Stable Isotopes in Tree Rings of Pinus heldreichii Can Indicate Climate Variability over the Eastern Mediterranean Region

0542633 - ÚVGZ 2022 RIV CH eng J - Journal Article
Lukac, L. - Mikac, S. - Urban, Otmar - Kolář, Tomáš - Rybníček, Michal - Ač, Alexander - Trnka, Miroslav - Marek, Michal V.
Stable Isotopes in Tree Rings of Pinus heldreichii Can Indicate Climate Variability over the Eastern Mediterranean Region.
Forests. Roč. 12, č. 3 (2021), č. článku 350. E-ISSN 1999-4907
R&D Projects: GA MŠMT(CZ) EF16_019/0000797
Research Infrastructure: CzeCOS III - 90123
Institutional support: RVO:86652079
Keywords : tree-ring width * carbon and oxygen isotopes * sub-Adriatic climate * drought * climate signal * Bosnian pine
OECD category: Climatic research
Impact factor: 3.282, year: 2021
Method of publishing: Open access
https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/3/350

A long-term context is important for understanding past climatic variability. Although tree-ring widths (TRWs) are widely used as a proxy for reconstructing past climate, the use of annually-resolved values of delta C-13 and delta O-18 tree-ring stable isotopes (TRSIs) is increasing and may provide further valuable information. Here, we present a 487-year-long TRW chronology and 240-year-long TRSI chronology for Bosnian pine (Pinus heldreichii H. Christ) and compare them to each other. We demonstrate that both delta C-13 and delta O-18 values are better proxies for temperature, precipitation, and drought than TRW. The correlations between these climate parameters and TRSIs are strongest for the combined summer (JJA) period. The results of temporal and spatial field correlation indicate that TRSI chronologies are stable, reliable proxies for JJA precipitation reconstruction over the whole Balkan Peninsula and surrounding eastern Mediterranean region. However, the stability of the temperature signal of the both delta C-13 and delta O-18 chronologies declines after the 1950s. Our work supports the emerging evidence that TRSI data track climate variability more accurately than a conventional TRW approach and can be subsequently used for the reconstruction of past climate.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0320019