Extreme climatic events revealed by tree-ring anomalies in temperate mixed forests of Central China

In dendrochronology, tree-ring widths are used in environment and climate reconstructions. In addition to tree-ring width, wood anatomy and tree-ring anomalies are becoming increasingly valuable as sources of proxy data. The disruption of normal tree growth resulting in various tree-ring anomalies including frost rings, false rings or light rings have been related to climate events such as severe frosts, droughts or cool summers. To our knowledge, only one such study has been done in China where light rings were related to severe droughts. An analysis of tree-ring anomalies in Chinese pine tree species offers the opportunity to address this gap. The purpose of this project is to identify tree-ring anomalies in Chinese tree species and determine their relationship to instrumental records of extreme climatic events in central China. The knowledge of tree-ring anomalies and their calibration to climate data from this study will benefit long-term climate reconstructions, especially where instrumental records are missing and multi-century tree-ring chronologies exist.

Faculty Supervisor:

Jacques Tardif

Student:

Partner:

University of Chinese Academy of Sciences

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

University:

University of Winnipeg

Program:

Globalink Research Award