c) sensitivity to VPD (-dG(c)/dlnVPD) across studied species as well as under contrasting soil water and R(s) conditions in the urban area. We concluded that urban trees show the same hydraulic regulation over response to VPD across varying tree size and environmental conditions and thus tree transpiration could be predicted with appropriate assessment of G(cref).

Increase in platinum group elements in Mexico City as revealed from growth rings of Taxodium mucronatum ten.

PubMed

Morton-Bermea, Ofelia; Beramendi-Orosco, Laura; Martínez-Reyes, Ángeles; Hernández-Álvarez, Elizabeth; González-Hernández, Galia

2016-02-01

Tree rings may be used as indicators of contamination events providing information on the chronology and the elemental composition of the contamination. In this framework, we report PGEs enrichment in growth rings of Taxodium mucronatum ten for trees growing in the central area of Mexico City as compared to trees growing in a non-urban environment. Concentrations of PGE were determined by ICP-MS analysis on microwave-digested tree rings. The element found in higher concentrations was Pd (1.13-87.98 μg kg(-1)), followed by Rh (0.28-36.81 μg kg(-1)) and Pt (0.106-7.21 μg kg(-1)). The concentration trends of PGEs in the tree-ring sequences from the urban area presented significant correlation values when comparing between trees (r between 0.618 and 0.98, P < 0.025) and between elements within individual trees (r between 0.76 and 0.994, P < 0.01). Furthermore, a clear increase was observed for rings after 1997, with enrichment of up to 60 times the mean concentration found for the sequence from the non-urban area and up to 40 times the mean concentration for the pre-1991 period in the urban trees. These results also demonstrate the feasibility of applying T. mucronatum ten to be used as a bioindicator of the increase in PGE in urban environments.

North American Monsoon Response to Eemian Climate Forcings and its Effect on Rocky Mountain Forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Insel, N.; Berkelhammer, M. B.

2017-12-01

The key to recognizing and predicting future changes in regional climate and ecosystems lies in understanding the causes and characteristics of paleovariations. The Last Interglacial (LIG: 130-116 ka) is the most recent period in Earth history when temperatures are believed to have exceeded those of today. In this study, we are focusing on the response of the North American monsoon (NAM) to shifts in orbital forcings during LIG. In particular, we are using regional climate model (RegCM) simulations under LIG (115ka, 125 ka and 135 ka) and modern forcings to evaluate changes in the strength, timing, duration, and amount of moisture transported from different sources during the NAM season. Understanding these variations is critical to forecast seasonal supply of water to the southwestern U.S. under current warming conditions. In addition, cellulose extracted stable isotopes from Rocky Mountain Eemian wood samples provides both a tool to diagnose the model simulations and to evaluate the response of western U.S. tree species to changes in temperature and moisture availability. Our preliminary results indicate enhanced summer precipitation, wind shifts and changes in NAM characteristics in response to increased Northern Hemisphere insolation. The following features were observed: (1) The NAM strengthens and extends slightly more northward during the Eemian due to a shift in upper-level divergence. (2) The onset and duration of the NAM seems to be similar between modern and Eemian simulations. (3) Consistent with modern observations, simulations suggest a western NAM region in Arizona that receives most of its monsoonal moisture from the Gulf of California, while the eastern NAM region in New Mexico obtains most of its summer rains from the Gulf of Mexico. In the Eemian, we see a spatial shift from more depleted to more enriched source waters throughout the monsoon season. These changes in the summer climate are confirmed by the tree ring isotope data, which show a clear increase in δ18O late in the growing season suggesting a change in water source or water stress. Ongoing simulations will be used to address the question of whether increased access to moisture sources offset the negative impact of earlier snowmelt on tree growth.

Proxy system modeling of tree-ring isotope chronologies over the Common Era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anchukaitis, K. J.; LeGrande, A. N.

2017-12-01

The Asian monsoon can be characterized in terms of both precipitation variability and atmospheric circulation across a range of spatial and temporal scales. While multicentury time series of tree-ring widths at hundreds of sites across Asia provide estimates of past rainfall, the oxygen isotope ratios of annual rings may reveal broader regional hydroclimate and atmosphere-ocean dynamics. Tree-ring oxygen isotope chronologies from Monsoon Asia have been interpreted to reflect a local 'amount effect', relative humidity, source water and seasonality, and winter snowfall. Here, we use an isotope-enabled general circulation model simulation from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Science (GISS) Model E and a proxy system model of the oxygen isotope composition of tree-ring cellulose to interpret the large-scale and local climate controls on δ 18O chronologies. Broad-scale dominant signals are associated with a suite of covarying hydroclimate variables including growing season rainfall amounts, relative humidity, and vapor pressure deficit. Temperature and source water influences are region-dependent, as are the simulated tree-ring isotope signals associated with the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and large-scale indices of the Asian monsoon circulation. At some locations, including southern coastal Viet Nam, local precipitation isotope ratios and the resulting simulated δ 18O tree-ring chronologies reflect upstream rainfall amounts and atmospheric circulation associated with monsoon strength and wind anomalies.

Tree Rings as Chroniclers of Mercury Exposure in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riscassi, A. L.; Camper, T.; Lee, T. R.; Druckenbrod, D.; Scanlon, T. M.

2016-12-01

Although historical Hg emissions and subsequent deposition play a dominant role in shaping present and future Hg cycling, our knowledge of this is limited in both space and time. Recent studies have shown Hg concentrations in tree rings have the potential to archive historical Hg exposure from local, regional, and global sources, however, no studies have evaluated tree rings in the eastern U.S., a region of elevated Hg deposition from upwind power plants. In order to chronicle the historical Hg exposure of the central Appalachian region through dendrochemical analysis, tree rings were cored along a latitudinal gradient in Shenandoah National Park with sites clustered in North, Central and Southern regions. Long-lived tree species with low radial permeability, chosen to avoid the potential for chemical translocation, included white oak (Quercus Alba), northern red oak (Quercus rubra), and pitch pine (Pinus rigida). In each of the three regions, we collected a core from three individuals of each tree species (27 total cores) and analyzed each for Hg content in 10-yr increments. Overall, tree ring Hg concentrations (average 0.88 ng Hg g-1) were similar to other studies and varied between species. Temporal tree-core Hg trends did not relate to trends in modeled global atmospheric Hg concentrations or regional sources (e.g., fire, coal production), but rather tracked the use of Hg from a local industrial point source. Contemporary wind data originating from the location of the local Hg source in conjunction with an atmospheric model indicate emissions from the plant likely impact the southern region of the park, with a lesser influence in the central and north regions, matching the longitudinal gradient observed in tree rings. This study raises questions about the extent of historical contamination from the industrial site and demonstrates the potential usefulness of tree ring dendrochemistry for identifying historical sources of atmospheric Hg exposure.

Radiocarbon studies of plant leaves and rings from mammoth mountain, CA: A long-term record of magmatic CO2 release

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cook, A.C.; Hainsworth, L.J.; Sorey, M.L.; Evans, William C.; Southon, J.R.

2001-01-01

Evaluation of 14C in tree rings provides a measure of the flux of magmatic CO2 from Mammoth Mountain both before and after 1994 when copious diffuse emissions were first discovered and linked to tree kill. We analyzed the annual rings of trees with two main purposes: (1) to track changes in the magnitude of magmatic CO2 emission over time, and (2) to determine the onset of magmatic CO2 emission at numerous sites on Mammoth Mountain. The onset of CO2 emission at different areas of tree kill was determined to be in 1990, closely following the seismic events of 1989. At Horseshoe Lake (HSL), CO2 emission was found to have peaked in 1991 and to have subsequently declined by a factor of two through 1998. The tree-ring data also show that emissions of magmatic carbon from cold springs below the tree-kill areas occurred well before 1989. Trees located on the margins of the kill areas or otherwise away from zones of maximum gas discharge were found to be better integrators of magmatic CO2 emission than those located in the center of tree kills. Although quantitative extrapolations from our data to a flux history will require that a relationship be established between 14C depletion in tree rings and average annual magmatic CO2 flux, the pattern of 14C depletion in tree rings is likely to be the most reliable indicator of the long-term changes in the magnitude of CO2 release from Mammoth Mountain. ?? 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Linking Tree Growth Response to Measured Microclimate - A Field Based Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, J. T.; Hoylman, Z. H.; Looker, N. T.; Jencso, K. G.; Hu, J.

2015-12-01

The general relationship between climate and tree growth is a well established and important tenet shaping both paleo and future perspectives of forest ecosystem growth dynamics. Across much of the American west, water limits growth via physiological mechanisms that tie regional and local climatic conditions to forest productivity in a relatively predictable way, and these growth responses are clearly evident in tree ring records. However, within the annual cycle of a forest landscape, water availability varies across both time and space, and interacts with other potentially growth limiting factors such as temperature, light, and nutrients. In addition, tree growth responses may lag climate drivers and may vary in terms of where in a tree carbon is allocated. As such, determining when and where water actually limits forest growth in real time can be a significant challenge. Despite these challenges, we present data suggestive of real-time growth limitation driven by soil moisture supply and atmospheric water demand reflected in high frequency field measurements of stem radii and cell structure across ecological gradients. The experiment was conducted at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest in western Montana where, over two years, we observed intra-annual growth rates of four dominant conifer species: Douglas fir, Ponderosa Pine, Engelmann Spruce and Western Larch using point dendrometers and microcores. In all four species studied, compensatory use of stored water (inferred from stem water deficit) appears to exhibit a threshold relationship with a critical balance point between water supply and demand. The occurrence of this point in time coincided with a decrease in stem growth rates, and the while the timing varied up to one month across topographic and elevational gradients, the onset date of growth limitation was a reliable predictor of overall annual growth. Our findings support previous model-based observations of nonlinearity in the relationship between climate and annual ring formation, and suggest a rather immediate growth response to critical micro-meteorological conditions occurring at different times across the landscape by linking the timing and magnitude of tree growth responses to in situ measurements of environmental conditions.

The EASTNET Project: Extending the Network of Climate-Sensitive Tree-Ring Chronologies From the Eastern United States for Reconstructing the Spatio-Temporal Characteristics of Climate and Drought Over the Past Millennium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckley, B. M.; Cook, E. R.

2002-12-01

Recently, a network of gridded PDSI reconstructions for the contiguous United States was produced, based on the available network of drought-sensitive tree-ring chronologies (Cook et al. 1999). Analyses were constrained to the common period of 1700 - 1979 due to the limitations of the available tree-ring data. While several chronologies from the western U.S. span 1,000 years or more, very few chronologies from the eastern U.S. covered even the past 500 years. The objective of this project, funded by the National Science Foundation's ESH program, is to extend the tree-ring chronology network from the eastern U.S. with chronologies spanning the past 500-1,000 years. This aim is being achieved by sampling in areas that have escaped the effects of development, logging and major disturbance such as fire. The two main target species are Thuja occidentalis (eastern white cedar) and Juniperus virginiana (eastern red cedar). The primary terrain types are on cliffs, rocky outcrops, and other areas that have been difficult to access. We have already developed chronologies from Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia that span from 500 to 1500 years. The temporal depth of these chronologies is being extended through the exploitation of "sub-fossil" wood found at these sites, in the form of standing-dead stems and downed and buried logs. We are also currently pursuing leads in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey Pennsylvania, Kentucky and North Carolina where old cedar trees have either been reported or where terrain types match criteria developed for this project. In this paper we discuss the current status of the network, and explore the spatio-temporal characteristics of climate and drought across the eastern US for the past 500 years and more. We use our preliminary network to explore the regional expression of climate anomalies such as drought. Our analyses so far demonstrates multicentennial variability suggestive of Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and Little Ice Age (LIA) type signatures from an eastern red cedar chronology from West Virginia that spans the past 1,500 years. This is the oldest chronology so far developed from this project, though we anticipate the development of several more millennial length time-series within the next year. References Cook, E.R., Meko, D.M., Stahle, D.W., and Cleaveland, M.K. 1999. Drought reconstructions for the continental United States. Journal of Climate 12:1145-1162.

Arsenic in tree rings at a highly contaminated site.

PubMed

Cheng, Zhongqi; Buckley, Brendan M; Katz, Beth; Wright, William; Bailey, Richard; Smith, Kevin T; Li, Jingbo; Curtis, Ashley; Geen, Alexander van

2007-04-15

Arsenic concentrations were measured in annual rings, pith, bark, and leaves of five tree species (four genera) from a site highly contaminated with As in Vineland, New Jersey, and two nearby uncontaminated areas. The highest As concentrations were found in bark (0.68+/-0.89 mg/kg, n=16) and leaves (1.9+/-1.8 mg/kg, n=4) from the contaminated area. Tree-ring As levels from the contaminated area (0.28+/-0.15 mg/kg, n=32) were low but still considerably higher than those from the control areas (0.06+/-0.06 mg/kg, n=30). There is a generally positive relationship between soil and tree-ring As levels. The overall low uptake of As by trees contrasts with that of P, a chemical analog for As(V) in aerated soils. Much higher P concentration in sapwood than in heartwood indicates that P is exported into more recently formed wood during the conversion from sapwood to heartwood; this again is drastically different than the behavior of As which is present in sapwood and heartwood at comparable levels. Variable sapwood As concentrations observed in detailed radial profiles of tree-ring chemistry of a pine and an oak from the contaminated site suggest that As is most likely transported among multiple rings within the sapwood. Therefore, tree species for which sapwood is thin (e.g., oak as in this study) should be preferred for reconstructing the history of contamination of a site. Due to the possibility of lateral translocation between growth rings, further studies are necessary to understand within-tree As transport and storage before dendrochemistry can be confidently accepted for such applications.

Moisture-driven xylogenesis in Pinus ponderosa from a Mojave Desert mountain reveals high phenological plasticity.

PubMed

Ziaco, Emanuele; Truettner, Charles; Biondi, Franco; Bullock, Sarah

2018-04-01

Future seasonal dynamics of wood formation in hyperarid environments are still unclear. Although temperature-driven extension of the growing season and increased forest productivity are expected for boreal and temperate biomes under global warming, a similar trend remains questionable in water-limited regions. We monitored cambial activity in a montane stand of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) from the Mojave Desert for 2 consecutive years (2015-2016) showing opposite-sign anomalies between warm- and cold-season precipitation. After the wet winter/spring of 2016, xylogenesis started 2 months earlier compared to 2015, characterized by abundant monsoonal (July-August) rainfall and hyperarid spring. Tree size did not influence the onset and ending of wood formation, highlighting a predominant climatic control over xylem phenological processes. Moisture conditions in the previous month, in particular soil water content and dew point, were the main drivers of cambial phenology. Latewood formation started roughly at the same time in both years; however, monsoonal precipitation triggered the formation of more false rings and density fluctuations in 2015. Because of uncertainties in future precipitation patterns simulated by global change models for the Southwestern United States, the dependency of P. ponderosa on seasonal moisture implies a greater conservation challenge than for species that respond mostly to temperature conditions. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Precipitation stable isotope records from the northern Hengduan Mountains in China capture signals of the winter India-Burma Trough and the Indian Summer Monsoon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Wusheng; Tian, Lide; Yao, Tandong; Xu, Baiqing; Wei, Feili; Ma, Yaoming; Zhu, Haifeng; Luo, Lun; Qu, Dongmei

2017-11-01

This project reports results of the first precipitation stable isotope (δ18 O and δD) time series produced for Qamdo in the northern Hengduan Mountains in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. The data showed that the fluctuations of precipitation stable isotopes at Qamdo during the different seasons revealed various moisture sources. The westerlies and local recycling moisture dominated at the study area before the pre-monsoon and after the post-monsoon seasons, which resulted in similar trends of both precipitation stable isotopes and temperature. The marine moisture was transported to the northern Hengduan Mountains by the winter India-Burma Trough combined with convection. Consequently, stable isotopes in subsequent precipitation were occasionally observed to decrease suddenly. However, δ18 O and δD values of precipitation at Qamdo were lower during the monsoon period and the duration of those low values was longer because of the effects of the Indian Summer Monsoon and the strengthening convection. Our findings indicate that the effects of seasonal precipitation differences caused by various climate systems, including the winter India-Burma Trough and Indian Summer Monsoon, need to be considered when attempting to interpret tree-ring and ice core records for the Hengduan Mountains.

Vegetation control effects on untreated wood, crude cellulose and holocellulose 𗉝C of early and latewood in 3- to 5-year-old rings of Douglas-fir

Treesearch

Adrian Ares; Constance A Harrington; Thomas A. Terry; Joseph M. Kraft

2009-01-01

The stable carbon (C) composition of tree rings expressed as 13C, is a measure of intrinsic water-use efficiency and can indicate the occurrence of past water shortages for tree growth. We examined 13C in 3- to 5-year-old rings of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) trees...

Feasibility of high-density climate reconstruction based on Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) collected tree-ring data

Treesearch

R. Justin DeRose; Shih-Yu Wang; John D. Shaw

2013-01-01

This study introduces a novel tree-ring dataset, with unparalleled spatial density, for use as a climate proxy. Ancillary Douglas fir and pinyon pine tree-ring data collected by the U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis Program (FIA data) were subjected to a series of tests to determine their feasibility as climate proxies. First, temporal coherence between...

Climate variability at the onset of the Younger Dryas as reflected in annually resolved tree-ring stable isotope chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pieper, H.; Helle, G.; Brauer, A.; Kaiser, K. F.; Miramont, C.

2013-12-01

The Younger Dryas interval during the Last Glacial Termination was an abrupt return to glacial-like conditions punctuating the transition to a warmer, interglacial climate. Despite recent advances in the layer counting of ice-core records of the termination, the timing and length of the Younger Dryas remain controversial. Late Glacial and early Holocene tree-ring chronologies are rare, however, they contain valuable information about past environmental conditions at annual time resolution. Changes in tree-ring growth rates can be related to past climate anomalies and changes in the carbon and oxygen isotope composition of tree-ring cellulose reflect atmospheric and hydrospheric changes. We are investigating a 860-year (13200 - 12340 cal BP) dated dendrochronological record of Late Glacial and Early Holocene chronologies of scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) from subfossil tree remnants from Barbiers River (Moyenne Durance, Southern French Alps), as well as from Swiss (Dättnau, Landikon and Gänziloh) sites. Dendro-ecological parameters, such as ring width and stable isotope variations (δ 13C und δ 18O) are used to infer past environmental conditions. We will present our first carbon and oxygen isotope records from tree rings reflecting the environmental changes at the Alleröd/Younger Dryas -transition.

The role of dendrochronology in natural resource management

Treesearch

Ramzi Touchan; Malcolm Hughes

2000-01-01

The discipline of dendrochronology, that is, development and use of time series of annual growth rings of trees, is a set of techniques by which the annual growth layers of trees may be assigned to definite calendar years. The history of changes in the trees’ environment may be reconstructed using various properties of tree rings. In this paper we will discuss how tree...

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Science for Decision-Making: Water Managers and Tree- Ring Data in the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rice, J. L.; Woodhouse, C.; Lukas, J.

2008-12-01

Current climate variability, potential impacts of climate change, and limited resources in the face of growing demand are increasingly prompting water managers in the western United States to consider and use data from climate-related research in water resource planning. Much of these data are produced by stakeholder- driven science programs, such as NOAA's Regional Integrated Science Assessments (RISAs), but there have been few efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of these science-to-application efforts. Over the past several years, researchers with the Western Water Assessment (WWA) RISA have been providing tree-ring reconstructions of streamflow to water managers in Colorado and other western states, and presenting technical workshops explaining the applications of these tree-ring data for water management and planning. Using in-depth interviews and a survey questionnaire, we have assessed the effectiveness and outcomes of these engagements, addressing (1) the factors that have prompted water managers to seek out tree-ring data, (2) how paleoclimate data has been made relevant and accessible for water resource planning, and (3) how tree-ring data and information have been utilized by water managers and other workshop participants. We also provide an assessment of challenges and opportunities that exist in the translation of climate science for decision-making, including how tree-ring data are interpreted in the context of water planning paradigms, issues of credibility and acceptance of tree ring data, and what data needs exist in different planning environments. These findings have broader application in improving and evaluating science-policy interactions related to climate and climate change.

The nuclear bomb carbon curve recorded in tree-rings and lake sediments near Taal Volcano, Central Philippines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liou, M. S.; Li, H. C.; Huang, S. K.; Guan, B. T.

2017-12-01

Dendrochronologies built from precisely dated annual rings have shown to record the regional bomb pulse and the C-14 concentration variations caused by local events. In this study, we collected teak trees Tectona grandis near the Lake Taal, Central Philippines in 2011 for dendrochronological analysis and radiocarbon dating. The tree-ring sample contains 90 rings dated from 1922 to 2011. Currently, 28 selected subsamples have been measured by AMS 14C on bulk carbon with a few samples on holocellulose. The 14C results of the samples indicate that: 1) the results of AMS 14C dating between holocellulose and whole wood from the same ring are similar, so we select whole wood for AMS 14C dating. 2) The nuclear bomb 14C pulse was clearly recorded in the Tectona grandis growth rings. The Δ14C values rose dramatically in 1960 and reached a maximum of 692‰ in 1966. The magnitude and the peak year of the bomb curve in the Tectona grandis tree-ring record are comparable to other published tree-ring records in the tropical regions. 3) The Δ14C values suddenly dropped in 1950, 1964 and 1968, probably affected by CO2 gas releasing due to the Taal volcanic activities. Further study on the tree-ring 14C dating will allow us to evaluate the bomb pulse trends more precisely, and the volcanic activities of Pinatubo and Taal Volcanoes. The tree-ring Δ14C record not only confirms existence of the bomb curve in Taal Lake area, but also allows us compare to the Δ14C record in the lake sediment for chronological construction. A 120-cm gravity core, TLS-2, collected from Lake Taal in 2008, shows the nuclear bomb carbon curve in the TOC of the core. However, the magnitude of the nuclear bomb 14C pulse in the TOC of TLS-2 is much lower than that in the tree-ring records, due to mixing effect of different organic carbon sources, smoothing effect of 14CO2 in multiple years plant growths, local old CO2 emission from volcanic activity, degassing from the lake bottom, and industrial and city pollutions. Nevertheless, by comparing the bomb curves, the chronology of Core TLS-2 is about 60 years with a mean sedimentary rate of 2 cm/yr.

Novel Hydraulic Vulnerability Proxies for a Boreal Conifer Species Reveal That Opportunists May Have Lower Survival Prospects under Extreme Climatic Events

PubMed Central

Rosner, Sabine; Světlík, Jan; Andreassen, Kjell; Børja, Isabella; Dalsgaard, Lise; Evans, Robert; Luss, Saskia; Tveito, Ole E.; Solberg, Svein

2016-01-01

Top dieback in 40–60 years old forest stands of Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] in southern Norway is supposed to be associated with climatic extremes. Our intention was to learn more about the processes related to top dieback and in particular about the plasticity of possible predisposing factors. We aimed at (i) developing proxies for P50 based on anatomical data assessed by SilviScan technology and (ii) testing these proxies for their plasticity regarding climate, in order to (iii) analyze annual variations of hydraulic proxies of healthy looking trees and trees with top dieback upon their impact on tree survival. At two sites we selected 10 tree pairs, i.e., one healthy looking tree and one tree with visual signs of dieback such as dry tops, needle shortening and needle yellowing (n = 40 trees). Vulnerability to cavitation (P50) of the main trunk was assessed in a selected sample set (n = 19) and we thereafter applied SilviScan technology to measure cell dimensions (lumen (b) and cell wall thickness (t)) in these specimen and in all 40 trees in tree rings formed between 1990 and 2010. In a first analysis step, we searched for anatomical proxies for P50. The set of potential proxies included hydraulic lumen diameters and wall reinforcement parameters based on mean, radial, and tangential tracheid diameters. The conduit wall reinforcement based on tangential hydraulic lumen diameters ((t/bht)2) was the best estimate for P50. It was thus possible to relate climatic extremes to the potential vulnerability of single annual rings. Trees with top dieback had significantly lower (t/bht)2 and wider tangential (hydraulic) lumen diameters some years before a period of water deficit (2005–2006). Radial (hydraulic) lumen diameters showed however no significant differences between both tree groups. (t/bht)2 was influenced by annual climate variability; strongest correlations were found with precipitation in September of the previous growing season: high precipitation in previous September resulted in more vulnerable annual rings in the next season. The results are discussed with respect to an “opportunistic behavior” and genetic predisposition to drought sensitivity. PMID:27375672

Added value from 576 years of tree-ring records in the prediction of the Great Salt Lake level

Treesearch

Robert R. Gillies; Oi-Yu Chung; S.-Y. Simon Wang; R. Justin DeRose; Yan Sun

2015-01-01

Predicting lake level fluctuations of the Great Salt Lake (GSL) in Utah - the largest terminal salt-water lake in the Western Hemisphere - is critical from many perspectives. The GSL integrates both climate and hydrological variations within the region and is particularly sensitive to low-frequency climate cycles. Since most hydroclimate variable records cover...

Microwave Soil Moisture Retrieval Under Trees

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

O'Neill, P.; Lang, R.; Kurum, M.; Joseph, A.; Jackson, T.; Cosh, M.

2008-01-01

Soil moisture is recognized as an important component of the water, energy, and carbon cycles at the interface between the Earth's surface and atmosphere. Current baseline soil moisture retrieval algorithms for microwave space missions have been developed and validated only over grasslands, agricultural crops, and generally light to moderate vegetation. Tree areas have commonly been excluded from operational soil moisture retrieval plans due to the large expected impact of trees on masking the microwave response to the underlying soil moisture. Our understanding of the microwave properties of trees of various sizes and their effect on soil moisture retrieval algorithms at L band is presently limited, although research efforts are ongoing in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere to remedy this situation. As part of this research, a coordinated sequence of field measurements involving the ComRAD (for Combined Radar/Radiometer) active/passive microwave truck instrument system has been undertaken. Jointly developed and operated by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and George Washington University, ComRAD consists of dual-polarized 1.4 GHz total-power radiometers (LH, LV) and a quad-polarized 1.25 GHz L band radar sharing a single parabolic dish antenna with a novel broadband stacked patch dual-polarized feed, a quad-polarized 4.75 GHz C band radar, and a single channel 10 GHz XHH radar. The instruments are deployed on a mobile truck with an 19-m hydraulic boom and share common control software; real-time calibrated signals, and the capability for automated data collection for unattended operation. Most microwave soil moisture retrieval algorithms developed for use at L band frequencies are based on the tau-omega model, a simplified zero-order radiative transfer approach where scattering is largely ignored and vegetation canopies are generally treated as a bulk attenuating layer. In this approach, vegetation effects are parameterized by tau and omega, the microwave vegetation opacity and single scattering albedo. One goal of our current research is to determine whether the tau-omega model can work for tree canopies given the increased scatter from trees compared to grasses and crops, and. if so, what are effective values for tau and omega for trees.

Patterns of Late Quaternary hydrologic variability and atmospheric change inferred from a Northern California speleothem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oster, J. L.; Weisman, I. E.; Sharp, W. D.; Ibarra, D. E.

2017-12-01

The synthesis of hydrologically sensitive proxy records across western North America reveals spatial patterns of variability that persist, with some variation, over multiple temporal scales. For example, tree ring records from the last century highlight a distinct north-south dipole pattern in the response of regional precipitation anomalies to ENSO and the PDO, while a similar dipole pattern of wet and dry precipitation anomalies developed across the region in response to climate forcing at the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Hydrologically sensitive proxy records from the intervening transition zone can shed light on the stationarity and spatial scale of this pattern over time. Here we present records of δ18O and δ13C from a Lake Shasta Caverns stalagmite (LSC3) from Northern California that grew from 36 to 14 ka. This cave, located at 40.8°N, is situated within the transition zone and is well-positioned to enhance our understanding of regional precipitation patterns and moisture transport variability during the last glacial period and deglaciation. Six years of weekly rain isotope data indicate that varying atmospheric temperatures and moisture sources are primary controls on δ18O in Northern California precipitation. Increased δ18O and δ13C in LSC3 and slower stalagmite growth rates during MIS 2 suggest increased subtropical moisture but also dry conditions in Northern California. The δ13C record displays distinct millennial-scale oscillations during MIS 3, suggesting drier conditions also occurred during interstadials associated with Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. The LSC3 δ18O record documents changes synchronous with δ18O in the Fort Stanton stalagmite in New Mexico, though sometimes in phase (e.g. during Heinrich Stadial 1; HS1) and sometimes anti-phased (e.g. during the Bölling-Alleröd). Likewise, the LSC3 δ13C record suggests a transition from wet to drier conditions during HS1 in marked contrast to many more southerly records that indicate wetter conditions later in HS1. These comparisons show that changes in Northern California climate were both in and out of phase with hydroclimate variations occurring to the south and southeast. Thus, the LSC3 record refines our understanding of spatial patterns of hydroclimatic change in western North America.

Properties of tree rings in LSST sensors

DOE PAGES

Park, H. Y.; Nomerotski, A.; Tsybychev, D.

2017-05-30

Images of uniformly illuminated sensors for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope have circular periodic patterns with an appearance similar to tree rings. Furthermore, these patterns are caused by circularly symmetric variations of the dopant concentration in the monocrystal silicon boule induced by the manufacturing process. Non-uniform charge density results in the parasitic electric field inside the silicon sensor, which may distort shapes of astronomical sources. Here, we analyzed data from fifteen LSST sensors produced by ITL to determine the main parameters of the tree rings: amplitude and period, and also variability across the sensors tested at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Treemore » ring pattern has a weak dependence on the wavelength. But the ring amplitude gets smaller as wavelength gets longer, since longer wavelengths penetrate deeper into the silicon. Tree ring amplitude gets larger as it gets closer to the outer part of the wafer, from 0.1 to 1.0%, indicating that the resistivity variation is larger for larger radii.« less

Properties of tree rings in LSST sensors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Park, H. Y.; Nomerotski, A.; Tsybychev, D.

Images of uniformly illuminated sensors for the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope have circular periodic patterns with an appearance similar to tree rings. Furthermore, these patterns are caused by circularly symmetric variations of the dopant concentration in the monocrystal silicon boule induced by the manufacturing process. Non-uniform charge density results in the parasitic electric field inside the silicon sensor, which may distort shapes of astronomical sources. Here, we analyzed data from fifteen LSST sensors produced by ITL to determine the main parameters of the tree rings: amplitude and period, and also variability across the sensors tested at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Treemore » ring pattern has a weak dependence on the wavelength. But the ring amplitude gets smaller as wavelength gets longer, since longer wavelengths penetrate deeper into the silicon. Tree ring amplitude gets larger as it gets closer to the outer part of the wafer, from 0.1 to 1.0%, indicating that the resistivity variation is larger for larger radii.« less

Real-Time Monitoring of Mountain Conifer Growth Response to Seasonal Climate and the Summer Monsoon in the Great Basin of North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strachan, S.; Biondi, F.

2013-12-01

Tree rings in the American intermountain west are often used for palaeoclimatic purposes, including reconstructions of precipitation, temperature, and drought. Specific seasonal phenomena such as the North American Monsoon (NAM) are also being identified in tree-ring studies as being related to certain growth features in the rings (such as early-onset 'false' latewood). These relationships have historically been developed using statistical relationships between tree-ring chronologies and regional weather observations. In zones near the periphery of the NAM, summertime precipitation may be more sporadic, yet localized vegetation assemblages in the northern Mojave desert and Great Basin regions indicate that these events are still important for some ecosystems which have established in areas where NAM activity is present. Major shifts in NAM behavior in the past may have been recorded by tree rings, and identifying the specific mechanisms/circumstances by which this occurs is critical for efforts seeking to model ecosystem response to climate changes. By establishing in-situ monitoring of climate/weather, soils, and tree-growth variables in Pinus ponderosa scopulorum and Pinus monophylla zones at study sites in eastern/southern Nevada, we are able to address these issues at very fine spatial and temporal scales. Data from two seasons of monitoring precipitation, solar radiation, air temperature, soil temperature, soil water content, tree sap flow, tree radial distance increment, and hourly imagery are presented. Point dendrometers along with sap flow sensors monitor growth in these ponderosa pine around the clock to help researchers understand tree-ring/climate relationships.

Strip-bark and Whole-bark Siberian Pine Radial Growth Trends and Implications for Climate Reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leland, C.; Cook, E. R.; Andreu-Hayles, L.; Pederson, N.; Hessl, A. E.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; Byambasuren, O.; Nachin, B.; Davi, N. K.; D'Arrigo, R.; Griffin, K. L.; Bishop, D. A.; Rao, M. P.

2017-12-01

Ancient trees can exhibit strip-bark morphology in which a portion of the cambium, the active layer of growth in the stem, dies in response to environmental stress. Partial cambial dieback has been linked to several different ecological and physiological factors, but the causes of dieback vary depending on site conditions. Further, the implications of such morphology on radial growth trends and its importance for tree-ring-based climate reconstructions remain unclear. We investigate the timing and potential environmental drivers of cambial dieback in Pinus sibirica trees from a xeric site in central Mongolia, and compare growth patterns of strip and whole-bark (full cambium) trees over the past 500 years. Cambial dieback occurred primarily on the southern side of trees, and was most common during the cold and dry 19th century. These unfavorable climatic conditions, combined with high exposure to solar radiation, suggested by the orientation of strip bark, might be responsible for cambial dieback. Increasing ring-width trends are gradual in most strip-bark trees, and do not immediately follow dieback dates detected for individual stems. However, a mean ring-width chronology of all strip-bark trees abruptly increases and significantly exceeds ring widths of coeval whole-bark trees in the early 20th century. After standardizing strip and whole-bark series to remove allometric trends, the differences in recent growth trends persist. Before using strip-bark trees for climate reconstruction, we suggest comparing strip and whole-bark ring-width trends in order to determine appropriate methods for removing potential morphology-related growth trends. We extend this study by analyzing stable carbon isotopes in tree rings to evaluate whether there are physiological differences between strip-bark and whole-bark trees, and to determine if δ13C can be used as an additional parameter for climate reconstruction.

Comparison of tree-ring δ18O and meteorological data from Java island, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Y.; Hisamochi, R.; Sano, M.; Nakatsuka, T.; Tazuru, S.; Sugiyama, J.; Tsuda, T.; Tagami, T.

2016-12-01

Tree-ring has been widely recognized as a powerful tool to reconstruct the paleoclimate of terrestrial areas because it has an advantage of exact dating with annual resolution. Paleoclimate reconstruction based on tree-ring is, however, extremely limited in the tropics because it is difficult to acquire long-lived wood samples with annual tree-ring. In this study, as for four teak samples from central Java and six teak samples from western Java, we measured teak δ18O values on annual scale over the last 70 years to evaluate the conformity among oxygen isotopic variations of Javanese teak trees. As a result, oxygen isotopic time series of ten teak trees has significant correlations between each other, suggesting that Javanese teak δ18O values are affected by common climatic factor. In addition, there are significant positive correlations between teak δ18O values and precipitation during the dry season prior to growing season.

The special features of tree ring gas chronologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ageev, Boris G.; Gruzdev, Aleksandr N.; Sapozhnikova, Valeria A.

2015-11-01

Stem wood is known to contain significant amounts of gases. However, literature data on the functional role of the gases are lacking. The results of our experiments show that porous wood structure is capable of annual accumulation (sorption) of the stem gas components that include H2O vapor and plant cell-respired CO2. This allows for development of additional chronologies to be used for gaining a deeper insight into the behavior of the stem gases. An analysis of the vacuum-extracted wood tree ring CO2 and H2O has revealed that the CO2 and H2O chronologies are associated with interannual variations in the total pressure of the gas components in the tree rings and are characterized by short-period cycles independent of tree age and by long-period variations with tree age. Our investigations led us to propose a procedure for using the CO2 content as a marker of year-to-year variations in the total pressure of the residual gas components found in wood tree rings.

Tree-ring strontium-90 and cesium-137 as potential indicators of radioactive pollution.

PubMed

Kagawa, Akira; Aoki, Toru; Okada, Naoki; Katayama, Yukio

2002-01-01

To examine whether tree rings can be used to detect or assess local historical 90Sr or 137Cs fallout, such as that resulting from the Hiroshima atomic bomb, radial distribution of 90Sr and 137Cs in trees was examined. We studied a gymnosperm [Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica (L. f.) D. Don] and an angiosperm (Japanese persimmon, Diospyros kaki Thunb.) tree species from the vicinity of the atomic bomb hypocenter, and from other locations in Japan. A significant amount of 137Cs was detected in tree rings formed before 1945, indicating lateral migration of Cs. In contrast, the specific activity of 90Sr in the Hiroshima Japanese cedar showed the highest level in 1945, due to relatively immobile characteristics of Sr compared with Cs. Strontium-90 and Sr analyses in tree rings helped identify and distinguish between residual 90Sr activity from the Hiroshima atomic bomb and the atmospheric nuclear testing. This indicates the possibility of detecting or assessing previous local 90Sr pollution through with treering analysis.

Drought variation of western Chinese Loess Plateau since 1568 and its linkages with droughts in western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Keyan; Guo, Zhengtang; Chen, Deliang; Linderholm, Hans W.; Li, Jinbao; Zhou, Feifei; Guo, Guoyang; Dong, Zhipeng; Li, Yingjun

2017-12-01

Understanding long-term drought variations in the past can help to evaluate ongoing and future hydroclimate change in the arid western Chinese Loess Plateau (WCLP), a region with increasing demand for water resources due to the increasing population and socioeconomic activities. Here we present a new tree-ring chronology inform the WCLP, which shows coherent interannual variations with tree-ring chronologies from 7 neighboring areas across the WCLP, suggesting a common regional climate control over tree growth. However, considerable differences are observed among their interdecadal variations, which are likely due to growth disturbances at interdecadal timescales. To deal with this issue, we use a frequency based method to develop a composite tree-ring chronology from 401 tree-ring series from these 8 sites, which shows more pronounced interdecadal variability than a chronology developed using traditional methods. The composite tree-ring chronology is used to reconstruct the annual precipitation from previous August to current July from 1568 to 2012, extending about 50 years longer than the previous longest tree-ring reconstruction from the region. The driest epoch of our reconstruction is found in the 1920s-1930s, which matches well with droughts recorded in historical documents. Over the past four centuries, a strong resemblance between drought variability in the WCLP and western North America (WNA) is evident on multidecadal timescales, but this relationship breaks down on timescales shorter than about 50 years.

A 300-year Vietnam hydroclimate and ENSO variability record reconstructed from tree ring δ18O

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sano, Masaki; Xu, Chenxi; Nakatsuka, Takeshi

2012-06-01

A tree ring δ18O chronology is developed for the past 300 years (1705-2004) using 6 cypress trees from northern Vietnam to reconstruct long-term hydroclimatic variations in the summer monsoon season. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well-replicated tree ringδ18O chronology from Southeast Asia, as well as the longest yet produced. Response analyses reveal that tree ring δ18O is significantly correlated with temperature, precipitation, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) during the period May-October, with highest correlation to the PDSI. Our δ18O chronology accounts for 44% of the PDSI variance, and is in good agreement with a 52-year tree ringδ18O chronology from northern Laos (r = 0.77), indicating that regional hydroclimatic signals are well recorded in the δ18O data. Spatial correlation analyses with global sea surface temperatures suggest that the tropical Pacific plays an important role in modulating hydroclimate over the study region. Further, the δ18O chronology correlates significantly with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-related indices, and is therefore used to reconstruct the annual Multivariate ENSO Index. Because previously published ENSO reconstructions are based mainly on proxy records originating from North America and/or the tropical Pacific, the future development of a tree ringδ18O network from mainland Southeast Asia could lead to an independent and more robust reconstruction of ENSO variability.

The continuum of hydroclimate variability in western North America during the last millennium

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ault, Toby R.; Cole, Julia E.; Overpeck, Jonathan T.; Pederson, Gregory T.; St. George, Scott; Otto-Bliesner, Bette; Woodhouse, Connie A.; Deser, Clara

2013-01-01

The distribution of climatic variance across the frequency spectrum has substantial importance for anticipating how climate will evolve in the future. Here we estimate power spectra and power laws (ß) from instrumental, proxy, and climate model data to characterize the hydroclimate continuum in western North America (WNA). We test the significance of our estimates of spectral densities and ß against the null hypothesis that they reflect solely the effects of local (non-climate) sources of autocorrelation at the monthly timescale. Although tree-ring based hydroclimate reconstructions are generally consistent with this null hypothesis, values of ß calculated from long-moisture sensitive chronologies (as opposed to reconstructions), and other types of hydroclimate proxies, exceed null expectations. We therefore argue that there is more low-frequency variability in hydroclimate than monthly autocorrelation alone can generate. Coupled model results archived as part of the Climate Model Intercomparison Project 5 (CMIP5) are consistent with the null hypothesis and appear unable to generate variance in hydroclimate commensurate with paleoclimate records. Consequently, at decadal to multidecadal timescales there is more variability in instrumental and proxy data than in the models, suggesting that the risk of prolonged droughts under climate change may be underestimated by CMIP5 simulations of the future.

Solar and climate signal records in tree ring width from Chile (AD 1587 1994)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodolfo Rigozo, Nivaor; Roger Nordemann, Daniel Jean; Evangelista da Silva, Heitor; Pereira de Souza Echer, Mariza; Echer, Ezequiel

2007-01-01

Tree growth rings represent an important natural record of past climate variations and solar activity effects registered on them. We performed in this study a wavelet analysis of tree ring samples of Pilgerodendron cupressoides species, from Glaciar Pio XI (Lat: 49°12'S; 74°55'W; Alt: 25 m), Chile. We obtained an average chronology of about 400 years from these trees. The 11-yr solar cycle was present during the whole period in tree ring data, being more intense during Maunder minimum (1645-1715). The short-term periods, around 2-7 yr, that were found are more likely associated with ENSO effects. Further, we found significant periods around 52 and 80-100 yr. These periodicities are coincident with the fourth harmonic (52 yr) of the Suess cycle (208 yr) and Gleissberg (˜80-100 yr) solar cycles. Therefore, the present analysis shows evidence of solar activity effect/modulation on climatic conditions that affect tree ring growth. Although we cannot say with the present analysis if this effect is on local, regional or global climate, these results add evidence to an important role of solar activity over terrestrial climate over the past ˜400 yr.

A field-to-desktop toolchain for X-ray CT densitometry enables tree ring analysis

PubMed Central

De Mil, Tom; Vannoppen, Astrid; Beeckman, Hans; Van Acker, Joris; Van den Bulcke, Jan

2016-01-01

Background and Aims Disentangling tree growth requires more than ring width data only. Densitometry is considered a valuable proxy, yet laborious wood sample preparation and lack of dedicated software limit the widespread use of density profiling for tree ring analysis. An X-ray computed tomography-based toolchain of tree increment cores is presented, which results in profile data sets suitable for visual exploration as well as density-based pattern matching. Methods Two temperate (Quercus petraea, Fagus sylvatica) and one tropical species (Terminalia superba) were used for density profiling using an X-ray computed tomography facility with custom-made sample holders and dedicated processing software. Key Results Density-based pattern matching is developed and able to detect anomalies in ring series that can be corrected via interactive software. Conclusions A digital workflow allows generation of structure-corrected profiles of large sets of cores in a short time span that provide sufficient intra-annual density information for tree ring analysis. Furthermore, visual exploration of such data sets is of high value. The dated profiles can be used for high-resolution chronologies and also offer opportunities for fast screening of lesser studied tropical tree species. PMID:27107414

Enumerating Substituted Benzene Isomers of Tree-Like Chemical Graphs.

PubMed

Li, Jinghui; Nagamochi, Hiroshi; Akutsu, Tatsuya

2018-01-01

Enumeration of chemical structures is useful for drug design, which is one of the main targets of computational biology and bioinformatics. A chemical graph with no other cycles than benzene rings is called tree-like, and becomes a tree possibly with multiple edges if we contract each benzene ring into a single virtual atom of valence 6. All tree-like chemical graphs with a given tree representation are called the substituted benzene isomers of . When we replace each virtual atom in with a benzene ring to obtain a substituted benzene isomer, distinct isomers of are caused by the difference in arrangements of atom groups around a benzene ring. In this paper, we propose an efficient algorithm that enumerates all substituted benzene isomers of a given tree representation . Our algorithm first counts the number of all the isomers of the tree representation by a dynamic programming method. To enumerate all the isomers, for each , our algorithm then generates the th isomer by backtracking the counting phase of the dynamic programming. We also implemented our algorithm for computational experiments.

Implications of Liebig’s law of the minimum for tree-ring reconstructions of climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stine, A. R.; Huybers, P.

2017-11-01

A basic principle of ecology, known as Liebig’s Law of the Minimum, is that plant growth reflects the strongest limiting environmental factor. This principle implies that a limiting environmental factor can be inferred from historical growth and, in dendrochronology, such reconstruction is generally achieved by averaging collections of standardized tree-ring records. Averaging is optimal if growth reflects a single limiting factor and noise but not if growth also reflects locally variable stresses that intermittently limit growth. In this study a collection of Arctic tree ring records is shown to follow scaling relationships that are inconsistent with the signal-plus-noise model of tree growth but consistent with Liebig’s Law acting at the local level. Also consistent with law-of-the-minimum behavior is that reconstructions based on the least-stressed trees in a given year better-follow variations in temperature than typical approaches where all tree-ring records are averaged. Improvements in reconstruction skill occur across all frequencies, with the greatest increase at the lowest frequencies. More comprehensive statistical-ecological models of tree growth may offer further improvement in reconstruction skill.

The Last Millennium Reanalysis: Improvements to proxies and proxy modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tardif, R.; Hakim, G. J.; Emile-Geay, J.; Noone, D.; Anderson, D. M.

2017-12-01

The Last Millennium Reanalysis (LMR) employs a paleoclimate data assimilation (PDA) approach to produce climate field reconstructions (CFRs). Here, we focus on two key factors in PDA generated CFRs: the set of assimilated proxy records and forward models (FMs) used to estimate proxies from climate model output. In the initial configuration of the LMR [Hakim et al., 2016], the proxy dataset of [PAGES2k Consortium, 2013] was used, along with univariate linear FMs calibrated against annually-averaged 20th century temperature datasets. In an updated configuration, proxy records from the recent dataset [PAGES2k Consortium, 2017] are used, while a hierarchy of statistical FMs are tested: (1) univariate calibrated on annual temperature as in the initial configuration, (2) univariate against temperature as in (1) but calibration performed using expert-derived seasonality for individual proxy records, (3) as in (2) but expert proxy seasonality replaced by seasonal averaging determined objectively as part of the calibration process, (4) linear objective seasonal FMs as in (3) but objectively selecting relationships calibrated either on temperature or precipitation, and (5) bivariate linear models calibrated on temperature and precipitation with objectively-derived seasonality. (4) and (5) specifically aim at better representing the physical drivers of tree ring width proxies. Reconstructions generated using the CCSM4 Last Millennium simulation as an uninformed prior are evaluated against various 20th century data products. Results show the benefits of using the new proxy collection, particularly on the detrended global mean temperature and spatial patterns. The positive impact of using proper seasonality and temperature/moisture sensitivities for tree ring width records is also notable. This updated configuration will be used for the first generation of LMR-generated CFRs to be publicly released. These also provide a benchmark for future efforts aimed at evaluating the impact of additional proxy records and/or more sophisticated physically-based forward models. References: Hakim, G. J., and co-authors (2016), J. Geophys. Res. Atmos., doi:10.1002/2016JD024751 PAGES2K Consortium (2013), Nat. Geosci., doi:10.1038/ngeo1797 PAGES2k Consortium (2017), Sci. Data. doi:10.1038/sdata.2017.88

Paleoclimate Reconstruction at Lamanai, Belize Using Oxygen-Isotope Tropical Dendrochronology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prentice, A.; Webb, E. A.; White, C. D.; Graham, E.

2009-05-01

Tropical dendrochronology can be complicated because many trees growing in these areas lack distinct visible annual rings. However, the oxygen-isotope composition of wood growing in tropical regions can provide a record of seasonal fluctuations in the amount of precipitation even when visible rings are absent. Variations in the oxygen-isotope compositions of cellulose as the trees grow can be related to the relative timing of wet and dry seasons and used to identify periods of drought. In this study, the oxygen-isotope composition was determined for cellulose extracted from living trees at the site of Lamanai, Belize to assess the variation in oxygen-isotope values that result from heterogeneity within individual tree rings and seasonal fluctuations in amount of precipitation. In temperate regions, the latewood rings that form during periods of reduced growth are traditionally selected for oxygen-isotope analysis of cellulose because their oxygen-isotope compositions are more directly influenced by climate and precipitation during the growing season. However, in tropical isotope dendrochronology, when visible rings are present, detailed sampling of both the light coloured earlywood and the denser latewood is required. At Lamanai, a seasonal signal was evident in the oxygen- isotope composition of the cellulose when tree rings were sectioned in very small increments (approximately every mm), sub-sampling both earlywood and latewood. However, the visible rings did not always correspond with minimum or maximum oxygen-isotope values. As a result, the amplitude of the oxygen-isotope signal obtained by considering only latewood samples is smaller than that obtained from fine-increment sampling. Hence, the oxygen-isotope values of latewood samples alone did not provide accurate data for climate reconstruction. Multiple series of latewood samples extracted from different cross-sections of the same tree did not consistently show the same trends in oxygen isotope values, which can differ by up to 2 permil around the circumference of the same ring. This indicates that even when visible rings are present in tropical trees, the rings may not be annual or continuous. However, the amplitude of variation in the oxygen-isotope values of cellulose from both early and latewood can be related to seasonal signals across the modern tree rings. These signals will be compared to the oxygen-isotope composition of tree ring cellulose extracted from a wood sample excavated from an ancient tomb at the site of Lamanai to assess the preservation of the cellulose- isotope signal in this artefact. If similar oxygen-isotope patterns are preserved in ancient cellulose they can be used as a proxy to determine past climate conditions, such as those experienced by the ancient Maya populations in Belize.

Alpine Holocene Tree Ring Isotope Records - A Synthesis of a Multi-Proxy Approach in Dendroclimatology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziehmer, Malin Michelle; Nicolussi, Kurt; Schlüchter, Christian; Leuenberger, Markus

2017-04-01

High-resolution climate reconstructions based on tree-ring proxies are often limited by the individual segment length of living trees selected at the defined sampling sites, which mostly results in relatively short multi-centennial proxy series. A potential extension of living wood records comprise the addition of subfossil and archeological wood remains resulting in chronologies and associated climate reconstructions which are able to cover a few millennia in central Europe (e.g. Büntgen et al., 2011). However, existing multi-millennial tree-ring width chronologies in central Europe rank among the longest continuous chronologies world-wide and span the entire Holocene (Becker et al., 1993; Nicolussi et al. 2009). So far, these chronologies have mainly been used for dating subfossil wood samples, floating chronologies and archeological artifacts, but only in parts for reconstructing climate. Finds of Holocene wood remains in glacier forefields, peat bogs and small lakes allow us not only to establish such long-term tree-ring width records; further they offer the possibility to establish multi-millennial proxy records for the entire Holocene by using a multi-proxy approach which includes both tree-ring width and triple stable isotope ratios. As temperature limits tree growth at the Alpine upper tree line, the existing tree-ring width records are currently limited to reconstruct a single environmental variable. In the framework of the project Alpine Holocene Tree Ring Isotope Records, we combine tree-ring width, cellulose content as well as carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotope series in a multi-proxy approach which allows the reconstruction of past environments by combining both Holocene wood remains and recent tree samples from two Alpine tree-line species. For this purpose, α-cellulose is prepared from 5-year tree ring blocks following the procedure after Boettger et al. (2007) and subsequently crushed by ultrasonic homogenization (Laumer et al., 2009). The cellulose content is determined for each individual sample and carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios are measured simultaneously (Loader et al., 2015). The isotope records of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen show distinct low-frequency trends for the Early- and Mid-Holocene, but the individual series per proxy are often offset in their isotopic signature. As the sampling sites in our study are distributed along a SW-NE transect, the influence of the site conditions (latitude, longitude, elevation, exposition) and the tree species is tested and subsequently a correction is applied to the individual series. In addition, the tree-ring width records operate as a helpful tool in detecting and attributing the influence of larch budmoth outbreaks on the cellulose content and isotope records. We here present a synthesis of the applied multi-proxy approach and its ability to reconstruct Holocene climate variability for the time span from 9000 to 3500 years b2k covering the Early-Holocene (9000 to 7200 years b2k) and Mid-Holocene (7200 to 4200 years b2k) and the transition to the late Holocene (4200 to 3500 years b2k) as well as the recent 400 years including the modern warming. References Becker, B., & Kromer, B. Palaeogeogr. Palaeoclimatol. Palaeoecol., 1993, 103(1): 67-71 Boettger, T., et al. Anal. Chem., 2007, 79: 4603-4612 Büntgen, U. et al. Science, 2011, 331(6017): 578-582 Laumer, W., et al. Rapid Commun. Mass Spectrom., 2009, 23: 1934-1940 Loader, N.J., et al. Anal. Chem., 2015, 87: 376-380 Nicolussi K., et al. The Holocene, 2009, 19(6): 909-920

Tree growth and recruitment in a leveed floodplain forest in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gee, Hugo K.W.; King, Sammy L.; Keim, Richard F.

2014-01-01

Flooding is a defining disturbance in floodplain forests affecting seed germination, seedling establishment, and tree growth. Globally, flood control, including artificial levees, dams, and channelization has altered flood regimes in floodplains. However, a paucity of data are available in regards to the long-term effects of levees on stand establishment and tree growth in floodplain forests. In this study, we used dendrochronological techniques to reconstruct tree recruitment and tree growth over a 90-year period at three stands within a ring levee in the Mississippi River Alluvial Valley (MAV) and to evaluate whether recruitment patterns and tree growth changed following levee construction. We hypothesized that: (1) sugarberry is increasing in dominance and overcup oak (Quercus lyrata) is becoming less dominant since the levee, and that changes in hydrology are playing a greater role than canopy disturbance in these changes in species dominance; and (2) that overcup oak growth has declined following construction of the levee and cessation of overbank flooding whereas that of sugarberry has increased. Recruitment patterns shifted from flood-tolerant overcup oak to flood-intolerant sugarberry (Celtis laevigata) after levee construction. None of the 122 sugarberry trees cored in this study established prior to the levee, but it was the most common species established after the levee. The mechanisms behind the compositional change are unknown, however, the cosmopolitan distribution of overcup oak during the pre-levee period and sugarberry during the post-levee period, the lack of sugarberry establishment in the pre-levee period, and the confinement of overcup oak regeneration to the lowest areas in each stand after harvest in the post-levee period indicate that species-specific responses to flooding and light availability are forcing recruitment patterns. Overcup oak growth was also affected by levee construction, but in contrast to our hypothesis, growth actually increased for several decades before declining during a drought in the late 1990s. We interpret this result as removal of flood stress following levee construction. This finding emphasizes the fact that flooding can be stressful to trees regardless of their flood tolerance and that growth in floodplain trees can be sustained provided adequate soil moisture is present, regardless of the source of soil moisture. However, future research efforts should focus on the long-term effect of hydrologic modification on stand development and on how hydrologic modifications, such as elimination of surface flooding and groundwater declines, affect the vulnerability of floodplain forests to drought.

Araucaria growth response to solar and climate variability in South Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prestes, Alan; Klausner, Virginia; Rojahn da Silva, Iuri; Ojeda-González, Arian; Lorensi, Caren

2018-05-01

In this work, the Sun-Earth-climate relationship is studied using tree growth rings of Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) O. Kuntze collected in the city of Passo Fundo, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil. These samples were previously studied by Rigozo et al. (2008); however, their main interest was to search for the solar periodicities in the tree-ring width mean time series without interpreting the rest of the periodicities found. The question arises as to what are the drivers related to those periodicities. For this reason, the classical method of spectral analysis by iterative regression and wavelet methods are applied to find periodicities and trends present in each tree-ring growth, in Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), and in annual mean temperature anomaly between the 24 and 44° S. In order to address the aforementioned question, this paper discusses the correlation between the growth rate of the tree rings with temperature and SOI. In each tree-ring growth series, periods between 2 and 7 years were found, possibly related to the El Niño/La Niña phenomena, and a ˜ 23-year period was found, which may be related to temperature variation. These novel results might represent the tree-ring growth response to local climate conditions during its lifetime, and to nonlinear coupling between the Sun and the local climate variability responsible to the regional climate variations.

The history of mercury pollution near the Spolana chlor-alkali plant (Neratovice, Czech Republic) as recorded by Scots pine tree rings and other bioindicators

USGS Publications Warehouse

Navrátil, Tomáš; Šimeček, Martin; Shanley, James B.; Rohovec, Jan; Hojdová, Maria; Houška, Jakub

2017-01-01

We assessed > 100 years of mercury (Hg) pollution recorded in the tree rings of Scots Pine near a Czech chlor-alkali plant operating since 1941. Hg concentrations in tree rings increased with the launching of plant operations and decreased when Hg emissions decreased in 1975 due to an upgrade in production technology. Similar to traditional bioindicators of pollution such as pine needles, bark and forest floor humus, Hg concentrations in Scots Pine boles decreased with distance from the plant. Mean Hg in pine bole in the 1940s ranged from 32.5 μg/kg Hg at a distance of 0.5 km from the plant to 5.4 μg/kg at a distance of > 4.7 km, where tree ring Hg was the same as at a reference site, and other bioindicators also suggest that the effect of the plant was no longer discernible. Tree ring Hg concentrations decreased by 8–29 μg/kg since the 1940s at all study sites including the reference site. The lack of exact correspondence between changes at the plant and tree ring Hg indicated some smearing of the signal due to lateral translocation of Hg from sapwood to heartwood. Bole Hg concentrations reflected local and regional atmospheric Hg concentrations, and not Hg wet deposition.

[Rapid prediction of annual ring density of Paulownia elongate standing tress using near infrared spectroscopy].

PubMed

Jiang, Ze-Hui; Wang, Yu-Rong; Fei, Ben-Hua; Fu, Feng; Hse, Chung-Yun

2007-06-01

Rapid prediction of annual ring density of Paulownia elongate standing trees using near infrared spectroscopy was studied. It was non-destructive to collect the samples for trees, that is, the wood cores 5 mm in diameter were unthreaded at the breast height of standing trees instead of fallen trees. Then the spectra data were collected by autoscan method of NIR. The annual ring density was determined by mercury immersion. And the models were made and analyzed by the partial least square (PLS) and full cross validation in the 350-2 500 nm wavelength range. The results showed that high coefficients were obtained between the annual ring and the NIR fitted data. The correlation coefficient of prediction model was 0.88 and 0.91 in the middle diameter and bigger diameter, respectively. Moreover, high coefficients of correlation were also obtained between annual ring density laboratory-determined and the NIR fitted data in the middle diameter of Paulownia elongate standing trees, the correlation coefficient of calibration model and prediction model were 0.90 and 0.83, and the standard errors of calibration (SEC) and standard errors of prediction(SEP) were 0.012 and 0.016, respectively. The method can simply, rapidly and non-destructively estimate the annual ring density of the Paulownia elongate standing trees close to the cutting age.

[A Surface Plasmon Micro-Ring Sensor Suitable for Humidity Sensing].

PubMed

Li, Zhi-quan; An, Dong-yang; Zhang, Xin; Zhao, Ling-ling; Sha, Xiao-peng; Guo, Shi-liang; Li, Wen-chao

2015-09-01

Temperature is a very important parameter in scientific research, production and life. Almost all the properties of materials are related to temperature. The precise measurement of the temperature is a very important task, so the temperature sensor is widely used as a core part in the temperature measuring instrument. A novel surface plasmon micro-ring sensor suitable for humidity sensing is presented in this paper. The sensor uses a multi-layered surface plasmon waveguide structure and choosing Polyimide (Polyimide, PI) as the moisture material. We get the transfer function of surface plasmon micro-ring sensor by using transfer matrix method. Refractive indexes of Polyimide and the multilayer waveguide structure change as environment relative humidity changes, thus leading to an obvious peak drift of output spectrum. The paper mainly discusses the influence of the changes of the refractive index of humidity-sensing parts on the output spectrum, and the transmission characteristics of multilayer waveguide structure. Through the finite element method and the theoretical simulation of Matlab, We can draw: When the length between the two coupling points of the U-shaped waveguide is an integer multiple of circumference of the micro-ring, an obvious drift in the horizontal direction appears, the free spectral range (FSR) doubled and the sensitivity is 0.0005 μm/%RH; When the external environment relative humidity RH changes from 10% to 100% RH, scatter is change between including (including 0.005 m to 0.005 m, compared to other humidity sensor, the Sensitivity of sensor improves 10~50 times and the transmission is very stable. Results show that the design of surface plasma micro ring sensors has better sensitivity, stable performance and can be used in the humidity measurement, achieving a high sensitivity in the sense of humidity when the wide range of filter frequency selection is taken into account, and providing a theoretical basis for the preparation of micro-optics.

Inter- and intra-specific variation in drought sensitivity in Abies spec. and its relation to wood density and growth traits

PubMed Central

George, Jan-Peter; Schueler, Silvio; Karanitsch-Ackerl, Sandra; Mayer, Konrad; Klumpp, Raphael T.; Grabner, Michael

2016-01-01

Understanding drought sensitivity of tree species and its intra-specific variation is required to estimate the effects of climate change on forest productivity, carbon sequestration and tree mortality as well as to develop adaptive forest management measures. Here, we studied the variation of drought reaction of six European Abies species and ten provenances of Abies alba planted in the drought prone eastern Austria. Tree-ring and X-ray densitometry data were used to generate early- and latewood measures for ring width and wood density. Moreover, the drought reaction of species and provenances within six distinct drought events between 1970 and 2011, as identified by the standardized precipitation index, was determined by four drought response measures. The mean reaction of species and provenances to drought events was strongly affected by the seasonal occurrence of the drought: a short, strong drought at the beginning of the growing season resulted in growth reductions up to 50%, while droughts at the end of the growing season did not affect annual increment. Wood properties and drought response measures showed significant variation among Abies species as well as among A. alba provenances. Whereas A. alba provenances explained significant parts in the variation of ring width measures, the Abies species explained significant parts in the variation of wood density parameters. A consistent pattern in drought response across the six drought events was observed only at the inter-specific level, where A. nordmanniana showed the highest resistance and A. cephalonica showed the best recovery after drought. In contrast, differences in drought reaction among provenances were only found for the milder drought events in 1986, 1990, 1993 and 2000 and the ranking of provenances varied at each drought event. This indicates that genetic variation in drought response within A. alba is more limited than among Abies species. Low correlations between wood density parameters and drought response measures suggest that wood density is a poor predictor of drought sensitivity in Abies spec. PMID:27713591

Oxygen stable isotope ratios from British oak tree-rings provide a strong and consistent record of past changes in summer rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, Giles H. F.; Loader, Neil J.; McCarroll, Danny; Bale, Roderick J.; Demmler, Joanne C.; Miles, Daniel; Nayling, Nigel T.; Rinne, Katja T.; Robertson, Iain; Watts, Camilla; Whitney, Matthew

2015-12-01

United Kingdom (UK) summers dominated by anti-cyclonic circulation patterns are characterised by clear skies, warm temperatures, low precipitation totals, low air humidity and more enriched oxygen isotope ratios (δ18O) in precipitation. Such conditions usually result in relatively more positive (enriched) oxygen isotope ratios in tree leaf sugars and ultimately in the tree-ring cellulose formed in that year, the converse being true in cooler, wet summers dominated by westerly air flow and cyclonic conditions. There should therefore be a strong link between tree-ring δ18O and the amount of summer precipitation. Stable oxygen isotope ratios from the latewood cellulose of 40 oak trees sampled at eight locations across Great Britain produce a mean δ18O chronology that correlates strongly and significantly with summer indices of total shear vorticity, surface air pressure, and the amount of summer precipitation across the England and Wales region of the United Kingdom. The isotope-based rainfall signal is stronger and much more stable over time than reconstructions based upon oak ring widths. Using recently developed methods that are precise, efficient and highly cost-effective it is possible to measure both carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotope ratios simultaneously from the same tree-ring cellulose. In our study region, these two measurements from multiple trees can be used to reconstruct summer temperature (δ13C) and summer precipitation (δ18O) with sufficient independence to allow the evolution of these climate parameters to be reconstructed with high levels of confidence. The existence of long, well-replicated oak tree-ring chronologies across the British Isles mean that it should now be possible to reconstruct both summer temperature and precipitation over many centuries and potentially millennia.

Effect of warming on larch trees in the Asian southern border of the boreal forest, Mongolia and China in the 20th century.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez Caceres, Maximo Larry; Cho, Qiqin; Nobori, Yoshihiro; Takeda, Kazuo; Byambasuren, Mijidsuren; Zhang, Yandong; Sugimoto, Atsuko

2016-04-01

In recent decades air temperature (Ta) has been increasing steadily around the globe and it is reported that in the last 40 years Ta in Mongolia alone has increased by about 2.1 deg.C. The boreal region as a whole is expected to experience changes due to atmospheric drying, permafrost degradation, increases in the frequency of forest fires and other factors that will lead to a shift of the forest ecosystems northward. The southern border of the boreal forest distributes in northern Mongolia and northeast China, which as transition areas are more sensitive to changes. In a 500 km long south-north transect of larch forests extending in each of these two countries, larch forest sites were chosen (Larix sibirica in Mongolia and Larix gmeliini in China). Studies until now have used only tree-ring analysis to determined past and recent climate in Mongolia and China. However, isotope analysis has not been coupled with this analysis to give a wider overview of the environmental changes taking place in these regions. Therefore in this study tree core samples were collected for tree-ring and carbon isotope analysis to be coupled with available meteorological data. These data indicate that in the last four decades, the northernmost site of the selected transect has experienced the largest increase in Ta, but nevertheless the annual Ta in the southernmost site remained several degrees higher. On the other hand precipitation shows a very slight increase in the central and northernmost sites while an insignificant decrease is observed in the southernmost site. Tree-ring analysis shows that for most of the 20th century tree ring growth had lower inter-annual variability until the beginning of the 1970's but from then on the annual variability has increased. Unlike the results of the tree-ring analysis, the carbon isotope analysis revealed that until the 1970's the increases in the drying atmospheric conditions (higher temperature-no changes in rainfall) were not present but the steady increase in values from the 1980's clearly represented the drying effect, especially in the southernmost site. The differences in the carbon isotopic values reflect wetter conditions in the north than in the south but in general all sites are experiencing drier conditions than in previous decades. However the northern site showed more cyclic behavior with values increasing and decreasing in a decadal basis while the southern sites showed a steady increase from a mean value of -23.4 ‰ in the 1950's to a mean value of -21.0 ‰ in the first decade of the 21st century.

Among-tree variability and feedback effects result in different growth responses to climate change at the upper treeline in the Swiss Alps.

PubMed

Jochner, Matthias; Bugmann, Harald; Nötzli, Magdalena; Bigler, Christof

2017-10-01

Upper treeline ecotones are important life form boundaries and particularly sensitive to a warming climate. Changes in growth conditions at these ecotones have wide-ranging implications for the provision of ecosystem services in densely populated mountain regions like the European Alps. We quantify climate effects on short- and long-term tree growth responses, focusing on among-tree variability and potential feedback effects. Although among-tree variability is thought to be substantial, it has not been considered systematically yet in studies on growth-climate relationships. We compiled tree-ring data including almost 600 trees of major treeline species ( Larix decidua , Picea abies , Pinus cembra , and Pinus mugo ) from three climate regions of the Swiss Alps. We further acquired tree size distribution data using unmanned aerial vehicles. To account for among-tree variability, we employed information-theoretic model selections based on linear mixed-effects models (LMMs) with flexible choice of monthly temperature effects on growth. We isolated long-term trends in ring-width indices (RWI) in interaction with elevation. The LMMs revealed substantial amounts of previously unquantified among-tree variability, indicating different strategies of single trees regarding when and to what extent to invest assimilates into growth. Furthermore, the LMMs indicated strongly positive temperature effects on growth during short summer periods across all species, and significant contributions of fall ( L. decidua ) and current year's spring ( L. decidua , P. abies ). In the longer term, all species showed consistently positive RWI trends at highest elevations, but different patterns with decreasing elevation. L. decidua exhibited even negative RWI trends compared to the highest treeline sites, whereas P. abies , P. cembra , and P. mugo showed steeper or flatter trends with decreasing elevation. This does not only reflect effects of ameliorated climate conditions on tree growth over time, but also reveals first signs of long-suspected negative and positive feedback of climate change on stand dynamics at treeline.

Sensitivity of transpiration to subsurface properties: Exploration with a 1-D model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vrettas, Michail D.; Fung, Inez Y.

2017-06-01

The amount of moisture transpired by vegetation is critically tied to the moisture supply accessible to the root zone. In a Mediterranean climate, integrated evapotranspiration (ET) is typically greater in the dry summer when there is an uninterrupted period of high insolation. We present a 1-D model to explore the subsurface factors that may sustain ET through the dry season. The model includes a stochastic parameterization of hydraulic conductivity, root water uptake efficiency, and hydraulic redistribution by plant roots. Model experiments vary the precipitation, the magnitude and seasonality of ET demand, as well as rooting profiles and rooting depths of the vegetation. The results show that the amount of subsurface moisture remaining at the end of the wet winter is determined by the competition among abundant precipitation input, fast infiltration, and winter ET demand. The weathered bedrock retains ˜30% of the winter rain and provides a substantial moisture reservoir that may sustain ET of deep-rooted (>8 m) trees through the dry season. A small negative feedback exists in the root zone, where the depletion of moisture by ET decreases hydraulic conductivity and enhances the retention of moisture. Hence, hydraulic redistribution by plant roots is impactful in a dry season, or with a less conductive subsurface. Suggestions for implementing the model in the CESM are discussed.

Wood anatomical parameters of lowland European oak and Scots pine as proxies for climate reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balanzategui, Daniel; Heußner, Karl-Uwe; Wazny, Tomasz; Helle, Gerd; Heinrich, Ingo

2017-04-01

Tree-ring based temperature reconstructions from the temperate lowlands worldwide are largely missing due to diffuse climate signals so far found in tree-ring widths. This motivated us to concentrate our efforts on the wood anatomies of two common European tree species, the European oak (Quercus robur) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). We combined core samples of living trees with archaeological wood from northern Germany and Poland. We measured approx. 46,000 earlywood oak vessels of 34 trees covering the period AD 1500 to 2016 and approx. 7.5 million pine tracheid cells of 41 trees covering the period AD 1300 to 2010. First climate growth analyses indicate that both oak earlywood vessel and pine tracheid parameters contain climate signals which are different and more significant than those found in tree-ring widths. Preliminary results will be presented and discussed at EGU for the first time.

An extractive removal step optimized for a high-throughput α-cellulose extraction method for δ 13 C and δ 18 O stable isotope ratio analysis in conifer tree rings

Treesearch

Wen Lin; Asko Noormets; John S. King; Ge Sun; Steve McNulty; Jean-Christophe Domec; Lucas Cernusak

2017-01-01

Stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ18O) of tree-ring α-cellulose are important tools in paleoclimatology, ecology, plant physiology and genetics. The Multiple Sample Isolation System for Solids (MSISS) was a major advance in the tree-ring α-cellulose extraction methods, offering greater throughput and reduced labor input compared to traditional alternatives. However, the...

Storage requirements for sugar maple seeds

Treesearch

Harry W. Yawney; Clayton M., Jr. Carl

1974-01-01

Sugar maple seeds, collected from three trees in northern Vermont, were stored at four temperatures (18, 7, 2, and -10ºC) in combination with four seed moisture contents (35, 25, 17, and 10 percent). Seed moisture content and storage temperature significantly affected keeping ability, and these factors were highly interrelated. Seeds from all trees kept best...

A comparison of chronologies from tree rings

Treesearch

Kurt H. Riitters

1990-01-01

Forty-five-year ring width index chronologies were estimated by five mean-value functions applied to 183 ring width series from four similar sites. The effects of autocorrelation on the comparisons among mean-value functions were explored by fitting box-Jenkins models to individual-tree index services prior to pooling (prewhitening), and to the pooled chronologies...

The North American Drought Atlas: Tree-Ring Reconstructions of Drought Variability for Climate Modeling and Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, E. R.

2007-05-01

The North American Drought Atlas describes a detailed reconstruction of drought variability from tree rings over most of North America for the past 500-1000 years. The first version of it, produced over three years ago, was based on a network of 835 tree-ring chronologies and a 286-point grid of instrumental Palmer Drought Severity Indices (PDSI). These gridded PDSI reconstructions have been used in numerous published studies now that range from modeling fire in the American West, to the impact of drought on palaeo-Indian societies, and to the determination of the primary causes of drought over North America through climate modeling experiments. Some examples of these applications will be described to illustrate the scientific value of these large-scale reconstructions of drought. Since the development and free public release of Version 1 of the North American Drought Atlas (see http:iridl.ldeo.columbia.edu/SOURCES/.LDEO/.TRL/.NADA2004/.pdsi-atlas.html), great improvements have been made in the critical tree-ring network used to reconstruct PDSI at each grid point. This network has now been enlarged to 1743 annual tree-ring chronologies, which greatly improves the density of tree-ring records in certain parts of the grid, especially in Canada and Mexico. In addition, the number of tree-ring records that extend back before AD 1400 has been substantially increased. These developments justify the creation of Version 2 of the North American Drought Atlas. In this talk I will describe this new version of the drought atlas and some of its properties that make it a significant improvement over the previous version. The new product provides enhanced resolution of the spatial and temporal variability of prolonged drought such as the late 16th century event that impacted regions of both Mexico and the United States. I will also argue for the North American Drought Atlas being used as a template for the development of large-scale drought reconstructions in other land areas of the Northern Hemisphere where sufficient tree-ring data exist. By doing so, the importance of this product to the modeling community will be significantly enhanced.

Effects of Vegetation and of Heat and Vapor Fluxes from Soil on Snowpack Evolution and Radiobrightness

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chung, Y. C.; England, A. W.; DeRoo, R. D.; Weininger, Etai

2006-01-01

The radiobrightness of a snowpack is strongly linked to the snow moisture content profile, to the point that the only operational inversion algorithms require dry snow. Forward dynamic models do not include the effects of freezing and thawing of the soil beneath the snowpack and the effect of vegetation within the snow or above the snow. To get a more realistic description of the evolution of the snowpack, we reported an addition to the Snow-Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere- Transfer (SSVAT) model, wherein we coupled soil processes of the Land Surface Process (LSP) model with the snow model SNTHERM. In the near future we will be adding a radiobrightness prediction based on the modeled moisture, temperature and snow grain size profiles. The initial investigations with this SSVAT for a late winter and early spring snow pack indicate that soil processes warm the snowpack and the soil. Vapor diffusion needs to be considered whenever the ground is thawed. In the early spring, heat flow from the ground into a snow and a strong temperature gradient across the snow lead to thermal convection. The buried vegetation can be ignored for a late winter snow pack. The warmer surface snow temperature will affect radiobrightness since it is most sensitive to snow surface characteristics. Comparison to data shows that SSVAT provides a more realistic representation of the temperature and moisture profiles in the snowpack and its underlying soil than SNTHERM. The radiobrightness module will be optimized for the prediction of brightness when the snow is moist. The liquid water content of snow causes considerable absorption compared to dry snow, and so longer wavelengths are likely to be most revealing as to the state of a moist snowpack. For volumetric moisture contents below about 7% (the pendular regime), the water forms rings around the contact points between snow grains. Electrostatic modeling of these pendular rings shows that the absorption of these rings is significantly higher than a sphere of the same volume. The first implementation of the radiobrightness module will therefore be a simple radiative transfer model without scattering.

A field-to-desktop toolchain for X-ray CT densitometry enables tree ring analysis.

PubMed

De Mil, Tom; Vannoppen, Astrid; Beeckman, Hans; Van Acker, Joris; Van den Bulcke, Jan

2016-06-01

Disentangling tree growth requires more than ring width data only. Densitometry is considered a valuable proxy, yet laborious wood sample preparation and lack of dedicated software limit the widespread use of density profiling for tree ring analysis. An X-ray computed tomography-based toolchain of tree increment cores is presented, which results in profile data sets suitable for visual exploration as well as density-based pattern matching. Two temperate (Quercus petraea, Fagus sylvatica) and one tropical species (Terminalia superba) were used for density profiling using an X-ray computed tomography facility with custom-made sample holders and dedicated processing software. Density-based pattern matching is developed and able to detect anomalies in ring series that can be corrected via interactive software. A digital workflow allows generation of structure-corrected profiles of large sets of cores in a short time span that provide sufficient intra-annual density information for tree ring analysis. Furthermore, visual exploration of such data sets is of high value. The dated profiles can be used for high-resolution chronologies and also offer opportunities for fast screening of lesser studied tropical tree species. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Simulating carbon dioxide exchange rates of deciduous tree species: evidence for a general pattern in biochemical changes and water stress response.

PubMed

Reynolds, Robert F; Bauerle, William L; Wang, Ying

2009-09-01

Deciduous trees have a seasonal carbon dioxide exchange pattern that is attributed to changes in leaf biochemical properties. However, it is not known if the pattern in leaf biochemical properties - maximum Rubisco carboxylation (V(cmax)) and electron transport (J(max)) - differ between species. This study explored whether a general pattern of changes in V(cmax), J(max), and a standardized soil moisture response accounted for carbon dioxide exchange of deciduous trees throughout the growing season. The model MAESTRA was used to examine V(cmax) and J(max) of leaves of five deciduous trees, Acer rubrum 'Summer Red', Betula nigra, Quercus nuttallii, Quercus phellos and Paulownia elongata, and their response to soil moisture. MAESTRA was parameterized using data from in situ measurements on organs. Linking the changes in biochemical properties of leaves to the whole tree, MAESTRA integrated the general pattern in V(cmax) and J(max) from gas exchange parameters of leaves with a standardized soil moisture response to describe carbon dioxide exchange throughout the growing season. The model estimates were tested against measurements made on the five species under both irrigated and water-stressed conditions. Measurements and modelling demonstrate that the seasonal pattern of biochemical activity in leaves and soil moisture response can be parameterized with straightforward general relationships. Over the course of the season, differences in carbon exchange between measured and modelled values were within 6-12 % under well-watered conditions and 2-25 % under water stress conditions. Hence, a generalized seasonal pattern in the leaf-level physiological change of V(cmax) and J(max), and a standardized response to soil moisture was sufficient to parameterize carbon dioxide exchange for large-scale evaluations. Simplification in parameterization of the seasonal pattern of leaf biochemical activity and soil moisture response of deciduous forest species is demonstrated. This allows reliable modelling of carbon exchange for deciduous trees, thus circumventing the need for extensive gas exchange experiments on different species.

Interpreting species-specific variation in tree-ring oxygen isotope ratios among three temperate forest trees

Treesearch

Xin Song; Kenneth S. Clark; Brent R. Helliker

2014-01-01

Although considerable variation has been documented in tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotope ratios (δ18Ocell) among co-occurring species, the underlying causes are unknown. Here, we used a combination of field measurements and modelling to investigate the mechanisms behind variations in late-wood δ

Reconstruction of late Holocene climate based on tree growth and mechanistic hierarchical models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tipton, John; Hooten, Mevin B.; Pederson, Neil; Tingley, Martin; Bishop, Daniel

2016-01-01

Reconstruction of pre-instrumental, late Holocene climate is important for understanding how climate has changed in the past and how climate might change in the future. Statistical prediction of paleoclimate from tree ring widths is challenging because tree ring widths are a one-dimensional summary of annual growth that represents a multi-dimensional set of climatic and biotic influences. We develop a Bayesian hierarchical framework using a nonlinear, biologically motivated tree ring growth model to jointly reconstruct temperature and precipitation in the Hudson Valley, New York. Using a common growth function to describe the response of a tree to climate, we allow for species-specific parameterizations of the growth response. To enable predictive backcasts, we model the climate variables with a vector autoregressive process on an annual timescale coupled with a multivariate conditional autoregressive process that accounts for temporal correlation and cross-correlation between temperature and precipitation on a monthly scale. Our multi-scale temporal model allows for flexibility in the climate response through time at different temporal scales and predicts reasonable climate scenarios given tree ring width data.

Climate Patterns and Trends of Tree-Mortality in the Southwestern United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yi, C.; Mu, G.; Hendrey, G. R.; Vicente-Serrano, S.

2016-12-01

Evidence suggests a world-wide increase in tree mortality associated with climate change in regions subjected to prolonged drought. This is particularly evident in the Southwestern USA (SWUSA) where trees are dying at an accelerating and alarming rate where we investigated climate patterns and trends over the past century in combination with abundant tree-ring data, and thresholds of tree-mortality. In this drought-prone region we found a strong correlation between annual tree-ring width and the corresponding annual average temperature and amount of precipitation. A standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index (SPEI) was a robust predictor of annual tree growth. At a SPEI of -1.6, tree-ring width was found to be zero. We hypothesize that this is a tipping point for tree-ring mortality. This is confirmed in that approximately 225 million trees died in SWUSA in 2002 when SPEI fell below this tipping point. An analysis of future trends in SPEI based on four GHG concentration scenarios of the IPCC predicts that in coming decades, the conifer forest in SWUSA is expected to be lost entirely due to the prolonged drought there, as the SPEI is predicted to pass the tipping point. It can be anticipated that as the area impacted by prolonged drought increases with SPEI falling below -1.6 tree mortality will become a regional or semi-continental phenomenon. Acknowledgement:This research was supported by PSC-CUNY award (PSC-CUNY-ENHC-68849-0046) and the CUNY Collaborative Incentive Research Grant (CUNY-CIRG-80209-08 22).

Interdecadal modulation of El Niño teleconnection on monsoon Asia climate over the past five centuries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, J.; Xie, S. P.

2017-12-01

The El Niño influence on monsoon Asia climate weakened during the mid-20th century and strenthened substantially after the late 1970s. Exploring the nature of such an interdecadal variation is constrained by short instrumental records. Here we synthesize the Indo-Pacific tree-rings and coral records to reconstruct monsoon Asia temperature and moisture change during the past five centuries, and show that the interdecadal modulation of El Niño teleconnection on monsoon Asia climate is a robust feature beyond the instrumenal era. Comparison with proxy El Niño records indicates that the El Niño-monsoon Asia climate teleconnection is controlled by interdecadal changes in ENSO variance, with strong (weak) teleconnection in periods of high (low) variance, respectively.

A 900-year pollen-inferred temperature and effective moisture record from varved Lake Mina, west-central Minnesota, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St. Jacques, Jeannine-Marie; Cumming, Brian F.; Smol, John P.

2008-04-01

Drought is endemic to the North American Great Plains, causing severe economic consequences. However, instrumental climate data only exist from ca AD 1890, and limited tree-ring, paleolimnological, archeological and eolian records document the last two millennia. To address this lack of monitoring and paleoclimatic data, the pollen preserved in the varved sediments of Lake Mina, Minnesota, on the northeastern border of the Great Plains, were analyzed. May and February mean monthly temperatures and "annual precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration" were reconstructed at a 4-year resolution using a pre-settlement pollen-climate calibration set. The period of the so-called Little Ice Age (LIA) (AD 1500-1870) was colder than the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) (AD 1100-1500) in west-central Minnesota. Winter temperatures in the LIA declined more than summer ones. The pollen record suggests that the LIA occurred in three phases: an initial cold phase from AD 1505 to AD 1575, a warmer phase, and then a very cold phase from AD 1625 to AD 1775. There were severe droughts detected in the Lake Mina record from AD 1660 to AD 1710 and AD 1300 to AD 1400, suggesting that high-resolution pollen records can detect events previously defined from the tree-ring records. This latter century-scale drought is concurrent with the widely reported "AD 1250-1400 mega-drought", which exceeds the severity of 20th century droughts.

Investigating the influence of sulphur dioxide (SO 2) on the stable isotope ratios (δ 13C and δ 18O) of tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rinne, K. T.; Loader, N. J.; Switsur, V. R.; Treydte, K. S.; Waterhouse, J. S.

2010-04-01

This study reports the influence of a 20th century pollution signal recorded in the δ 13C and δ 18O of absolutely dated tree rings from Quercus robur and Pinus sylvestris from southern England. We identify a correspondence between the inter-relationship and climate sensitivity of stable isotope series that appears to be linked to recent trends in local SO 2 emissions. This effect is most clearly exhibited in the broadleaved trees studied but is also observed in the δ 13C values of the (less polluted) pine site at Windsor. The SO 2 induced stomatal closure leads to a maximum increase of 2.5‰ in the isotope values (δ 13C). The combined physiological response to high pollution levels is less in δ 18O than δ 13C. The SO 2 signal also seems to be present as a period of reduced growth in the two ring-width chronologies. Direct, quantitative correction for the SO 2 effect represents a significant challenge owing to the nature of the records and likely local plant response to environmental pollution. Whilst it appears that this signal is both limited to the late industrial period and demonstrates a recovery in line with improvements in air quality, the role of atmospheric pollution during the calibration period should not be underestimated and adequate consideration needs to be taken when calibrating biological environmental proxies in order to avoid development of biased reconstructions.

1,500 year quantitative reconstruction of winter precipitation in the Pacific Northwest

PubMed Central

Steinman, Byron A.; Abbott, Mark B.; Mann, Michael E.; Stansell, Nathan D.; Finney, Bruce P.

2012-01-01

Multiple paleoclimate proxies are required for robust assessment of past hydroclimatic conditions. Currently, estimates of drought variability over the past several thousand years are based largely on tree-ring records. We produced a 1,500-y record of winter precipitation in the Pacific Northwest using a physical model-based analysis of lake sediment oxygen isotope data. Our results indicate that during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) (900–1300 AD) the Pacific Northwest experienced exceptional wetness in winter and that during the Little Ice Age (LIA) (1450–1850 AD) conditions were drier, contrasting with hydroclimatic anomalies in the desert Southwest and consistent with climate dynamics related to the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). These findings are somewhat discordant with drought records from tree rings, suggesting that differences in seasonal sensitivity between the two proxies allow a more compete understanding of the climate system and likely explain disparities in inferred climate trends over centennial timescales. PMID:22753510

Upper air teleconnections to Ob River flows and tree rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meko, David; Panyushkina, Irina; Agafonov, Leonid

2015-04-01

The Ob River, one of the world's greatest rivers, with a catchment basin about the size of Western Europe, contributes 12% or more of the annual freshwater inflow to the Arctic Ocean. The input of heat and fresh water is important to the global climate system through effects on sea ice, salinity, and the thermohaline circulation of the ocean. As part of a tree-ring project to obtain multi-century long information on variability of Ob River flows, a network of 18 sites of Pinus, Larix, Populus and Salix has been collected along the Ob in the summers of 2013 and 2014. Analysis of collections processed so far indicates a significant relationship of tree-growth to river discharge. Moderation of the floodplain air temperature regime by flooding appears to be an important driver of the tree-ring response. In unraveling the relationship of tree-growth to river flows, it is important to identify atmospheric circulation features directly linked to observed time series variations of flow and tree growth. In this study we examine statistical links between primary teleconnection modes of Northern Hemisphere upper-air (500 mb) circulation, Ob River flow, and tree-ring chronologies. Annual discharge at the mouth of the Ob River is found to be significantly positively related to the phase of the East Atlantic (EA) pattern, the second prominent mode of low-frequency variability over the North Atlantic. The EA pattern, consisting of a north-south dipole of pressure-anomaly centers spanning the North Atlantic from east to west, is associated with a low-pressure anomaly centered over the Ob River Basin, and with a pattern of positive precipitation anomaly of the same region. The positive correlation of discharge and EA is consistent with these know patterns, and is contrasted with generally negative (though smaller) correlations between EA and tree-ring chronologies. The signs of correlations are consistent with a conceptual model of river influence on tree growth through air temperature. Future work aims at combining the tree-ring samples from living trees and remnant wood to reconstruction to quantitiative reconstruction of annual flow over the past millennium.

From process to proxy: Ecological challenges and opportunities of tree-ring based environmental reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilmking, Martin; Buras, Allan; Heinrich, Ingo; Scharnweber, Tobias; Simard, Sonia; Smiljanic, Marko; van der Maaten, Ernst; van der Maaten-Theunissen, Marieke

2014-05-01

Trees are sessile, long-living organisms and as such constantly need to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Accordingly, they often show high phenotypic plasticity (the ability to change phenotypic traits, such as allocation of resources) in response to environmental change. This high phenotypic plasticity is generally considered as one of the main ingredients for a sessile organism to survive and reach high ages. Precisely because of the ability of trees to reach old age and their in-ability to simply run away when conditions get worse, growth information recorded in tree rings has long been used as a major environmental proxy, covering time scales from decades to millennia. Past environmental conditions (e.g. climate) are recorded in i.e. annual tree-ring width, early- and latewood width, wood density, isotopic concentrations, cell anatomy or wood chemistry. One prerequisite for a reconstruction is that the relationship between the environmental variable influencing tree growth and the tree-growth variable itself is stable through time. This, however, might contrast the ecological theory of high plasticity and the trees ability to adapt to change. To untangle possible mechanisms leading to stable or unstable relationships between tree growth and environmental variables, it is helpful to have exact site information and several proxy variables of each tree-ring series available. Although we gain insight into the environmental history of a sampling site when sampling today, this is extremely difficult when using archeological wood. In this latter case, we face the additional challenge of unknown origin, provenance and (or) site conditions, making it even more important to use multiple proxy time-series from the same sample. Here, we review typical examples, where the relationship between tree growth and environmental variables seems 1) stable and 2) instable through time, and relate these two cases to ecological theory. Based on ecological theory, we then give recommendations to improve the reliability of environmental reconstructions using tree rings.

Effects of mistletoe removal on growth, N and C reserves, and carbon and oxygen isotope composition in Scots pine hosts

PubMed Central

Yan, Cai-Feng; Gessler, Arthur; Rigling, Andreas; Dobbertin, Matthias; Han, Xing-Guo; Li, Mai-He

2016-01-01

Most mistletoes are xylem-tapping hemiparasites, which derive their resources from the host’s xylem solution. Thus, they affect the host’s water relations and resource balance. To understand the physiological mechanisms underlying the mistletoe–host relationship, we experimentally removed Viscum album ssp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollmann from adult Pinus sylvestris L. host trees growing in a Swiss dry valley. We analyzed the effects of mistletoe removal over time on host tree growth and on concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and nitrogen (N) in needles, fine roots and sapwood. In addition, we assessed the δ13C and δ18O in host tree rings. After mistletoe removal, δ13C did not change in newly produced tree rings compared with tree rings in control trees (still infected with mistletoe), but δ18O values increased. This pattern might be interpreted as a decrease in assimilation (A) and stomatal conductance (gs), but in our study, it most likely points to an inadequacy of the dual isotope approach. Instead, we interpret the unchanged δ13C in tree rings upon mistletoe removal as a balanced increase in A and gs that resulted in a constant intrinsic water use efficiency (defined as A/gs). Needle area-based concentrations of N, soluble sugars and NSC, as well as needle length, single needle area, tree ring width and shoot growth, were significantly higher in trees from which mistletoe was removed than in control trees. This finding suggests that mistletoe removal results in increased N availability and carbon gain, which in turn leads to increased growth rates of the hosts. Hence, in areas where mistletoe is common and the population is large, mistletoe management (e.g., removal) may be needed to improve the host vigor, growth rate and productivity, especially for relatively small trees and crop trees in xeric growth conditions. PMID:27083524

Effects of mistletoe removal on growth, N and C reserves, and carbon and oxygen isotope composition in Scots pine hosts.

PubMed

Yan, Cai-Feng; Gessler, Arthur; Rigling, Andreas; Dobbertin, Matthias; Han, Xing-Guo; Li, Mai-He

2016-05-01

Most mistletoes are xylem-tapping hemiparasites, which derive their resources from the host's xylem solution. Thus, they affect the host's water relations and resource balance. To understand the physiological mechanisms underlying the mistletoe-host relationship, we experimentally removed Viscum album ssp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollmann from adult Pinus sylvestris L. host trees growing in a Swiss dry valley. We analyzed the effects of mistletoe removal over time on host tree growth and on concentrations of nonstructural carbohydrates (NSC) and nitrogen (N) in needles, fine roots and sapwood. In addition, we assessed the δ(13)C and δ(18)O in host tree rings. After mistletoe removal, δ(13)C did not change in newly produced tree rings compared with tree rings in control trees (still infected with mistletoe), but δ(18)O values increased. This pattern might be interpreted as a decrease in assimilation (A) and stomatal conductance (gs), but in our study, it most likely points to an inadequacy of the dual isotope approach. Instead, we interpret the unchanged δ(13)C in tree rings upon mistletoe removal as a balanced increase in A and gs that resulted in a constant intrinsic water use efficiency (defined as A/gs). Needle area-based concentrations of N, soluble sugars and NSC, as well as needle length, single needle area, tree ring width and shoot growth, were significantly higher in trees from which mistletoe was removed than in control trees. This finding suggests that mistletoe removal results in increased N availability and carbon gain, which in turn leads to increased growth rates of the hosts. Hence, in areas where mistletoe is common and the population is large, mistletoe management (e.g., removal) may be needed to improve the host vigor, growth rate and productivity, especially for relatively small trees and crop trees in xeric growth conditions. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Annual rings in a native Hawaiian tree, Sophora chrysophylla, on Maunakea, Hawai‘i

Treesearch

Kainana S. Francisco; Patrick J. Hart; Jinbao Li; Edward R. Cook; Patrick J. Baker

2015-01-01

Annual rings are not commonly produced in tropical trees because they grow in a relatively aseasonal environment. However, in the subalpine zones of Hawai‘i's highest volcanoes, there is often strong seasonal variability in temperature and rainfall. Using classical dendrochronological methods, annual growth rings were shown to occur in Sophora...

Tree-ring evidence for the historical absence of cyclic larch budmoth outbreaks in the Tatra Mountains

Treesearch

Oliver Konter; Jan Esper; Andrew Liebhold; Tomas Kyncl; Lea Schneider; Elisabeth Düthorn; Ulf Buntgen

2015-01-01

The absence of larch budmoth outbreaks and subsequent consequences on tree rings together with a distinct climate–growth relationship enhance the dendroclimatic potential of larch ring width data from the Tatra Mountains. Regular population oscillations are generally considered to arise from trophic interactions, though it is unclear how such cycles are...

Climatic response of annual tree-rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ageev, Boris G.; Gruzdev, Aleksandr N.; Ponomarev, Yurii N.; Sapozhnikova, Valeria A.

2014-11-01

Extensive literature devoted to investigations into the influence of environmental conditions on the plant respiration and respiration rate. It is generally accepted that the respired CO2 generated in a stem completely diffuses into the atmosphere. Results obtained from explorations into the CO2 content in disc tree rings by the method proposed in this work shows that a major part of CO2 remains in tree stems and exhibits inter-annual variability. Different methods are used to describe of CO2 and H2O distributions in disc tree rings. The relation of CO2 and H2O variations in a Siberian stone pine disc to meteorological parameters are analyzed with use of wavelet, spectral and cross-spectral techniques. According to a multiple linear regression model, the time evolution of the width of Siberian stone pine rings can be partly explained by a combined influence of air temperature, precipitation, cloudiness and solar activity. Conclusions are made regarding the response of the CO2 and H2O content in coniferous tree disc rings to various climatic factors. Suggested method of CO2, (CO2+H2O) detection can be used for studying of a stem respiration in ecological risk areas.

Long tree-ring chronologies provide evidence of recent tree growth decrease in a Central African tropical forest.

PubMed

Battipaglia, Giovanna; Zalloni, Enrica; Castaldi, Simona; Marzaioli, Fabio; Cazzolla-Gatti, Roberto; Lasserre, Bruno; Tognetti, Roberto; Marchetti, Marco; Valentini, Riccardo

2015-01-01

It is still unclear whether the exponential rise of atmospheric CO2 concentration has produced a fertilization effect on tropical forests, thus incrementing their growth rate, in the last two centuries. As many factors affect tree growth patterns, short -term studies might be influenced by the confounding effect of several interacting environmental variables on plant growth. Long-term analyses of tree growth can elucidate long-term trends of plant growth response to dominant drivers. The study of annual rings, applied to long tree-ring chronologies in tropical forest trees enables such analysis. Long-term tree-ring chronologies of three widespread African species were measured in Central Africa to analyze the growth of trees over the last two centuries. Growth trends were correlated to changes in global atmospheric CO2 concentration and local variations in the main climatic drivers, temperature and rainfall. Our results provided no evidence for a fertilization effect of CO2 on tree growth. On the contrary, an overall growth decline was observed for all three species in the last century, which appears to be significantly correlated to the increase in local temperature. These findings provide additional support to the global observations of a slowing down of C sequestration in the trunks of forest trees in recent decades. Data indicate that the CO2 increase alone has not been sufficient to obtain a tree growth increase in tropical trees. The effect of other changing environmental factors, like temperature, may have overridden the fertilization effect of CO2.

Long Tree-Ring Chronologies Provide Evidence of Recent Tree Growth Decrease in a Central African Tropical Forest

PubMed Central

Battipaglia, Giovanna; Zalloni, Enrica; Castaldi, Simona; Marzaioli, Fabio; Cazzolla- Gatti, Roberto; Lasserre, Bruno; Tognetti, Roberto; Marchetti, Marco; Valentini, Riccardo

2015-01-01

It is still unclear whether the exponential rise of atmospheric CO2 concentration has produced a fertilization effect on tropical forests, thus incrementing their growth rate, in the last two centuries. As many factors affect tree growth patterns, short -term studies might be influenced by the confounding effect of several interacting environmental variables on plant growth. Long-term analyses of tree growth can elucidate long-term trends of plant growth response to dominant drivers. The study of annual rings, applied to long tree-ring chronologies in tropical forest trees enables such analysis. Long-term tree-ring chronologies of three widespread African species were measured in Central Africa to analyze the growth of trees over the last two centuries. Growth trends were correlated to changes in global atmospheric CO2 concentration and local variations in the main climatic drivers, temperature and rainfall. Our results provided no evidence for a fertilization effect of CO2 on tree growth. On the contrary, an overall growth decline was observed for all three species in the last century, which appears to be significantly correlated to the increase in local temperature. These findings provide additional support to the global observations of a slowing down of C sequestration in the trunks of forest trees in recent decades. Data indicate that the CO2 increase alone has not been sufficient to obtain a tree growth increase in tropical trees. The effect of other changing environmental factors, like temperature, may have overridden the fertilization effect of CO2. PMID:25806946

Microstrip Ring Resonator for Soil Moisture Measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarabandi, Kamal; Li, Eric S.

1993-01-01

Accurate determination of spatial soil moisture distribution and monitoring its temporal variation have a significant impact on the outcomes of hydrologic, ecologic, and climatic models. Development of a successful remote sensing instrument for soil moisture relies on the accurate knowledge of the soil dielectric constant (epsilon(sub soil)) to its moisture content. Two existing methods for measurement of dielectric constant of soil at low and high frequencies are, respectively, the time domain reflectometry and the reflection coefficient measurement using an open-ended coaxial probe. The major shortcoming of these methods is the lack of accurate determination of the imaginary part of epsilon(sub soil). In this paper a microstrip ring resonator is proposed for the accurate measurement of soil dielectric constant. In this technique the microstrip ring resonator is placed in contact with soil medium and the real and imaginary parts of epsilon(sub soil) are determined from the changes in the resonant frequency and the quality factor of the resonator respectively. The solution of the electromagnetic problem is obtained using a hybrid approach based on the method of moments solution of the quasi-static formulation in conjunction with experimental data obtained from reference dielectric samples. Also a simple inversion algorithm for epsilon(sub soil) = epsilon'(sub r) + j(epsilon"(sub r)) based on regression analysis is obtained. It is shown that the wide dynamic range of the measured quantities provides excellent accuracy in the dielectric constant measurement. A prototype microstrip ring resonator at L-band is designed and measurements of soil with different moisture contents are presented and compared with other approaches.

Monitoring moisture storage in trees using time domain reflectometry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Constantz, J.; Murphy, F.

1990-01-01

Laboratory and field tests were performed to examine the feasibility of using time domain reflectometry (TDR) to monitor changes in the moisture storage of the woody parts of trees. To serve as wave guides for the TDR signal, pairs of stainless steel rods (13 cm long, 0.32 cm in diameter, and 2.5 cm separation) were driven into parallel pilot holes drilled into the woody parts of trees, and a cable testing oscilloscope was used to determine the apparent dielectric constant. A laboratory calibration test was performed on two sapwood samples, so that the relation between the volumetric water content and the apparent dielectric constant of the sapwood could be determined over a range of water contents. The resulting calibration curve for these sapwood samples was significantly different than the general calibration curve used for soils, showing a smaller change in the apparent dielectric constant for a given change in the volumetric water content than is typical for soils. The calibration curve was used to estimate the average volumetric water content to a depth of 13 cm in living trees. One field experiment was conducted on an English walnut tree (Juglans regia) with a diameter of 40 cm, growing in a flood-irrigated orchard on a Hanford sandy loam near Modesto, California (U.S.A.). Rods were driven into the tree at about 50 cm above the soil surface and monitored hourly for the month of August, 1988. The moisture content determined by TDR showed a gradual decrease from 0.44 to 0.42 cm3 cm-3 over a two week period prior to flood irrigation, followed by a rapid rise to 0.47 cm3 cm-3 over a four day period after irrigation, then again a gradual decline approaching the next irrigation. A second field experiment was made on ten evergreen and deciduous trees with diameters ranging from 30 to 120 cm, growing in the foothills of the Coast Range of central California. Rods were driven into each tree at 50 to 100 cm above the soil surface and monitored on a biweekly to monthly basis for over a year. Most trees showed an early spring maximum in moisture content determined by TDR associated with leaf growth, and a late summer minimum in moisture content associated with the end of the dry season. Moisture contents ranged from 0.20 to 0.70 cm3 cm-3, with an annual percentage change in moisture of 15% to 70% depending on species and environmental conditions. A final field test was performed in northern New Mexico (U.S.A.) to examine the effect of trunk freezing on TDR measurements. This test confirmed that freezing conditions were recorded as a total loss of liquid water by the TDR method. These results suggest that further TDR calibration for wood, plus some understanding of the relation between tree moisture and physiological stress could be useful to several disciplines, ranging from irrigation scheduling to watershed management to forest ecology. ?? 1990.

Monitoring moisture storage in trees using time domain reflectometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Constantz, Jim; Murphy, Fred

1990-11-01

Laboratory and field tests were performed to examine the feasibility of using time domain reflectometry (TDR) to monitor changes in the moisture storage of the woody parts of trees. To serve as wave guides for the TDR signal, pairs of stainless steel rods (13 cm long, 0.32 cm in diameter, and 2.5 cm separation) were driven into parallel pilot holes drilled into the woody parts of trees, and a cable testing oscilloscope was used to determine the apparent dielectric constant. A laboratory calibration test was performed on two sapwood samples, so that the relation between the volumetric water content and the apparent dielectric constant of the sapwood could be determined over a range of water contents. The resulting calibration curve for these sapwood samples was significantly different than the general calibration curve used for soils, showing a smaller change in the apparent dielectric constant for a given change in the volumetric water content than is typical for soils. The calibration curve was used to estimate the average volumetric water content to a depth of 13 cm in living trees. One field experiment was conducted on an English walnut tree ( Juglans regia) with a diameter of 40 cm, growing in a flood-irrigated orchard on a Hanford sandy loam near Modesto, California (U.S.A.). Rods were driven into the tree at about 50 cm above the soil surface and monitored hourly for the month of August, 1988. The moisture content determined by TDR showed a gradual decrease from 0.44 to 0.42 cm 3 cm -3 over a two week period prior to flood irrigation, followed by a rapid rise to 0.47 cm 3 cm -3 over a four day period after irrigation, then again a gradual decline approaching the next irrigation. A second field experiment was made on ten evergreen and deciduous trees with diameters ranging from 30 to 120 cm, growing in the foothills of the Coast Range of central California. Rods were driven into each tree at 50 to 100 cm above the soil surface and monitored on a biweekly to monthly basis for over a year. Most trees showed an early spring maximum in moisture content determined by TDR associated with leaf growth, and a late summer minimum in moisture content associated with the end of the dry season. Moisture contents ranged from 0.20 to 0.70 cm 3 cm -3, with an annual percentage change in moisture of 15% to 70% depending on species and environmental conditions. A final field test was performed in northern New Mexico (U.S.A.) to examine the effect of trunk freezing on TDR measurements. This test confirmed that freezing conditions were recorded as a total loss of liquid water by the TDR method. These results suggest that further TDR calibration for wood, plus some understanding of the relation between tree moisture and physiological stress could be useful to several disciplines, ranging from irrigation scheduling to watershed management to forest ecology.

FireStem2D – A Two-Dimensional Heat Transfer Model for Simulating Tree Stem Injury in Fires

PubMed Central

Chatziefstratiou, Efthalia K.; Bohrer, Gil; Bova, Anthony S.; Subramanian, Ravishankar; Frasson, Renato P. M.; Scherzer, Amy; Butler, Bret W.; Dickinson, Matthew B.

2013-01-01

FireStem2D, a software tool for predicting tree stem heating and injury in forest fires, is a physically-based, two-dimensional model of stem thermodynamics that results from heating at the bark surface. It builds on an earlier one-dimensional model (FireStem) and provides improved capabilities for predicting fire-induced mortality and injury before a fire occurs by resolving stem moisture loss, temperatures through the stem, degree of bark charring, and necrotic depth around the stem. We present the results of numerical parameterization and model evaluation experiments for FireStem2D that simulate laboratory stem-heating experiments of 52 tree sections from 25 trees. We also conducted a set of virtual sensitivity analysis experiments to test the effects of unevenness of heating around the stem and with aboveground height using data from two studies: a low-intensity surface fire and a more intense crown fire. The model allows for improved understanding and prediction of the effects of wildland fire on injury and mortality of trees of different species and sizes. PMID:23894599

Dendrochemistry of multiple releases of chlorinated solvents at a former industrial site

USGS Publications Warehouse

Balouet, Jean Christophe; Burken, Joel G.; Karg, Frank; Vroblesky, Don; Smith, Kevin T.; Grudd, Hakan; Rindby, Anders; Beaujard, Francois; Chalot, Michel

2012-01-01

Trees can take up and assimilate contaminants from the soil, subsurface, and groundwater. Contaminants in the transpiration stream can become bound or incorporated into the annual rings formed in trees of the temperate zones. The chemical analysis of precisely dated tree rings, called dendrochemistry, can be used to interpret past plant interactions with contaminants. This investigation demonstrates that dendrochemistry can be used to generate historical scenarios of past contamination of groundwater by chlorinated solvents at a site in Verl, Germany. Increment cores from trees at the Verl site were collected and analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) line scanning. The EDXRF profiles showed four to six time periods where tree rings had anomalously high concentrations of chlorine (Cl) as an indicator of potential contamination by chlorinated solvents.

Fluctuations in Tree Ring Cellulose d18O during the Little Ice Age Correlate with Solar Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamaguchi, Y. T.; Yokoyama, Y.; Miyahara, H.; Nakatsuka, T.

2008-12-01

The Maunder Minimum (AD1645-1715), when sunspots became exceedingly rare, is known to coincide with the coldest period during the Little Ice Age. This is a useful period to investigate possible linkage between solar activity and climate because variation in solar activity was different from that of today. The solar cycle length was longer (14 and 28 years) than that of today (11 and 22 years) hence any climate archives that have similar periodic changes could be separated from other internal climate forcing. We have reported that Greenland temperature variations coincided with decadal-scale variability in solar activity during the Maunder Minimum (Miyahara et al. 2008). Here we report interannual and intra-annual relative humidity (RH) variations in central Japan during that period, using tree ring cellulose d18O in a 382-year-old Japanese cedar tree (Cryptomeria japonica). The isotopic composition of tree rings can be a powerful tool to study the relationship between solar activity and climate, because we can directly compare solar activity (D14C) and climate (d18O) with little dating error. The climate proxy obtained using tree ring cellulose d18O is correlated both negatively and positively with RH and d18O in precipitation, respectively. Since d18O in precipitation is negatively correlated with the amount of precipitation in the monsoon area, tree ring cellulose d18O can be a reliable proxy for past RH and/or amount of precipitation in the area of the interest. Tree ring cellulose d18O of the cedar tree during AD1938-1998 in fact correlates significantly with the mean RH in June in central Japan. Tree ring d18O inferred RH variability during the Maunder Minimum shows distinct high RH spikes with an approximate 14-year quasiperiodicity. All nine solar minima during AD1640-1756 deduced from tree ring D14C coincided with high RH spikes, and seven of which coincided within 1-year. Interannual RH variations also coincided with Greenland temperature during this period. These results suggest that weakening of solar activity at solar minima caused distinct hemispheric scale climate change during the Maunder Minimum. We discuss the mechanism in which the solar activity variation caused the climate change, based on intra-annual RH variability and further data analysis of interannual RH variability. H. Miyahara et al., Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 272, 1-2, 290-295 (2008).

Cell size and wall dimensions drive distinct variability of earlywood and latewood density in Northern Hemisphere conifers.

PubMed

Björklund, Jesper; Seftigen, Kristina; Schweingruber, Fritz; Fonti, Patrick; von Arx, Georg; Bryukhanova, Marina V; Cuny, Henri E; Carrer, Marco; Castagneri, Daniele; Frank, David C

2017-11-01

Interannual variability of wood density - an important plant functional trait and environmental proxy - in conifers is poorly understood. We therefore explored the anatomical basis of density. We hypothesized that earlywood density is determined by tracheid size and latewood density by wall dimensions, reflecting their different functional tasks. To determine general patterns of variability, density parameters from 27 species and 349 sites across the Northern Hemisphere were correlated to tree-ring width parameters and local climate. We performed the same analyses with density and width derived from anatomical data comprising two species and eight sites. The contributions of tracheid size and wall dimensions to density were disentangled with sensitivity analyses. Notably, correlations between density and width shifted from negative to positive moving from earlywood to latewood. Temperature responses of density varied intraseasonally in strength and sign. The sensitivity analyses revealed tracheid size as the main determinant of earlywood density, while wall dimensions become more influential for latewood density. Our novel approach of integrating detailed anatomical data with large-scale tree-ring data allowed us to contribute to an improved understanding of interannual variations of conifer growth and to illustrate how conifers balance investments in the competing xylem functions of hydraulics and mechanical support. © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.

Dendrochemistry of multiple releases of chlorinated solvents at a former industrial site

Treesearch

Jean Christophe ​Balouet; Joel G. Burken; Frank Karg; Don Vroblesky; Kevin T. Smith; Håkan Grudd; Anders Rindby; François Beaujard; Michel Chalot

2012-01-01

Trees can take up and assimilate contaminants from soil, subsurface, and groundwater. Contaminants in the transpiration stream can become bound or incorporated into the annual rings formed in trees of the temperate zones. The chemical analysis of precisely dated tree rings, called dendrochemistry, can be used to interpret past plant interactions with contaminants. This...

Mass movements and tree rings: A guide to dendrogeomorphic field sampling and dating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoffel, Markus; Butler, David R.; Corona, Christophe

2013-10-01

Trees affected by mass movements record the evidence of geomorphic disturbance in the growth-ring series, and thereby provide a precise geochronological tool for the reconstruction of past activity of mass movement. The identification of past activity of processes was typically based on the presence of growth anomalies in affected trees and focused on the presence of scars, tilted or buried trunks, as well as on apex decapitation. For the analyses and interpretation of disturbances in tree-ring records, in contrast, clear guidelines have not been established, with largely differing or no thresholds used to distinguish signal from noise. At the same time, processes with a large spatial footprint (e.g., snow avalanches, landslides, or floods) will likely leave growth anomalies in a large number of trees, whereas a falling rock would only cause scars in one or a few trees along its trajectory.

Analysis of growth trend changes for 51 temperate tree species using Korea national forest inventory data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, M.; Moon, M.; Park, J.; Cho, S.; Kim, H. S.

2016-12-01

Individual tree growth rates can be affected by various factors such as species, soil fertility, stand development stage, disturbance, and climate etc. To estimate the effect of changes in tree growth rate on the structure and functionality of forest ecosystem in the future, we analyzed the change of species-specific growth trends using the fifth Korea national forest inventory data, which was collected from 2006 to 2010. The ring samples of average tree were collected from nationwide inventory plots and the total number of individual tree ring series was 69,128 covering 185 tree species. Among those, fifty one species with more than 100 tree ring series were used for our analysis. For growth-trend analysis, standardized regional curves of individual species growth were generated from three forest zone in South Korea; subarctic, cool temperate, warm temperate forest zone. Then individual tree ring series was indexed by dividing the growth of the tree by expected growth from standardized regional curves. Then the ratio of all tree ring series were aligned by year and the Spearman's correlation coefficient of each species was calculated. The results show that most of species had increasing growth rates as forests developed after Korean war. For the last thirty years, 67.3% of species including Quercus spp. and Zelkova serrata had positive growth trends, on the other hand, 11.5% of species including Pinus spp. showed negative growth trends probably due to the changes in successional stages in Korean forests and climate change. These trends also vary with climate zone and species. For examples, Pinus densiflora, which showed negative growth trend overall, had steep negative growth trends in boreal and temperate zone, whereas it showed no specific trend in sub-tropical climate zone. Our trend analysis on 51 temperate tree species growth will be essential to predict the temperate forests species change for the this century.

DEVELOPMENT OF A STRATEGY FOR SAMPLING TREE RINGS

EPA Science Inventory

A method for determining retrospective pollution levels has been investigated. This method relates arsenic concentration in tree rings to arsenic-in-air concentrations based qualitatively on arsenic emissions from a nearby smelter, corrected for climatological and meteorological ...

Radial patterns of tree-ring chemical element concentration in two Appalachian hardwood stands

Treesearch

D.R. Dewalle; B.R. Swistock; W.E. Sharpe

1991-01-01

Radial patterns in tree-ring chemical element concentration in red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and black (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) were analyzed to infer past environmental changes at two mature Appalachian forest sites.

Drought, multi-seasonal climate, and wildfire in northern New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Margolis, Ellis; Woodhouse, Connie A.; Swetnam, Thomas W.

2017-01-01

Wildfire is increasingly a concern in the USA, where 10 million acres burned in 2015. Climate is a primary driver of wildfire, and understanding fire-climate relationships is crucial for informing fire management and modeling the effects of climate change on fire. In the southwestern USA, fire-climate relationships have been informed by tree-ring data that extend centuries prior to the onset of fire exclusion in the late 1800s. Variability in cool-season precipitation has been linked to fire occurrence, but the effects of the summer North American monsoon on fire are less understood, as are the effects of climate on fire seasonality. We use a new set of reconstructions for cool-season (October–April) and monsoon-season (July–August) moisture conditions along with a large new fire scar dataset to examine relationships between multi-seasonal climate variability, fire extent, and fire seasonality in the Jemez Mountains, New Mexico (1599–1899 CE). Results suggest that large fires burning in all seasons are strongly influenced by the current year cool-season moisture, but fires burning mid-summer to fall are also influenced by monsoon moisture. Wet conditions several years prior to the fire year during the cool season, and to a lesser extent during the monsoon season, are also important for spring through late-summer fires. Persistent cool-season drought longer than 3 years may inhibit fires due to the lack of moisture to replenish surface fuels. This suggests that fuels may become increasingly limiting for fire occurrence in semi-arid regions that are projected to become drier with climate change.

Late Permian Forest Composition And Climate Revealed From High-Resolution Carbon Isotopes In Fossil Tree Rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gulbranson, E.; Isbell, J. L.; Taylor, E. L.; Ryberg, P. E.; Taylor, T. N.

2012-12-01

Late Permian forests from Antarctica are one of a few examples of polar forest biomes in Earth history. We present a paleoforestry and geochemical study of three contemporaneous Late Permian fossil forests and geochemical analysis of fossil wood specimens from the Permian-Triassic contact in Antarctica. Late Permian paleoforestry analysis suggests that these forests responded to disturbance in exactly the opposite manner as compared to modern boreal forests, with forest thinning and loss of understory vegetation occurring towards areas of disturbance. New high-resolution carbon isotope data from 6 permineralized stumps, 32 tree rings studied in total, indicate that these forests were mixed evergreen and deciduous, but dominated by deciduous trees. Moreover, intra-tree ring and ring-to-ring variation of δ13C values suggest that the Late Permian polar climate maintained wet winters, with precipitation in the austral winter being a factor of three greater than the austral summer. Such seasonality in precipitation implies the development of a temperate-like climate at polar latitudes following the demise of the late Paleozoic ice age. High-resolution carbon isotopes in tree rings in a stratigraphic succession of Late Permian fossil wood to fossil wood at the Permian-Triassic contact indicates that Antarctica experienced a change in precipitation patterns around the time of the Permian-Triassic boundary, marked by intervals of pronounced drying juxtaposed against wetter conditions.

Who is the new sheriff in town regulating boreal forest growth?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park Williams, A.; Xu, Chonggang; McDowell, Nate G.

2011-12-01

Climate change appears to be altering boreal forests. One recently observed symptom of these changes has been an apparent weakening of the positive relationship between high-latitude boreal tree growth and temperature at some sites (D'Arrigo et al 2008). This phenomenon is referred to as the 'divergence problem' or 'divergence effect' and is thought to reflect a non-linear relationship between temperature and tree growth, where recent warming has allowed other factors besides growing-season temperature to emerge as dominant regulators of annual growth rates. Figure 1 demonstrates this divergence phenomenon with records of tree-ring widths collected from 59 populations of white spruce in Alaska 1. Key tendencies among these populations include: (1) growth is most sensitive to temperature during relatively cold growing seasons (figure 1(a)), (2) populations at colder sites are more sensitive to temperature than those at warmer sites are (figure 1(a)), and (3) growth at warmer sites may respond negatively to increased temperature beyond some optimal growing-season temperature (figure 1(b)). Since temperature is rising rapidly at high latitudes, one interpretation of figures 1(a) and (b) is that warming has promoted increased growth at colder sites, but caused growth to plateau or slow at warmer sites. Corroborating this interpretation, satellite imagery and tree-ring data indicate increasing vegetation productivity near the forest-tundra boundary but declining productivity in warmer regions within forest interiors (e.g., Bunn and Goetz 2006, Beck and Goetz 2011, Beck et al 2011, Berner et al 2011). Will continued warming cause a northward migration of boreal forests, with mortality in the warmer, southern locations and expansion into the colder tundra? This question is difficult to answer because many factors besides temperature influence boreal forest dynamics. Widespread productivity declines within interior boreal forests appear to be related to warming-induced drought stress (Barber et al 2000). Notably, this response may be more complicated than simply a decline in soil moisture. Even when soil moisture is plentiful, warming can negatively impact plant growth and survival by causing increased respiratory consumption of stored carbohydrates (McDowell 2011) and decreased stomatal conductance due to hydraulic limitation (Flexas et al 2004). Some degree of acclimation may be occurring, as white spruce populations that experience moderate temperatures and precipitation have lower optimal growth temperatures than populations at warmer, drier sites do (figure 1(c)). Yet, populations at the warmest or driest sites show strong growth declines during warm periods, consistent with a decline in the viability of these populations in some regions (Goetz et al 2005, Beck and Goetz 2011, Beck et al 2011). Can interior boreal forests acclimate to the current era's rapid warming? Or will temperatures within interior boreal forests outpace or extend beyond the adaptive capabilities of boreal tree species? The answer remains a mystery, partly because important aspects of acclimation are still poorly understood, and partly because of other important processes such as wildfire and increases in CO2 concentration, nitrogen deposition, growing-season length, and tropospheric ozone concentration. Figure 1 Figure 1. Relationships between white spruce tree-ring widths and climate at 59 sites in Alaska. (a) Annual correlation between ring-width index and June-July average temperature during years when June--July temperature was colder (blue bars) and warmer (red bars) than average. Pairs of bars represent the coldest 20 sites (left), 19 sites with intermediate temperature (middle) and the warmest 20 sites (right). (b) Spline curves that represent the best-fit relationship between temperature (x-axis) and ring-width index variability (y-axis) at cold sites (blue line), intermediate sites (black line) and warm sites (orange line). (c) Same as (b) but for the wettest 20 sites (green line), 19 sites with intermediate annual precipitation (black line) and the driest 20 sites (brown line). Error bars in (a)-(c) are standard errors. Perhaps an even bigger mystery is what the future has in store at the cold ecotone where boreal forest gives way to arctic tundra. Just as for warmer sites, there tends to be a temperature threshold at cold and intermediate sites, above which further warming no longer positively influences growth rate (figures 1(a) and (b)). Rather than reverse sign once this threshold is surpassed, growth-temperature relationships at cold and intermediate sites tend to simply disappear or at least diminish. This is because metabolic rates are slow in the cold, but are optimal under moderately warmer conditions (Tjoelker et al 2009). As temperature increases into a range of variability that no longer limits metabolic rate, a host of other climatic and soil-related factors can limit or promote growth and seedling recruitment. At some cool treeline sites, rapidly rising temperatures may have already surpassed the level that supports optimal growth, as negative relationships have emerged between temperature and growth rate in most decades (McGuire et al 2010). In a recent contribution to this important body of research, Andreu-Hayles et al (2011) studied growth-temperature relations within a white spruce population growing at the northern treeline in Alaska. Consistent with observations elsewhere in boreal forests, Andreu-Hayles et al discovered that a positive and significant relationship between ring widths and June-July temperature during 1901-1950 disappeared during 1951-2000. Interestingly, ring widths and temperature both increased throughout the 20th century at this treeline site, in contrast to recent trends at many other sites in Alaska where warming is outpacing ring widths (e.g., D'Arrigo et al 2008). At the site studied by Andreu-Hayles et al, it seems recent warming has caused a release of white spruce growth from temperature limitation and there is now a new sheriff in town regulating annual growth rate. Who this new sheriff is, however, remains an open and important question. Another interesting result in the Andreu-Hayles et al study is that the relationship between temperature and density of tree-ring latewood (the dark band formed at the end of the growing season) was stable throughout the 20th century. This means that although temperature may no longer be the primary factor governing annual growth, it still has an important physiological impact at the end of the growing season. The stability of the latewood density-temperature relationship also offers a promising implication for dendroclimatic studies. While non-linear relationships between ring widths and temperature may make it difficult to use ring widths to infer information about historical temperature variability for some sites, Andreu-Hayles et al add to the evidence (e.g., Barber et al 2000, Davi et al 2003, D'Arrigo et al 2009) that latewood density may be particularly useful in reconstructing historical temperature at high latitudes. While the divergence problem and new contribution by Andreu-Hayles et al are interesting on their own, they are also important because they highlight the current limits to our understanding of the mechanisms driving boreal forest growth and survival. As Allen et al (2010) pointed out, understanding and predicting the consequences of climate changes on forests is emerging as a grand challenge for global change scientists. This is particularly true at high latitudes because boreal forests store ~32% of Earth's terrestrial forest carbon, more than twice that of temperate forests (Pan et al 2011). Will continued warming turn boreal forests into a sink or source of atmospheric CO2? And will boreal forest growth and distribution change enough to significantly impact the energy balance of high latitude landscapes and thereby influence large-scale atmospheric circulation? To answer these questions, it is critical to understand the factors influencing boreal forest growth under warmer conditions and how the relative contributions of these factors vary spatially. Our understanding of these factors can be improved through research campaigns that integrate field-measurements, remote sensing and ecological modeling (Goetz et al 2011). Field-studies that measure the physiological responses of trees to manipulations of environmental variables such as temperature, soil moisture, soil nutrients and insolation are critical for informing ecological models that predict forest responses to various scenarios of climate and environmental change. Remote sensing is critical in validating modeled projections of forest growth. At present, ecological models do poorly at characterizing observed trends in boreal-forest productivity in some regions (Beck et al 2011). It will be exciting in the coming years to see how field measurements, modeling and remote sensing can work together to resolve the mysteries of the divergence problem, how warming will influence the overall productivity and distribution of boreal forests, and how changes in boreal-forest characteristics may influence regional and global climates. References Allen C D et al 2010 A global overview of drought and head-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests Forest Ecol. Manag. 259 660-84 Andreu-Hayles L, D'Arrigo R, Anchukaitis K J, Beck P S A, Frank D and Goetz S 2011 Varying boreal forest response to Arctic environmental change at the Firth River, Alaska Environ. Res. Lett. 6 045503 Barber V A, Juday G P and Finney B P 2000 Reduced growth of Alaskan white spruce in the twentieth century from temperature-induced drought stress Nature 405 668-73 Beck P S A and Goetz S J 2011 Satellite observations of high northern latitude vegetation productivity changes between 1982 and 2008: ecological variability and regional differences Environ. Res. Lett. 6 045501 Beck P S A, Juday G P, Alix C, Barber V A, Winslow S E, Sousa E E, Heiser P, Herriges J D and Goetz S J 2011 Changes in forest productivity across Alaska consistent with biome shift Ecol. Lett. 14 373-9 Berner L T, Beck P S A, Bunn A G, Lloyd A H and Goetz S J 2011 High-latitude tree growth and satellite vegetation indices: correlations and trends in Russia and Canada (1982-2008) J. Geophys. Res. 116 G01015 Bunn A G and Goetz S J 2006 Trends in satellite-observed circumpolar photosynthetic activity from 1982 to 2003: the influence of seasonality, cover type, and vegetation density Earth Interact. 10 1-19 D'Arrigo R, Jacoby G, Buckley B, Sakulich J, Frank D, Wilson R, Curtis A and Anchukaitis K 2009 Tree growth and inferred temperature variability at the North American Arctic treeline Glob. Planet. Change 65 71-82 D'Arrigo R, Wilson R, Liepert B, Cherubini P 2008 On the 'divergence problem' in northern forests: a review of the tree-ring evidence and possible causes Glob. Planet. Change 60 289-305 Davi N K, Jacoby G C and Wiles G C 2003 Boreal temperature variability inferred from maximum latewood density and tree-ring width data, Wrangell Mountain region, Alaska Quatern. Res. 60 252-62 Flexas J, Bota J, Loreto F, Cornic G and Sharkey T 2004 Diffusive and metabolic limitations to photosynthesis under drought and salinity in C3 plants Plant Biol. 6 269-79 Goetz S J, Bunn A G, Fiske G J and Houghton R 2005 Satellite-observed photosynthetic trends across boreal North America associated with climate and fire disturbance Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 102 13521-5 Goetz S J, Kimball J S, Mack M C and Kasischke E S 2011 Scoping completed for an experiment to assess vulnerability of Arctic and boreal ecosystems EOS Trans. Am. Geophys. Union 92 150-1 McDowell N G 2011 Mechanisms linking drought, hydraulics, carbon metabolism, and vegetation mortality Plant Physiol. 155 1051-9 McGuire A D, Ruess R W, Lloyd A, Yarie J, Clein J S and Juday G P 2010 Vulnerability of white spruce tree growth in interior Alaska in response to climate variability: dendrochronological, demographic, and experimental perspectives Canadian J. Forest Res. 40 1197-209 Pan Y et al 2011 A large and persistent carbon sink in the world's forests Science 333 988-93 Tjoelker M G, Oleksyn J, Lorenc-Plucinska G and Reich P B 2009 Acclimation of respiratory temperature responses in northern and southern populations of Pinus banksiana New Phytologist 181 218-29 1 Tree-ring data: ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering. Climate data: snap.uaf.edu/downloads/alaska-climate-datasets.

Tricholoma matsutake in a natural Pinus densiflora forest: correspondence between above- and below-ground genets, association with multiple host trees and alteration of existing ectomycorrhizal communities.

PubMed

Lian, Chunlan; Narimatsu, Maki; Nara, Kazuhide; Hogetsu, Taizo

2006-01-01

Tricholoma matsutake (matsutake) is an ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungus that produces economically important mushrooms in Japan. Here, we use microsatellite markers to identify genets of matsutake sporocarps and below-ground ECM tips, as well as associated host genotypes of Pinus densiflora. We also studied ECM fungal community structure inside, beneath and outside the matsutake fairy rings, using morphological and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) polymorphism analysis. Based on sporocarp samples, one to four genets were found within each fairy ring, and no genetic differentiation among six sites was detected. Matsutake ECM tips were only found beneath fairy rings and corresponded with the genotypes of the above-ground sporocarps. We detected nine below-ground matsutake genets, all of which colonized multiple pine trees (three to seven trees per genet). The ECM fungal community beneath fairy rings was species-poor and significantly differed from those inside and outside the fairy rings. We conclude that matsutake genets occasionally establish from basidiospores and expand on the root systems of multiple host trees. Although matsutake mycelia suppress other ECM fungi during expansion, most of them may recover after the passage of the fairy rings.

Growing season soil moisture following restoration treatments of varying intensity in semi-arid ponderosa pine forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, F. C.; Springer, A. E.; Sankey, T.; Masek Lopez, S.

2014-12-01

Forest restoration projects are being planned for large areas of overgrown semi-arid ponderosa pine forests of the Southwestern US. Restoration involves the thinning of smaller trees and prescribed or managed fire to reduce tree density, restore a more natural fire regime, and decrease the risk of catastrophic wildfire. The stated goals of these projects generally reduced plant water stress and improvements in hydrologic function. However, little is known about how to design restoration treatments to best meet these goals. As part of a larger project on snow cover, soil moisture, and groundwater recharge, we measured soil moisture, an indicator of plant water status, in four pairs of control and restored sites near Flagstaff, Arizona. The restoration strategies used at the sites range in both amount of open space created and degree of clustering of the remaining trees. We measured soil moisture using 30 cm vertical time domain reflectometry probes installed on 100 m transects at 5 m intervals so it would be possible to analyze the spatial pattern of soil moisture. Soil moisture was higher and more spatially variable in the restored sites than the control sites with differences in spatial pattern among the restoration types. Soil moisture monitoring will continue until the first snow fall, at which point measurements of snow depth and snow water equivalent will be made at the same locations.

Asian Monsoon Variability from the Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas (MADA) and Links to Indo-Pacific Climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ummenhofer, Caroline; D'Arrigo, Rosanne; Anchukaitis, Kevin; Hernandez, Manuel; Buckley, Brendan; Cook, Edward

2014-05-01

Drought patterns across monsoon and temperate Asia over the period 1877-2005 are linked to Indo-Pacific climate variability associated with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD). Using the Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas (MADA) composed of a high-resolution network of hydroclimatically sensitive tree-ring records with a focus on the June-August months, spatial drought patterns during El Niño and IOD events are assessed as to their agreement with an instrumental drought index and consistency in the drought response amongst ENSO/IOD events. Spatial characteristics in drought patterns are related to regional climate anomalies over the Indo-Pacific basin, using reanalysis products, including changes in the Asian monsoon systems, zonal Walker circulation, moisture fluxes, and precipitation. A weakening of the monsoon circulation over the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia during El Niño events, along with anomalous subsidence over monsoon Asia and reduced moisture flux, is reflected in anomalous drought conditions over India, Southeast Asia and Indonesia. When an IOD event co-occurs with an El Niño, severe drought conditions identified in the MADA for Southeast Asia, Indonesia, eastern China and central Asia are associated with a weakened South Asian monsoon, reduced moisture flux over China, and anomalous divergent flow and subsidence over Indonesia. Variations in the strength of the South Asian monsoon can also be linked to the Strange Parallels Drought (1756-1768) affecting much of Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent in the mid-18th Century. Large-scale climate anomalies across the wider region during years with an anomalously strengthened/weakened South Asian monsoon are discussed with implications for severe droughts prior to the instrumental period. Insights into the relative influences of Pacific and Indian Ocean variability for Asian monsoon climate on interannual to decadal and longer timescales, as recorded in the MADA, provide a useful tool for assessing long-term changes in the characteristics of Asian monsoon droughts in the context of Indo-Pacific climate variability.

Composition and abundance of tree regeneration

Treesearch

Todd F. Hutchinson; Elaine Kennedy Sutherland; Charles T. Scott

2003-01-01

The composition and abundance of tree seedlings and saplings in the four study areas in southern Ohio were related to soil moisture via a GIS-derived integrated moisture index and to soil texture and fertility. For seedlings, the total abundance of small stems (less than 30 cm tall) was significantly greater on xeric plots (81,987/ha) than on intermediate (54,531/ha)...

Evaluation of moisture reduction in small diameter trees after crushing

Treesearch

Donald L. Sirois; Cynthia L. Rawlins; Bryce J. Stokes

1991-01-01

Past studies have suggested that processing small diameter whole trees like those foumd on rights-of-way (ROWs) would help reduce transportion costs and increase energy value by lowering stem moisture content. Small stems were crushed by a roller crusher/splitter test bench machine and allowed dry under field conditions in Alabama. Tests were conducted in winter and...

Relationships among environmental variables and distribution of tree species at high elevation in the Olympic Mountains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Andrea

1998-01-01

Relationships among environmental variables and occurrence of tree species were investigated at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, Washington, USA. A transect consisting of three plots was established down one north-and one south-facing slope in stands representing the typical elevational sequence of tree species. Tree species included subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), and Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis). Air and soil temperature, precipitation, and soil moisture were measured during three growing seasons. Snowmelt patterns, soil carbon and moisture release curves were also determined. The plots represented a wide range in soil water potential, a major determinant of tree species distribution (range of minimum values = -1.1 to -8.0 MPa for Pacific silver fir and Douglas-fir plots, respectively). Precipitation intercepted at plots depended on topographic location, storm direction and storm type. Differences in soil moisture among plots was related to soil properties, while annual differences at each plot were most often related to early season precipitation. Changes in climate due to a doubling of atmospheric CO2 will likely shift tree species distributions within, but not among aspects. Change will be buffered by innate tolerance of adult trees and the inertia of soil properties.

A review of precipitation and temperature control on seedling emergence and establishment for ponderosa and lodgepole pine forest regeneration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petrie, Matthew; Wildeman, A.M.; Bradford, John B.; Hubbard, R.M.; Lauenroth, W.K.

2016-01-01

The persistence of ponderosa pine and lodgepole pine forests in the 21st century depends to a large extent on how seedling emergence and establishment are influenced by driving climate and environmental variables, which largely govern forest regeneration. We surveyed the literature, and identified 96 publications that reported data on dependent variables of seedling emergence and/or establishment and one or more independent variables of air temperature, soil temperature, precipitation and moisture availability. Our review suggests that seedling emergence and establishment for both species is highest at intermediate temperatures (20 to 25 °C), and higher precipitation and higher moisture availability support a higher percentage of seedling emergence and establishment at daily, monthly and annual timescales. We found that ponderosa pine seedlings may be more sensitive to temperature fluctuations whereas lodgepole pine seedlings may be more sensitive to moisture fluctuations. In a changing climate, increasing temperatures and declining moisture availability may hinder forest persistence by limiting seedling processes. Yet, only 23 studies in our review investigated the effects of driving climate and environmental variables directly. Furthermore, 74 studies occurred in a laboratory or greenhouse, which do not often replicate the conditions experienced by tree seedlings in a field setting. It is therefore difficult to provide strong conclusions on how sensitive emergence and establishment in ponderosa and lodgepole pine are to these specific driving variables, or to investigate their potential aggregate effects. Thus, the effects of many driving variables on seedling processes remain largely inconclusive. Our review stresses the need for additional field and laboratory studies to better elucidate the effects of driving climate and environmental variables on seedling emergence and establishment for ponderosa and lodgepole pine.

Biophysical modelling of intra-ring variations in tracheid features and wood density of Pinus pinaster trees exposed to seasonal droughts

Treesearch

Sarah Wilkinson; Jerome Ogee; Jean-Christophe Domec; Mark Rayment; Lisa Wingate

2015-01-01

Process-based models that link seasonally varying environmental signals to morphological features within tree rings are essential tools to predict tree growth response and commercially important wood quality traits under future climate scenarios. This study evaluated model portrayal of radial growth and wood anatomy observations within a mature maritime pine (Pinus...

Use of tree-ring chemistry to document historical ground-water contamination events

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vroblesky, Don A.; Yanosky, Thomas M.

1990-01-01

The annual growth rings of tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera L.) appear to preserve a chemical record of ground-water contamination at a landfill in Maryland. Zones of elevated iron and chlorine concentrations in growth rings from trees immediately downgradient from the landfill are closely correlated temporally with activities in the landfill expected to generate iron and chloride contamination in the ground water. Successively later iron peaks in trees increasingly distant from the landfill along the general direction of ground-water flow imply movement of iron-contaminated ground water away from the landfill. The historical velocity of iron movement (2 to 9 m/yr) and chloride movement (at least 40 m/yr) in ground water at the site was estimated from element-concentration trends of trees at successive distances from the landfill. The tree-ring-derived chloride-transport velocity approximates the known ground-water velocity (30 to 80 m/yr). A minimum horizontal hydraulic conductivity (0.01 to .02 cm/s) calculated from chloride velocity agrees well with values derived from aquifer tests (about 0.07 cm/s) and from ground-water modeling results (0.009 to 0.04 cm/s).

Multi-decadal carbon and water relations of African tropical humid forests: a tree-ring stable isotope analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hufkens, Koen; Helle, Gerd; Beeckman, Hans; de Haulleville, Thales; Kearsley, Elizabeth; Boeckx, Pascal

2013-04-01

Little is known about the temporal dynamics of the carbon sequestering capacity and dynamics of African tropical humid forest ecosystems in response to various environmental drivers. This lack of knowledge is mainly due to the absence of ecosystem scale flux measurements of gas exchange. However, tree growth often displays itself as alternating pattern of visible rings due to the seasonally varying growth speed of the vascular cambium. Consequently, analysis of tree growth through tree-ring analysis provides us with insights into past responses of the carbon sequestering capacity of key species to abrupt ecosystem disturbances and, while slower, a changing climate. Not only does the width and density of growth rings reflect annual growth but their isotopic composition of 13C/12C and 18O/16O isotopes also reveal the environmental conditions in which the trees were growing. In particular, stable isotope ratios in tree-rings of carbon are influenced by fractionation through carboxylation during photosynthesis and changes in leaf stomatal conductance. Similarly, fractionation of oxygen isotopes of soil water occurs at the leaf level through evapo-transipiration. As a consequence, 18O/16O (δ18O) values in wood cores will reflect both the signal of the source water as well as that of for example summer humidity. Therefore, both C and O stable isotopes might not only be valuable as proxy data for past climatic conditions but they also serve as an important tool in understanding carbon and water relations within a tropical forest ecosystems. To this end we correlate long term climate records (1961 - present) with tree ring measurement of incremental growth and high resolution analysis of tree-core stable isotope composition(δ13C , δ18O) at a tropical humid forests in the DR Congo. The Yangambi Man And Biosphere (MAB) reserve is located in the north-eastern part of DR Congo, with a distinct tropical rainforest climate. In addition to the tree-core data records and extensive meteorological records collected at both sites, observations on green leaf phenology of key species will provide us with additional information on potential carbon sequestration dynamics. Because, phenology is a first order control on plant productivity. In this unique study, using detailed tree-ring analyses together with auxiliary data, we explore the temporal dynamics of carbon and water relations and the influence on carbon sequestration of key tree species in African tropical humid forests.

A framework for incorporating the effects of hydrodynamic stresses on forest photosynthesis and evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matheny, A. M.; Bohrer, G.; Thompsen, J.; Frasson, R.; Frasson, C. D.; Ivanov, V. Y.

2012-12-01

Hydraulic limitations are known to control transpiration in forest ecosystems when the soil is drying or when the vapor pressure deficit between the air and stomata (VPD) is very large, but they can also impact stomatal apertures under conditions of adequate soil moisture and lower evaporative demand. We use the NACP flux measurements and models dataset for multiple site/model intercomparisons to evaluate the degree to which currently un-resolved high-frequency (sub-daily) hydrodynamic stresses affect the error in model prediction of latent heat flux. We find that many site-model combinations are characterized by a typical pattern of overestimation of afternoon flux and a corresponding underestimation of pre-noon flux. We hypothesize that this pattern is a result of un-resolved afternoon stomata closure due to hydrodynamic stresses. In a forest plot at the University of Michigan Biological Station, we use measurements of leaf-level stomata conductance and water potential to demonstrate that trees of similar type - mid-late successional deciduous trees - have very different hydrodynamic strategies that lead to differences in their temporal patterns of stomata conductance. We found that red oak trees continue transpiring despite a large stem-water deficit while red maple trees regulate stomata to maintain a high water potential. Red oaks, which are ring porous, are also able to access more soil water, assumingly from deeper ground layers and have higher conductivity, compared with the maples, which are diffuse porous. These differences will lead to large differences in stomata conductance and water use based on the species composition of the forest. We also demonstrate that the size and shape of the tree stem-branch system may lead to differences in the extent of hydrodynamic stress, which may change the forest respiration patterns as the forest grows and ages. We propose a framework to resolve tree hydrodynamics in global and regional models. It is based on the Finite-Elements Tree-Crown Hydrodynamics model (FETCH) combined with a statistical functional-type/hydraulic-type/size representation of the trees in the forest. Lidar and multi-spectral images of the forest can be used to obtain numerical distributions of species and size of individual tree crowns needed to initialize such simulations. FETCH simulates water flow through the tree as a simplified system of porous media conduits. It explicitly resolves spatiotemporal hydraulic stresses throughout the tree's hydraulic system that cannot be easily represented using other stomatal-conductance models. It uses a physical representation of water flow in a 3-D tree-stem-branch system assuming the xylem is a porous media. Empirical equations relate water potential at the branch-tips to stomata conductance at leaves connected to these branches. FETCH calculates the hydrodynamic stress related closure of stomata, provided the atmospheric and biological variables from the global model, and could replace the current empirical formulation for stomata adjustment based on soil moisture.

Evaluation of growth disturbances of Picea abies (L.) Karst. to disturbances caused by landslide movements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Šilhán, Karel

2017-01-01

Dendrogeomorphic methods are frequently used in landslide analyses. Although methods of landslide dating based on tree rings are well developed, they still indicated many questions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequently used theoretical scheme based on the event-response relationship. Seventy-four individuals of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) exhibiting visible external disturbance, were sampled on the Girová landslide (the largest historical flow-like landslide in the Czech Republic). This landslide reactivated in May 2010, and post-landslide tree growth responses were studied in detail. These growth responses were compared with the intensity and occurrence of visible external tree disturbance: tilted stems, damaged root systems, and decapitation. Twenty-nine trees (39.2%) died within one to four years following the 2010 landslide movement. The trees that died following the landslide movement were significantly younger and displayed significantly greater stem tilting than the live trees. Abrupt growth suppression was a more-frequent response among the dead trees, whereas growth release dominated among the live trees. Only two trees (2.7%) created no reaction wood in response to the landslide movement. Forty-four percent of the trees started to produce reaction wood structure after a delay, which generally spanned one year. Some eccentric growth was evident in the tree rings of the landslide year and was significant in the first years following the landslide movement. Missing rings were observed only on the upper sides of the stems, and no false tree rings were observed. The results confirm the general validity of event-response relationship, nevertheless this study points out the limitations and uncertainties of this generally accepted working scheme.

Can dendrochronology procedures estimate historical Tree Water Footprint?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, Tarcísio J. G.; Del Campo, Antonio D.; Molina, Antonio J.

2013-04-01

Whole estimates of tree water use are becoming increasingly important in forest science and forest scientists have long sought to develop reliable techniques to estimate tree water use. In this sense accurately determining or estimate the quantity of water transpired by trees and forests is important and can be used to determine "green" water footprint. The use of dendrochronology is relative common in the study of effects and interactions between growth and climatic variables, but few studies deal with the relationship with water footprint. The main objective of this study is determining the historical tree water-use in a planted stand by dendrochronological approaches. This study was performed in South-eastern Spain, in an area covered by 50-60 years old Pinus halepensis Mil. plantations with high tree density (ca.1288/ha) due to low forest management. The experimental set-up consisted of two plots (30x30m), one corresponding to a thinning treatment performed in 2008 (t10) and the other thinned in 1998 (t1) to assess the mid-term effects of thinning. After one year of thinning four representative trees were select in each plot to measure transpiration by heat pulse sensor (sapflow velocity, vs). The accumulated daily values of transpiration (L day-1) were estimated multiplying the values of vs by sapwood area of each selected tree. After transpiration measurements two cores per tree were taken for establishing the tree-rings chronologies. The cores were prepared, their ring-width were measured and standardised in basal area increment index (BAI-i) following usual dendrochronological methods. The dendrochronology analyses showed a general variability in ring width during the initial growth (15 years), while in the following years the width rings were very small, conditioned by climate. The year after thinning (1999 or 2009) all trees in the treatments showed significant increases in ring width. The average vs for t1 and t10 were 3.59 cm h-1 and 1.95 cm h-1, and transformed into tree transpiration using sapwood area, obtaining 6,768 and 5,844 litres per tree, respectively. BAI-i and vs were significantly related. The Pearson correlation was higher and positive when the growth from the rings formed during the span of sap flow measurement was considered, i.e., the 2009 and 2010 rings. An empirical model was fitted for the BAI-i and vs allowing a preliminary reconstruction of the stand's transpiration history. Linear regressions between vs and BAI-i were significant (R2 ≈ 0.65). Applying the linear equation in each BAI-i along the time (1960-2010) it was possible to reconstruct water use per tree, sometimes defined as the "green" water footprint. In conclusion dendrochronology methods can be used to estimate the Tree-Water-Footprint, and more experimental data should be used for better accuracy.

High-resolution climate signals in the Bølling Allerød Interstadial (Greenland Interstadial 1) as reflected in European tree-ring chronologies compared to marine varves and ice-core records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Friedrich, Michael; Kromer, Bernd; Kaiser, Klaus F.; Spurk, Marco; Hughen, Konrad A.; Johnsen, Sigfus J.

2001-05-01

Lateglacial and Holocene tree-ring chronologies are unique archives, which provide various information on past environments on a true annual time scale. Changes in ring-width can be related to past climate anomalies and dendrodated wood provides an ideal source for radiocarbon calibration. We present a 1051 year tree-ring chronology from the Late Glacial, built from subfossil Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris) that grew in different regions of Central and Southern Europe. Through a series of high-precision radiocarbon measurements we obtained a floating radiocarbon chronology, which allowed accurate wiggle-matching to the INTCAL98 calibration curve. The trees show a coherent pattern in ring-width variations throughout Central Europe, and extending into the Mediterranean, which indicates a strong external climatic factor, most probably temperature during the growing season. We identified major growth events, which appear synchronous with events seen in isotopic and tracer signals in the Greenland ice cores and with changes in the strength of upwelling in the Cariaco Basin.

Examining mechanisms in the final stages of the elimination of boreal tree species on vulnerable sites in boreal Alaska

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juday, G. P.; Jess, R.; Alix, C. M.; Verbyla, D.

2015-12-01

The boreal forest of Alaska and western Canada exist in a complex mosaic of environments determined by elevation, aspect of exposure, and longitudinal and latitudinal gradients of change from warm, dry continental to maritime-influenced conditions. This forest region is largely made up of trees with two growth responses to temperature increases. Trees that decrease in growth are termed negative responders, and occupy warm, dry sites at low elevations. Trees that increase in radial growth are termed positive responders, and are largely in western Alaska, and at high elevation of the Brooks and Alaska Ranges. Since the Pacific climate regime shift of the 1970s, mature trees at low elevation sites have experienced increasing climate stress in several quasi-decadal cycles of intensifying drought stress. NDVI trends and tree ring records demonstrating radial growth decline are coherent. Phenological monitoring of spruce height growth also indicates that depletion of spring soil moisture is a critical process driven by the interaction of early warm season temperatures and precipitation. Novel biotic disturbance agents including spruce budworm, outbreaks of which are triggered by warm temperature anomalies related to its biology, and aspen leaf miner are depressing realized growth below climatically predicted levels, suggesting a pathway by which tree death is likely to occur before absolute temperature limits. As a result, insect outbreaks are degrading the otherwise strong long-term climate signal in Alaska boreal trees. However, young tree (> 40 yrs.) regeneration generally does not yet display the symptoms of acute high temperature stress. Overall, on these vulnerable sites, if temperature increases similar to the past 40 years continue, long term survival prospects are questionable because the climate conditions would be outside the limits that have historically defined the species ranges of aspen, Alaska birch, and black and white spruce.

Sensitivity of transpiration to subsurface properties: Exploration with a 1-D model

DOE PAGES

Vrettas, Michail D.; Fung, Inez Y.

2017-05-04

The amount of moisture transpired by vegetation is critically tied to the moisture supply accessible to the root zone. In a Mediterranean climate, integrated evapotranspiration (ET) is typically greater in the dry summer when there is an uninterrupted period of high insolation. We present a 1-D model to explore the subsurface factors that may sustain ET through the dry season. The model includes a stochastic parameterization of hydraulic conductivity, root water uptake efficiency, and hydraulic redistribution by plant roots. Model experiments vary the precipitation, the magnitude and seasonality of ET demand, as well as rooting profiles and rooting depths ofmore » the vegetation. The results show that the amount of subsurface moisture remaining at the end of the wet winter is determined by the competition among abundant precipitation input, fast infiltration, and winter ET demand. The weathered bedrock retains math formula of the winter rain and provides a substantial moisture reservoir that may sustain ET of deep-rooted (>8 m) trees through the dry season. A small negative feedback exists in the root zone, where the depletion of moisture by ET decreases hydraulic conductivity and enhances the retention of moisture. Hence, hydraulic redistribution by plant roots is impactful in a dry season, or with a less conductive subsurface. Suggestions for implementing the model in the CESM are discussed.« less

Wood density of young-growth western hemlock: relation to ring age, radial growth, stand density, and site quality.

Treesearch

Dean S. DeBell; Ryan Singleton; Barbara L. Gartner; David D. Marshall

2004-01-01

Breast-high stem sections were sampled from 56 western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) trees growing in 15 plots representing a wide range of tree and site conditions in northwestern Oregon. Growth and wood density traits of individual rings were measured via X-ray densitometry, and relationships of ring density and its components to age...

Effects of wastewater on forested wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Doyle, Thomas W.

2002-01-01

Cycling nutrient-enriched wastewater from holding ponds through natural, forested wetlands is a practice that municipal waste treatment managers are considering as a viable option for disposing of wastewater. In this wastewater cycling process, sewer effluent that has been circulated through aerated ponds is discharged into neighboring wetland systems. To understand how wastewater cycling affects forest and species productivity, researchers at the USGS National Wetlands Research Center conducted dendroecological investigations in a swamp system and in a bog system that have been exposed to wastewater effluent for many decades. Dendroecology involves the study of forest changes over time as interpreted from tree rings. Tree-ring chronologies describe the pattern and history of growth suppression and release that can be associated with aging and disturbances such as hurricanes, floods, and fires. But because of limited monitoring, little is known about the potential for long-term effects on forested wetlands as a result of wastewater flooding. USGS researchers used tree rings to detect the effect of wastewater cycling on tree growth. Scientists expected to find that tree-ring width would be increased as a result of added nutrients.

The scientific dating of standing buildings.

PubMed

Alcock, Nathaniel W

2017-11-17

The techniques of dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) and radiocarbon (14C) dating are described, as they are applied to historic buildings. Both rely on determining the felling dates of the trees used in their construction. For dendrochronology, the construction of master chronologies and the matching of individual ring-width sequences to them is described and, for radiocarbon dating, the use of tree-ring results in calibration. Results of dating are discussed, ranging from the cathedrals of Peterborough and Beauvais and the development of crown-post roof structures, to the dating and identification of standing medieval peasant houses, particularly those built using cruck construction.

Trees, History, and Isotopes - the Late Maunder Minimum (1675-1715) in the Pannonian Basin, Hungary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kazmer, M.; Demeny, A.; Grynaeus, A.; Racz, L.; Varkonyi, A.

2002-05-01

First results of a comprehensive study on climate change in the Pannonian Basin during the Late Maunder Minimum (1675-1715) are presented. The Pannonian Basin has continental climate, distinctly warm and dry in summer, cold in winter, unlike the Atlantic-type climate of Western Europe. Surrounded by the arc of the Carpathians, exposed to Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Siberian influences, the regional climate displays steep gradients. More than one tree-ring chronology for oak is being built, independent of the south German series. Rethly's rich database of historical sources has been assembled, and completed with recently published letters. Ring-width series are measured on oak, and skeleton plots are logged. Study of hydrogen isotope composition of tree rings is in progress. Tree-ring width faithfully reflects historical indices on spring (i.e. earlywood growth season) precipitation. Generally, precipitation - as shown both by indices and tree-ring width - was high and temperature low during the growth season in the first half of the LMM. The second half has seen a retardation in oak growth and an increase in spring temperature. The decades of the Late Maunder Minimum was a politically turbulent era: it saw the decline and fall of the Ottoman domination in Hungary, followed by a rebellion against Austrian rule, associated with disruption of national economy.

Tree-ring width reveals the preparation of the 1974 Mt. Etna eruption

PubMed Central

Seiler, Ruedi; Houlié, Nicolas; Cherubini, Paolo

2017-01-01

Reduced near-infrared reflectance observed in September 1973 in Skylab images of the western flank of Mt. Etna has been interpreted as an eruption precursor of the January 1974 eruption. Until now, it has been unclear when this signal started, whether it was sustained and which process(es) could have caused it. By analyzing tree-ring width time-series, we show that the reduced near-infrared precursory signal cannot be linked to a reduction in annual tree growth in the area. However, comparing the tree-ring width time-series with both remote sensing observations and volcano-seismic activity enables us to discuss the starting date of the pre-eruptive period of the 1974 eruption. PMID:28266610

A comparison of high-resolution pollen-inferred climate data from central Minnesota, USA, to 19th century US military fort climate data and tree-ring inferred climate reconstructions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

St Jacques, J.; Cumming, B. F.; Sauchyn, D.; Vanstone, J. R.; Dickenson, J.; Smol, J. P.

2013-12-01

A vital component of paleoclimatology is the validation of paleoclimatological reconstructions. Unfortunately, there is scant instrumental data prior to the 20th century available for this. Hence, typically, we can only do long-term validation using other proxy-inferred climate reconstructions. Minnesota, USA, with its long military fort climate records beginning in 1820 and early dense network of climate stations, offers a rare opportunity for proxy validation. We compare a high-resolution (4-year), millennium-scale, pollen-inferred paleoclimate record derived from varved Lake Mina in central Minnesota to early military fort records and dendroclimatological records. When inferring a paleoclimate record from a pollen record, we rely upon the pollen-climate relationship being constant in time. However, massive human impacts have significantly altered vegetation; and the relationship between modern instrumental climate data and the modern pollen rain becomes altered from what it was in the past. In the Midwest, selective logging, fire suppression, deforestation and agriculture have strongly influenced the modern pollen rain since Euro-American settlement in the mid-1800s. We assess the signal distortion introduced by using the conventional method of modern post-settlement pollen and climate calibration sets to infer climate at Lake Mina from pre-settlement pollen data. Our first February and May temperature reconstructions are based on a pollen dataset contemporaneous with early settlement to which corresponding climate data from the earliest instrumental records has been added to produce a 'pre-settlement' calibration set. The second February and May temperature reconstructions are based on a conventional 'modern' pollen-climate dataset from core-top pollen samples and modern climate normals. The temperature reconstructions are then compared to the earliest instrumental records from Fort Snelling, Minnesota, and it is shown that the reconstructions based on the pre-settlement calibration set give much more credible reconstructions. We then compare the temperature reconstructions based upon the two calibration sets for AD 1116-2002. Significant signal flattening and bias exist when using the conventional modern pollen-climate calibration set rather than the pre-settlement pollen-climate calibration set, resulting in an overestimation of Little Ice Age monthly mean temperatures of 0.5-1.5 oC. Therefore, regional warming from anthropogenic global warming is significantly underestimated when using the conventional method of building pollen-climate calibration sets. We also compare the Lake Mina pollen-inferred effective moisture record to early 19th century climate data and to a four-century tree-ring inferred moisture reconstruction based upon sites in Minnesota and the Dakotas. This comparison shows that regional tree-ring reconstructions are biased towards dry conditions and record wet periods poorly relative to high-resolution pollen reconstructions, giving a false impression of regional aridity. It also suggests that varve chronologies should be based upon cross-dating to ensure a more accurate chronology.

Using dendrochonology to crossdate year of death in trees: limitations with stressed trees in a diffuse mortality context. (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Angers, V. A.; Bergeron, Y.; Drapeau, P.

2013-12-01

Dendrochronological crossdating of dead trees is commonly used to reconstruct mortality patterns over time. This method assumes that the year of formation of the last growth ring corresponds to the year of the death of the tree. Trees experiencing important stress, such as defoliation, drought or senescence, may rely on very few resources to allocate to growth and may favour other vital physiological functions over growth. Even if the tree is still living, growth may thus be reduced or even supressed during a stressful event. When a tree dies following this event and that there is a lag between year of last ring production and year of actual death, crossdating underestimates the actual year of death. As ring formation is not uniform across the bole, growth may occur only in some parts of the tree and may be detectable only if multiple bole samples are analysed. In this study, we wanted to investigate how the growth patterns of dying trees influence estimation of year of death when crossdating. Our research questions were the following 1) Is there a difference (hereafter referred as 'lag') between the last year of growth ring formation in disc samples collected at different heights in dead trees? 2) If so, what is the range of magnitude of these lags? and 3) Is this magnitude range influenced by the causes of death? Sampled sites were located in northwestern Quebec (Canada), over an area overlapping the eastern mixedwood and coniferous boreal forests. Four tree species were examined: Trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.), jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) and black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP). Trees that died following fire, self-thinning, defoliation and senescence were sampled. Two to three discs were collected on each dead tree (snags and logs) at different heights. Dendrochronological analyses were conducted to determine year of last growth ring production by crossdating. The more severe the disturbance, the narrower the lag between years of last ring production among samples collected in a given tree. In fire-induced death, lag was whether absent or very narrow, usually no more than one year. In defoliation-induced death, most lags were under two years. In competition-induced death, the vast majority of lags were shorter than 5 years. In old, senescent black spruce trees, lags were considerably longer as compared to other causes of death, exceeding 10 years in numerous cases. Based on these results, we suggest that investigators should consider collecting samples at different heights along the stem when reconstructing fine patterns of senescence-induced mortality using crossdating in order to avoid as much as possible bias due to variable growth in dying trees.

Interaction of Insecticide and Media Moisture on Ambrosia Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Attacks on Selected Ornamental Trees.

PubMed

Frank, Steven D; Anderson, Amanda L; Ranger, Christopher M

2017-12-08

Exotic ambrosia beetles, particularly Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), are among the most damaging pests of ornamental trees in nurseries. Growers have had few tactics besides insecticide applications to reduce ambrosia beetle attacks but recent research has shown that attacks may be reduced by maintaining media moisture below a 50% threshold thereby reducing flood stress. We compared the efficacy of managing media moisture and insecticide applications for reducing ambrosia beetle attacks on three ornamental tree species in North Carolina. During trials in spring 2013 and 2015, flooded Cornus florida and Cornus kousa were heavily attacked despite sprays with permethrin, but nonflooded C. kousa or C. florida were not attacked. In spring 2015 trials, both nonflooded and flooded Styrax japonicus were heavily attacked regardless of permethrin applications. Although ethanol emissions were not measured, the apparently healthy nonflooded S. japonicus trees may have been exposed to an unknown physiological stress, such as low temperature injury, the previous winter, which predisposed them to beetle attack. However, ethanol levels within host tissues were not measured as part of the current study. X. crassiusculus (75%), Xyloborinus saxesenii Ratzburg (13%), and X. germanus (9%) were the most abundant species collected in ethanol baited traps deployed in 2015, while X. crassiusculus (63%) and X. germanus (36%) were the predominant species reared from attacked trees. Results indicate that managing media moisture levels at or below 50%, and maximizing tree health overall, may provide significant protection against Xylosandrus spp. attacks in flood intolerant tree species. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Differential Impact of Passive versus Active Irrigation on Urban Forests in Semiarid Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luketich, A. M.; Papuga, S. A.; Crimmins, M.

2017-12-01

The network of trees within a city provides a variety of ecosystem services such as flood mitigation and reduced heat island effects. To maintain these `urban forests' in semiarid cities, the use of scarce water resources for irrigation is often necessary. Rainwater harvesting has been widely adopted in Tucson, AZ as a sustainable water source for trees, but the effects of passive water harvesting versus active irrigation on tree canopy productivity and microclimate is largely unquantified. We hypothesize that regardless of whether trees are passively or actively irrigated, deep soil moisture will be elevated compared to natural conditions; however, we expect that increased deep soil moisture conditions will be more frequent using active irrigation. Additionally, we hypothesize that similar to natural settings, urban trees will need access deep soil moisture for transpiration. Therefore, we expect that actively irrigated trees will have more periods of transpiration than passively irrigated trees and that this will result in elevated and sustained phenological activity. We also expect that this difference will translate to more ecosystem services for a longer portion of the year in actively irrigated urban forests. Here, we compare key ecohydrological indicators of passive and active irrigation systems at two sites in Tucson, AZ. Our measurements include soil moisture, transpiration, air temperature, soil temperature, below- and within- canopy temperatures, and canopy phenology. Our first year of results suggest there are differences in transpiration, canopy greening and microclimate between the two irrigation techniques and that the magnitude of these differences are highly seasonal. This research can help to improve understanding of the practices and function of green infrastructure in semiarid cities and inform models that attempt to aggregate the influence of these urban forests for understanding watershed management strategies.

iTREE: Long-term variability of tree growth in a changing environment - identifying physiological mechanisms using stable C and O isotopes in tree rings.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siegwolf, R. T. W.; Buchmann, N.; Frank, D.; Joos, F.; Kahmen, A.; Treydte, K.; Leuenberger, M.; Saurer, M.

2012-04-01

Trees play are a critical role in the carbon cycle - their photosynthetic assimilation is one of the largest terrestrial carbon fluxes and their standing biomass represents the largest carbon pool of the terrestrial biosphere. Understanding how tree physiology and growth respond to long-term environmental change is pivotal to predict the magnitude and direction of the terrestrial carbon sink. iTREE is an interdisciplinary research framework to capitalize on synergies among leading dendroclimatologists, plant physiologists, isotope specialists, and global carbon cycle modelers with the objectives of reducing uncertainties related to tree/forest growth in the context of changing natural environments. Cross-cutting themes in our project are tree rings, stable isotopes, and mechanistic modelling. We will (i) establish a European network of tree-ring based isotope time-series to retrodict interannual to long-term tree physiological changes, (ii) conduct laboratory and field experiments to adapt a mechanistic isotope model to derive plant physiological variables from tree-ring isotopes, (iii) implement this model into a dynamic global vegetation model, and perform subsequent model-data validation exercises to refine model representation of plant physiological processes and (iv) attribute long-term variation in tree growth to plant physiological and environmental drivers, and identify how our refined knowledge revises predictions of the coupled carbon-cycle climate system. We will contribute to i) advanced quantifications of long-term variation in tree growth across Central Europe, ii) novel long-term information on key physiological processes that underlie variations in tree growth, and iii) improved carbon cycle models that can be employed to revise predictions of the coupled carbon-cycle climate system. Hence iTREE will significantly contribute towards a seamless understanding of the responses of terrestrial ecosystems to long-term environmental change, and ultimately help reduce uncertainties of the magnitude and direction of the past and future terrestrial carbon sink.

Pollution and Climate Effects on Tree-Ring Nitrogen Isotopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Savard, M. M.; Bégin, C.; Marion, J.; Smirnoff, A.

2009-04-01

BACKGROUND Monitoring of nitrous oxide concentration only started during the last 30 years in North America, but anthropogenic atmospheric nitrogen has been significantly emitted over the last 150 years. Can geochemical characteristics of tree rings be used to infer past changes in the nitrogen cycle of temperate regions? To address this question we use nitrogen stable isotopes in 125 years-long ring series from beech specimens (Fagus grandifolia) of the Georgian Bay Islands National Park (eastern Ontario), and pine (Pinus strobus) and beech trees of the Arboretum Morgan near Montreal (western Quebec). To evaluate the reliability of the N stable isotopes in wood treated for removal of soluble materials, we tested both tree species from the Montreal area. The reproducibility from tree to tree was excellent for both pine and beech trees, the isotopic trends were strongly concordant, and they were not influenced by the heartwood-sapwood transition zone. The coherence of changes of the isotopic series observed for the two species suggests that their tree-ring N isotopic values can serve as environmental indicator. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION In Montreal and Georgian Bay, the N isotopes show strong and similar parallel agreement (Gleichlaufigkeit test) with the climatic parameters. So in fact, the short-term isotopic fluctuations correlate directly with summer precipitation and inversely with summer and spring temperature. A long-term decreasing isotope trend in Montreal indicates progressive changes in soil chemistry after 1951. A pedochemical change is also inferred for the Georgian Bay site on the basis of a positive N isotopic trend initiated after 1971. At both sites, the long-term ^15N series correlate with a proxy for NOx emissions (Pearson correlation), and carbon-isotope ring series suggest that the same trees have been impacted by phytotoxic pollutants (Savard et al., 2009a). We propose that the contrasted long-term nitrogen-isotope changes of Montreal and Georgian Bay reflect deposition of NOx emissions from cars and coal-power plants, with higher proportions from coal burning in Georgian Bay (Savard et al., 2009b). This interpretation is conceivable because recent monitoring indicates that coal-power plant NOx emissions play an important role in the annual N budget in Ontario, but they are negligible on the Quebec side. CONCLUSION Interpretations of long tree-ring N isotopic series in terms of effects generated by airborne N-species have been previously advocated. Here we further propose that the contrasted isotopic trends obtained for wood samples from two regions reflect different regional anthropogenic N deposition combined with variations of climatic conditions. This research suggests that nitrogen tree-ring series may record both regional climatic conditions and anthropogenic perturbations of the N cycle. REFERENCES Savard, M.M., Bégin,C., Marion, J., Aznar, J.-C., Smirnoff, A., 2009a. Changes of Air Quality in an urban region as inferred from tree-ring width and stable isotopes. Chapter 9 in "Relating Atmospheric Source Apportionment to Vegetation Effects: Establishing Cause Effect Relationships" (A. Legge ed.). Elsevier, Amsterdam; doi: 10.1016/S1474-8177(08)00209x. Savard, M.M., Bégin, C., Smirnoff, A., Marion, J., Rioux-Paquette, E., 2009b. Tree-ring nitrogen isotopes reflect climatic effects and anthropogenic NOx emissions. Env. Sci. Tech (doi: 10.1021/es802437k).

Effects of moisture limitation on tree growth in upland and floodplain forest ecosystems in interior Alaska

Treesearch

John. Yarie

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the impact of summer throughfall on the growth of trees, at upland and floodplain locations, in the vicinity of Fairbanks, Alaska. Corrugated clear plastic covers were installed under the canopy of floodplain balsam poplar/white spruce stands and upland hardwood/white spruce stands to control soil moisture recharge as a result...

Moisture content and specific gravity of the four major southern pines under the same age and site conditions

Treesearch

Mark D. Gibson; Charles W. McMillin; Eugene Shoulders

1986-01-01

Slash, loblolly, longleaf, and shortleaf pines in northern Louisiana were examined for differences in moisture content (MC) and basic specific gravity (SG) of wood and bark in the complete tree, root, stem, and branches and differences in diameter at breast height (dbh), total height, and taproot length of trees in even-aged plantations under identical site conditions...

Low-cost passive UHF RFID tags on paper substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sajal, Sayeed Zebaul Haque

To reduce the significant cost in the widespread deployment of UHF radio frequency identification (RFID) systems, an UHF RFID tag design is presented on paper substrates. The design is based on meander-line miniaturization techniques and open complementary split ring resonator (OCSRR) elements that reduce required conducting materials by 30%. Another passive UHF RFID tag is designed to sense the moisture based on the antenna's polarization. An inexpensive paper substrate and copper layer are used for flexibility and low-cost. The key characteristic of this design is the sensitivity of the antenna's polarization on the passive RFID tag to the moisture content in the paper substrate. In simulations, the antenna is circularly-polarized when the substrate is dry and is linearly-polarized when the substrate is wet. It was shown that the expected read-ranges and desired performance could be achieved reducing the over-all cost of the both designs.

Lab and Field Warming Similarly Advance Germination Date and Limit Germination Rate for High and Low Elevation Provenances of Two Widespread Subalpine Conifers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kueppers, Lara; Faist, Akasha; Ferrenberg, Scott

Accurately predicting upslope shifts in subalpine tree ranges with warming requires understanding how future forest populations will be affected by climate change, as these are the seed sources for new tree line and alpine populations. Early life history stages are particularly sensitive to climate and are also influenced by genetic variation among populations. Here, we tested the climate sensitivity of germination and initial development for two widely distributed subalpine conifers, using controlled-environment growth chambers with one temperature regime from subalpine forest in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and one 5 °C warmer, and two soil moisture levels. We also tracked germinationmore » rate and timing, rate of seedling development, and seedling morphology for two seed provenances separated by ~300 m elevation. Warming advanced germination timing and initial seedling development by a total of ~2 weeks, advances comparable to mean differences between provenances. Advances were similar for both provenances and species; however, warming reduced the overall germination rate, as did low soil moisture, only for Picea engelmannii. A three-year field warming and watering experiment planted with the same species and provenances yielded responses qualitatively consistent with the lab trials. Altogether these experiments indicate that in a warmer, drier climate, P. engelmannii germination, and thus regeneration, could decline, which could lead to declining subalpine forest populations, while Pinus flexilis forest populations could remain robust as a seed source for upslope range shifts.« less

Lab and Field Warming Similarly Advance Germination Date and Limit Germination Rate for High and Low Elevation Provenances of Two Widespread Subalpine Conifers

DOE PAGES

Kueppers, Lara; Faist, Akasha; Ferrenberg, Scott; ...

2017-11-11

Accurately predicting upslope shifts in subalpine tree ranges with warming requires understanding how future forest populations will be affected by climate change, as these are the seed sources for new tree line and alpine populations. Early life history stages are particularly sensitive to climate and are also influenced by genetic variation among populations. Here, we tested the climate sensitivity of germination and initial development for two widely distributed subalpine conifers, using controlled-environment growth chambers with one temperature regime from subalpine forest in the Colorado Rocky Mountains and one 5 °C warmer, and two soil moisture levels. We also tracked germinationmore » rate and timing, rate of seedling development, and seedling morphology for two seed provenances separated by ~300 m elevation. Warming advanced germination timing and initial seedling development by a total of ~2 weeks, advances comparable to mean differences between provenances. Advances were similar for both provenances and species; however, warming reduced the overall germination rate, as did low soil moisture, only for Picea engelmannii. A three-year field warming and watering experiment planted with the same species and provenances yielded responses qualitatively consistent with the lab trials. Altogether these experiments indicate that in a warmer, drier climate, P. engelmannii germination, and thus regeneration, could decline, which could lead to declining subalpine forest populations, while Pinus flexilis forest populations could remain robust as a seed source for upslope range shifts.« less

Watershed-scale changes in terrestrial nitrogen cycling during a period of decreased atmospheric nitrate and sulfur deposition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sabo, Robert D.; Scanga, Sara E.; Lawrence, Gregory B.; Nelson, David M.; Eshleman, Keith N.; Zabala, Gabriel A.; Alinea, Alexandria A.; Schirmer, Charles D.

2016-01-01

Recent reports suggest that decreases in atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition throughout Europe and North America may have resulted in declining nitrate export in surface waters in recent decades, yet it is unknown if and how terrestrial N cycling was affected. During a period of decreased atmospheric N deposition, we assessed changes in forest N cycling by evaluating trends in tree-ring δ15N values (between 1980 and 2010; n = 20 trees per watershed), stream nitrate yields (between 2000 and 2011), and retention of atmospherically-deposited N (between 2000 and 2011) in the North and South Tributaries (North and South, respectively) of Buck Creek in the Adirondack Mountains, USA. We hypothesized that tree-ring δ15N values would decline following decreases in atmospheric N deposition (after approximately 1995), and that trends in stream nitrate export and retention of atmospherically deposited N would mirror changes in tree-ring δ15N values. Three of the six sampled tree species and the majority of individual trees showed declining linear trends in δ15N for the period 1980–2010; only two individual trees showed increasing trends in δ15N values. From 1980 to 2010, trees in the watersheds of both tributaries displayed long-term declines in tree-ring δ15N values at the watershed scale (R = −0.35 and p = 0.001 in the North and R = −0.37 and p <0.001 in the South). The decreasing δ15N trend in the North was associated with declining stream nitrate concentrations (−0.009 mg N L−1 yr−1, p = 0.02), but no change in the retention of atmospherically deposited N was observed. In contrast, nitrate yields in the South did not exhibit a trend, and the watershed became less retentive of atmospherically deposited N (−7.3% yr−1, p < 0.001). Our δ15N results indicate a change in terrestrial N availability in both watersheds prior to decreases in atmospheric N deposition, suggesting that decreased atmospheric N deposition was not the sole driver of tree-ring δ15N values at these sites. Other factors, such as decreased sulfur deposition, disturbance, long-term successional trends, and/or increasing atmospheric CO2concentrations, may also influence trends in tree-ring δ15N values. Furthermore, declines in terrestrial N availability inferred from tree-ring δ15N values do not always correspond with decreased stream nitrate export or increased retention of atmospherically deposited N.

A single-substrate model to interpret high-resolution intra-annual stable isotope signals in tree ring cellulose

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ogée, J.; Barbour, M. M.; Dewar, R. C.; Wingate, L.; Bert, D.; Bosc, A.; Lambrot, C.; Stievenard, M.; Bariac, T.; Berbigier, P.; Loustau, D.

2007-12-01

High-resolution measurements of the carbon and oxygen stable isotope composition of cellulose in annual tree rings (δ13Ccellulose and δ18Ocellulose, respectively) reveal well-defined seasonal patterns that could contain valuable records of past climate and tree function. Interpreting these signals is nonetheless complex because they not only record the signature of current assimilates, but also depend on carbon allocation dynamics within the trees. Here, we will present a single-substrate model for wood growth in order to interpret qualitatively and quantitatively these seasonal isotopic signals. We will also show how this model can relate to more complex models of phloem transport and cambial activity. The model will then be tested against an isotopic intra-annual chronology collected on a Pinus pinaster tree equipped with point dendrometers and growing on a Carboeurope site where climate, soil and flux variables are also monitored. The empirical δ13Ccellulose and δ18Ocellulose signals exhibit dynamic seasonal patterns with clear differences between years, which makes it suitable for model testing. We will show how our simple model of carbohydrate reserves, forced by sap flow and eddy covariance measurements, enables us to interpret these seasonal and inter-annual patterns. Finally, we will present a sensitivity analysis of the model, showing how gas-exchange parameters, carbon and water pool sizes or wood maturation times affect these isotopic signals. Acknowledgements: this study benefited from the CarboEurope-IP Bray site facilities and was funded by the French INSU programme Eclipse, with an additional support from the INRA department EFPA.

Forest responses to increasing aridity and warmth in the southwestern United States.

PubMed

Williams, A Park; Allen, Craig D; Millar, Constance I; Swetnam, Thomas W; Michaelsen, Joel; Still, Christopher J; Leavitt, Steven W

2010-12-14

In recent decades, intense droughts, insect outbreaks, and wildfires have led to decreasing tree growth and increasing mortality in many temperate forests. We compared annual tree-ring width data from 1,097 populations in the coterminous United States to climate data and evaluated site-specific tree responses to climate variations throughout the 20th century. For each population, we developed a climate-driven growth equation by using climate records to predict annual ring widths. Forests within the southwestern United States appear particularly sensitive to drought and warmth. We input 21st century climate projections to the equations to predict growth responses. Our results suggest that if temperature and aridity rise as they are projected to, southwestern trees will experience substantially reduced growth during this century. As tree growth declines, mortality rates may increase at many sites. Increases in wildfires and bark-beetle outbreaks in the most recent decade are likely related to extreme drought and high temperatures during this period. Using satellite imagery and aerial survey data, we conservatively calculate that ≈ 2.7% of southwestern forest and woodland area experienced substantial mortality due to wildfires from 1984 to 2006, and ≈ 7.6% experienced mortality associated with bark beetles from 1997 to 2008. We estimate that up to ≈ 18% of southwestern forest area (excluding woodlands) experienced mortality due to bark beetles or wildfire during this period. Expected climatic changes will alter future forest productivity, disturbance regimes, and species ranges throughout the Southwest. Emerging knowledge of these impending transitions informs efforts to adaptively manage southwestern forests.

Forest responses to increasing aridity and warmth in the southwestern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williams, A.P.; Allen, Craig D.; Millar, C.I.; Swetnam, T.W.; Michaelsen, J.; Still, C.J.; Leavitt, Steven W.

2010-01-01

In recent decades, intense droughts, insect outbreaks, and wildfires have led to decreasing tree growth and increasing mortality in many temperate forests. We compared annual tree-ring width data from 1,097 populations in the coterminous United States to climate data and evaluated site-specific tree responses to climate variations throughout the 20th century. For each population, we developed a climate-driven growth equation by using climate records to predict annual ring widths. Forests within the southwestern United States appear particularly sensitive to drought and warmth. We input 21st century climate projections to the equations to predict growth responses. Our results suggest that if temperature and aridity rise as they are projected to, southwestern trees will experience substantially reduced growth during this century. As tree growth declines, mortality rates may increase at many sites. Increases in wildfires and bark-beetle outbreaks in the most recent decade are likely related to extreme drought and high temperatures during this period. Using satellite imagery and aerial survey data, we conservatively calculate that ≈2.7% of southwestern forest and woodland area experienced substantial mortality due to wildfires from 1984 to 2006, and ≈7.6% experienced mortality associated with bark beetles from 1997 to 2008. We estimate that up to ≈18% of southwestern forest area (excluding woodlands) experienced mortality due to bark beetles or wildfire during this period. Expected climatic changes will alter future forest productivity, disturbance regimes, and species ranges throughout the Southwest. Emerging knowledge of these impending transitions informs efforts to adaptively manage southwestern forests.