One hundred years of tree-ring research in the tropics – a brief history and an outlook to future challenges

[1] An experimental reconstruction uses three well-dated, annually-resolved proxies from Australasia (0–40°S, 95–155°E) to provide large-scale information on Sep–Jan Australasian monsoon variability based on the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for 1787–2002. The proxies are: (1) a ring width chronology of Callitris intratropica for northern Australia (1847–2006); (2) a tree-ring and coral–based reconstruction of the Oct–Nov PDSI (1787–2003) for Java, Indonesia; and (3) a rainfall reconstruction for northeastern Australia (1631–2002) based on Great Barrier Reef coral luminescence. All three proxies show considerable explanatory value for reconstructing monsoon rainfall variability over much of Australia and environs, which will improve as additional records become available. The success of this “proof of concept” experiment largely reflects the highly significant, spatially-coherent correlations between austral spring and summer PDSI, Australasian climate and ENSO.

https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1029/2008GL034393

Experimental reconstruction of monsoon drought variability for Australasia using tree rings and corals

We investigated the dendroclimatic potential of stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) abundances in tree rings of Callitris columellaris F. Muell. Tree-ring chronologies were constructed from the central Pilbara, north-western Australia and span 1919–1999. Variation in δ18O was more strongly related to climate than δ13C; ecological and physiological factors may have dampened the climate signal in the δ13C chronology. Tree-ring δ18O was most strongly correlated with relative humidity (RH) and rainfall (r = −0.36 and −0.39) of the wettest months of the summer period, January and February. The correlation with RH reflects its effect on evaporative enrichment of leaf water. However, tree-ring δ18O may also partly reflect the variability in 18O signatures of rainfall, which are influenced by the amount of rainfall and atmospheric humidity. From the δ18O chronology, we inferred that from 1919 to 1955 summers were relatively dry and warm, but since 1955, summers in the Pilbara region have become increasingly cooler and more humid. Since 1980, conditions have been the wettest and coolest of the last 80 years. These inferred changes in climate correspond to a measured increase in rainfall since 1980 in north-western Australia associated with a greater intensity of tropical cyclones. We conclude that δ18O abundances in tree rings of C. columellaris have significant potential for reconstructing the climate of semi-arid Australia, a region for which observational climate records are sparse.

A stable oxygen, but not carbon, isotope chronology of Callitris columellaris reflects recent climate change in north-western Australia

The British Isles lay at a palaeolatitude of 4°S during the Early Carboniferous (Courceyan–Arundian) period. This paper examines fossil gymnosperm wood from ten localities in western Ireland and southern Scotland in order to analyse palaeoclimate. Fifty-two percent of the 77 fossil wood specimens studied exhibit growth rings that possess subtle, discontinuous ring boundaries and ring increments of narrow but variable width. These growth rings are qualitatively and quantitatively analysed, and are shown to bear a close similarity to growth rings in modern araucarian conifer woods; these araucarian growth rings are formed in response to tropical rainfall seasonality linked to monsoonal circulation. The findings of this study therefore support earlier palaeoclimatic interpretations, based on sedimentological evidence, which suggest that the British Isles experienced a monsoonal climate during the Early Carboniferous (Courceyan–Arundian) period.

The early carboniferous (courceyan-arundian) monsoonal climate of the british isles : evidence from growth rings in fossil woods

In this study we demonstrate the significant dendrochronological potential of Callitris intratropica, a native conifer distributed across much of the seasonal tropics of northern Australia. We developed two rigorously cross-dated chronologies from sites in the Northern Territory, Australia. The first chronology (1965–2004) was developed from plantation C. intratropica of known-age at Howard Springs and was heavily replicated both within and among trees to evaluate the quality of cross-dating for the species. The second chronology (1847–2006) was developed from trees growing naturally near Pine Creek and compared with long-term instrumental climate records to assess the potential for dendroclimatic reconstructions. Both chronologies had mean interseries correlations >0.65, the highest reported for a tropical tree species. The Howard Springs chronology demonstrated that C. intratropica produces anatomically distinct annual growth rings with the consistent ring-width variation within and among trees necessary for rigorous dendrochronological studies. The Pine Creek chronology exhibited statistically significant correlations with rainfall and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI; integrated measures of plant water stress), and to a lesser extent temperature. The strongest correlations between the climate data and tree-ring width indices were for early monsoon rainfall (October–December; Pearson’s r = 0.53) and late monsoon PDSI (May; Pearson’s r = 0.41). Our study demonstrates the significant potential of high-quality dendrochronological research on mainland Australia in general, and of C. intratropica, specifically, to reconstruct historical variation of the Australian monsoon system. In addition, C. intratropica may be able to provide novel insights into the dynamics of forests in the seasonal tropics of northern Australia and the role of disturbances, such as fire and cyclones, on these ecosystems.

The dendrochronology of Callitris intratropica in northern Australia: annual ring structure, chronology development and climate correlations

Growth rings were examined in trees of Callitrzs macleayana from the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland, Australia. The climate is tropical with a distinct dry season that induces regular annual growth rings. A correlation of 0 74 was found between annual ring widths and the duration of the wet seasons. The potential of this species for dendrochronological study is apparent.

Tree rings in tropical Callitris macleayana F. Muell.

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Tree rings in tropical Callitris macleayana F. Muell.