A tree ring-based hydroclimate reconstruction for eastern Europe reveals large-scale teleconnection patterns

0561609 - ÚVGZ 2023 RIV US eng J - Journal Article
Roibu, C. C. - Nagavciuc, V. - Ionita, M. - Popa, I. - Horodnic, S.A. - Mursa, A. - Büntgen, Ulf
A tree ring-based hydroclimate reconstruction for eastern Europe reveals large-scale teleconnection patterns.
Climate Dynamics. Roč. 59, č. 3 (2022). ISSN 0930-7575. E-ISSN 1432-0894
Research Infrastructure: CzeCOS III - 90123
Institutional support: RVO:86652079
Keywords : Climate reconstructions * Dendroclimatology * Drought extremes * Eastern Europe * Teleconnection patterns * Tree rings * Beech
OECD category: Meteorology and atmospheric sciences
Impact factor: 4.6, year: 2022
Method of publishing: Open access
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00382-022-06255-8

We present a new beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) tree-ring width composite chronology from five natural low-elevation forests in eastern Romania, which represent the species' continental distribution limit. Our regional beech chronology reflects April-June hydroclimate variability in form of the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index over large parts of Romania, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova, for which high-resolution paleoclimatic evidence is broadly missing. Most of the reconstructed hydroclimatic extremes back to 1768 CE are confirmed by documentary evidences, and a robust association is found with large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns in the Northern Hemisphere and sea surface temperatures over the North Atlantic. Reconstructed pluvials coincide with a high-pressure system over the North Atlantic Ocean and north-western Europe, and with a low-pressure system over south-western, central and eastern Europe, whereas historical droughts coincide with a high-pressure system over Europe and a low-pressure system over the central part of the Atlantic Ocean. Our study demonstrates the potential to produce well-replicated, multi-centennial beech chronologies for eastern Europe to reconstruct regional hydroclimate variation and better understand the causes and consequences of large-scale teleconnection patterns.
Permanent Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11104/0337000