Tree-Ring Talk

Teaching dendroclimatology to our educators and youth

Bryan Yockers and Lee Borzick were invited to participate in the Research Experience for Teachers collaborative research project by the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, funded by the National Science Foundation, and led by Irina Panyushkina and Dave Meko.

Upside down and the game of C allocation

Soluble sugars (e.g. glucose, fructose and sucrose) and starch are the most abundant components of the non-structural carbohydrates (NSCs) stored in woody tissues of the stem and roots. These compounds represent the most abundant C reserves in trees, contributing to plants survival and their resilience to adverse conditions. These compounds are involved in controlling and regulating photosynthate allocation between C supply and demand.

How trees can contribute to reconstruct the local pollution history and remove ultrafine particles from the atmosphere

Dendrochemistry has proven to successfully provide a temporal record of trace metal deposition from a variety of pollution sources. Trace element uptake by trees was mainly thought to occur by soil-root transfer but direct transfer of particulate matter from the atmosphere to the shoots is also possible. However, the physiological mechanisms involved in the uptake and transport processes of ultrafine particles is largely unknown. Their presence in the tree rings is still unexplored.

New ¹⁴C dating of Sintashta's largest worship structure—BSK: baffling story of one ziggurat that challenged the narrative of Middle-Late Bronze Age archaeology in the northern Eurasian Steppe.

Research on the sociocultural complexity of the Eurasian steppe in the Bronze Age has been challenged by recent advances in the prehistorical calendar chronology derived from high-precision AMS carbon-14 measurements. The medley of archaeological cultures in the Southern Urals on the border between Russia and Kazakhstan is distinguished in space with the prominent typology of ancient ceramic and burial traditions.

How does Pinus ponderosa water use before and after the North American Monsoon impact the δ¹⁸O measured in wood cellulose in the American southwest?

In the southwestern U.S. the North American Monsoon (NAM) delivers summer precipitation from July – September and the rest is provided as snowmelt in early spring. Both periods serve as an important water source for plants, but due to the heterogeneous nature of the NAM, not all locations within the region receive precipitation, leading to differences in soil moisture.

Mississippian Dendroarchaeology: ¹⁴C wiggle-matching and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr sourcing at the Kincaid and Mitchell Sites, southern Illinois.

Nicholas Kessler is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in the Physics Department and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research at the university of Arizona, earning his PhD at the University of Arizona School of Anthropology. Dr. Kessler’s research has included dendroarchaeological projects in Arizona, New Mexico, Kansas, and Illinois. He has also published studies on soil chemistry and ancient agriculture in the Northern New Mexico.

What I did this summer

Our traditional "what I did this summer" lightning talks by students and faculty of LTRR; you are welcome to take 1-5 minutes to say a few words and share one or more slides related to work or fun.

Enhanced hydroclimatic variability over California

Most of the annual precipitation over California occurs in a short window between November and March and is highly dependent on the frequency of winter storms. Thus, the amount of precipitation can vary strongly from year to year, as demonstrated in the most recent decade (2012-2022), when year-to-year swings between high and low winter precipitation extremes resulted in drought, wildfires, and floods throughout California that caused billions of dollars in damage.

Double-header: (1) Sensitivity to hydrologic whiplash in the tree-ring record of the high Sierra Nevada; (2) The Cycloscope of Andrew Ellicott Douglass: Analog computing from early 20th century climate science resurrected

1) Sensitivity to hydrologic whiplash in the tree-ring record of the high Sierra Nevada

The North American Monsoon Rescues Forests From a Mega Drought While Others Are Left High and Dry

Drought conditions have been projected to increase globally as atmospheric CO2 (ca) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) increase. Experimental and modelling studies have suggested that forest responses to drought may be bolstered by increased ca, but it remains unclear how prevalent this response is in natural forest ecosystems.

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