Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 2
Dendroclimatology in High-Resolution
Paleoclimatology
Malcolm K. Hughes
Abstract
The characteristics of tree rings as natural archives of past climate are
discussed. Special consideration is given to key issues affecting their robustness
and reliability as sources of information on past climate. These issues include: the
effects of sample design and in particular the importance of using networks of tree-
ring records from many locations whenever possible; potentially complementary
approaches to the identification of climate signal in tree rings, namely empirical-
statistical and process-modeling approaches; statistical and mechanistic stability
over time of the climate signal in tree rings; and the ongoing effort to isolate cli-
mate signal from noise, without introducing biases, in tree-ring based proxy records
of climate.
Keywords
Tree rings
·
Dendrochronology
·
Dendroclimatology
·
Climatology
·
Reconstructions
2.1 Introduction
Bradley (
Chapter 1
, this volume) has placed tree rings firmly in the context of
high-resolution paleoclimatology, along with other natural archives such as coral
growth bands, laminated and high-accumulation freshwater and marine sediments,
speleothems, and annual bands in polar and high-elevation ice caps. He further iden-
tified a number of critical issues that must be faced in using properties of such
natural archives as proxy records of climate variables. These were the precision and
accuracy of the chronology applied to each record; the effective temporal resolution
of each archive; the degree to which the processes producing each archive are under-
stood and may be compared with observed climate; the consistency or inconsistency
of response to climate throughout the period of interest; and the extent to which each
