Annual rings, dendrochronology and climate change.
by Chris, 24 September, 2019, 0 comments
Dendrochronology seeks to gather information from the annual rings of trees, dated to their year of formation. As trees age, they form new distinctive rings, outward from the centre, and each year a circle of new, dead wood is formed (by the cambium) around the trunk of most trees. The annual rings form because the water conducting xylem vessels or early wood formed in late spring and early summer (when growth is rapid) are wider and lighter than those formed in late summer and early autumn, which are narrower and darker (sometimes called the late wood). A light and dark ring together constitute one year’s growth. In winter, there is no growth.
Trees and their annual rings are essentially long term recording devices that ‘house’ information about climatic variations, past climates and ecosystems; they can even offer insights into historical events. From an annual ring, it is possible to extract information about precipitation, temperature and other climate data about that year. Read more...
