3 research outputs found

    Blue intensity for dendroclimatology:should we have the blues? Experiments from Scotland

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    Abstract Blue intensity (BI) has the potential to provide information on past summer temperatures of a similar quality to maximum latewood density (MXD), but at a substantially reduced cost. This paper provides a methodological guide to the generation of BI data using a new and affordable BI measurement system; CooRecorder. Focussing on four sites in the Scottish Highlands from a wider network of 42 sites developed for the Scottish Pine Project, BI and MXD data from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) were used to facilitate a direct comparison between these parameters. A series of experiments aimed at identifying and addressing the limitations of BI suggest that while some potential limitations exist, these can be minimised by adhering to appropriate BI generation protocols. The comparison of BI data produced using different resin-extraction methods (acetone vs. ethanol) and measurement systems (CooRecorder vs. WinDendro) indicates that comparable results can be achieved. Using samples from the same trees, a comparison of both BI and MXD with instrumental climate data revealed that overall, BI performs as well as, if not better than, MXD in reconstructing past summer temperatures (BI r2 = 0.38–0.46; MXD r2 = 0.34–0.35). Although reconstructions developed using BI and MXD data appeared equally robust, BI chronologies were more sensitive to the choice of detrending method due to differences in the relative trends of non-detrended raw BI and MXD data. This observation suggests that the heartwood–sapwood colour difference is not entirely removed using either acetone or ethanol chemical treatment, which may ultimately pose a potential limitation for extracting centennial and longer timescale information when using BI data from tree species that exhibit a distinct heartwood–sapwood colour difference. Additional research is required in order to develop new methods to overcome this potential limitation. However, the ease with which BI data can be produced should help justify and recognise the role of this parameter as a potential alternative to MXD, particularly when MXD generation may be impractical or unfeasible for financial or other reasons

    Climate-change-driven growth decline of European beech forests

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    The growth of past, present, and future forests was, is and will be affected by climate variability. This multifaceted relationship has been assessed in several regional studies, but spatially resolved, large-scale analyses are largely missing so far. Here we estimate recent changes in growth of 5800 beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) from 324 sites, representing the full geographic and climatic range of species. Future growth trends were predicted considering state-of-the-art climate scenarios. The validated models indicate growth declines across large region of the distribution in recent decades, and project severe future growth declines ranging from −20% to more than −50% by 2090, depending on the region and climate change scenario (i.e. CMIP6 SSP1-2.6 and SSP5-8.5). Forecasted forest productivity losses are most striking towards the southern distribution limit of Fagus sylvatica, in regions where persisting atmospheric high-pressure systems are expected to increase drought severity. The projected 21(st) century growth changes across Europe indicate serious ecological and economic consequences that require immediate forest adaptation

    Jet stream position explains regional anomalies in European beech forest productivity and tree growth

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    The mechanistic pathways connecting ocean-atmosphere variability and terrestrial productivity are well-established theoretically, but remain challenging to quantify empirically. Such quantification will greatly improve the assessment and prediction of changes in terrestrial carbon sequestration in response to dynamically induced climatic extremes. The jet stream latitude (JSL) over the North Atlantic-European domain provides a synthetic and robust physical framework that integrates climate variability not accounted for by atmospheric circulation patterns alone. Surface climate impacts of north-south summer JSL displacements are not uniform across Europe, but rather create a northwestern-southeastern dipole in forest productivity and radial-growth anomalies. Summer JSL variability over the eastern North Atlantic-European domain (5-40E) exerts the strongest impact on European beech, inducing anomalies of up to 30% in modelled gross primary productivity and 50% in radial tree growth. The net effects of JSL movements on terrestrial carbon fluxes depend on forest density, carbon stocks, and productivity imbalances across biogeographic regions.Here the authors show that extremes in the summer jet stream position over Europe create a beech forest productivity dipole between northwestern and southeastern Europe and can result in regional anomalies in forest carbon uptake and growth
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