Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-ndw9j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-06T10:14:23.343Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Dendroclimatic Reconstruction of Summer Temperatures in Northwestern Canada since A.D. 1638 Based on Age-Dependent Modeling

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Julian M. Szeicz  and
Glen M. MacDonald
Julian M. Szeicz
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada
Glen M. MacDonald
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4K1, Canada
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Ring widths from five Picea glauca stands at the alpine treeline in northwestern Canada are used to investigate climate-growth responses and to develop a long reconstruction of summer temperatures. Response function and linear regression analyses indicate that the radial growth response of these trees to climate varies with age and site. At most sites, the period of significant positive response to growing season temperatures declines with tree age. Age-dependent and standard (age independent) models are then used to develop two reconstructions of June-July temperatures for northwestern Canada extending back to A.D. 1638. Calibration statistics were similar for both models, but the standard model performed poorly during verification. The reconstruction produced using age-dependent modeling suggests June-July temperatures were cooler than present throughout most of the past 350 years, with the exception of the late 18th century. Particularly cool periods occurred at ∼1700 and in the mid-19th century. In constast, the standard model suggests that temperatures were similar to or warmer than present during the last 350 years. The age-dependent reconstruction compares favorably with other proxy climate records from northern North America. Age-dependent dendroclimatic modeling can provide a sensitive record of recent climatic change that allows the inclusion of previously rejected sites into dendroclimatic analyses.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 44 , Issue 2 , September 1995 , pp. 257 - 266
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Arbaugh, M. J., and Peterson, D. L. (1989). Variable selection in dendrocli-matology: An example using simulated tree-ring series. Forest Science 35 , 294–302.Google Scholar
Arquilliere, S. Filion, L. Gajewski, K., and Cloutier, C. (1990). A dendro-ecological analysis of eastern larch (Larix laricina) in subarctic Quebec. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 20 , 1312–1319.Google Scholar
Baker, W. L. (1992). Structure, disturbance, and change in the Bristlecone pine forests of Colorado, U.S.A. Arctic and Alpine Research 24 , 17–26.Google Scholar
Bradley, R. S., and Jones, P. D. (1992). “Climate Since A.D. 1500.” Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Bradley, R. S., and Jones, P. D. (1993). ‘Little Ice Age’ summer temperature variations: Their nature and relevance to recent global warming trends. The Holvcene 3 , 367–376.Google Scholar
Briffa, K. R. Jones, P. D. Pilcher, J. R., and Hughes, M. K. (1988). Reconstructing summer temperatures in northern Fennoscandinavia back to A.D. 1700 using tree-ring data from Scots pine. Arctic and Alpine Research 20 , 385–394.Google Scholar
Bums, B. M. (1974). “The Climate of the Mackenzie Valley—Beaufort Sea,” Vols. I and II, Climatological Studies No. 24. Environment Canada, Toronto.Google Scholar
Cropper, J. P., and Fritts, H. C. (1981). Tree-ring chronologies from the North American arctic. Arctic and Alpine Research 13 , 245–260.Google Scholar
D’Arrigo, R. D., and Jacoby, G. C. Jr. (1992). Dendroclimatic evidence from northern North America. In “Climate since A.D. 1500” (Bradley, R. S. and Jones, P. D., Eds.), pp. 296–311. Routledge, London.Google Scholar
D’Arrigo, R. D. Jacoby, G. C. Jr., and Free, R. M. (1992). Tree-ring width and maximum latewood density at the North American tree line: Parameters of climatic change. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 22 , 1290–1296.Google Scholar
D’Arrigo, R. D., and Jacoby, G. C. Jr. (1993). Secular trends in high northern latitude temperature reconstructions based on tree rings. Climatic Change 25 , 163–177.Google Scholar
Filion, L. Payette, S. Gauthier, L., and Boutin, Y. (1986). Light rings in subarctic conifers as a dendrochronological tool. Quaternary Research 26 , 272–279.Google Scholar
Fritts, H. C. (1976). “Tree rings and climate.” Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Fritts, H. C., and Guiot, J. (1989). Methods of calibration, verification and reconstruction. In “Methods of Dendrochronology” (Cook, E. R. and Kairiukstis, L. A., Eds.), pp. 163–218. Kluwer, Dordrecht.Google Scholar
Garfinkel, H. L., and Brubaker, L. B. (1980). Modem climate-tree growth relationships and climatic reconstruction in sub-Arctic Alaska. Nature (London) 286 , 872–874.Google Scholar
Graumlich, L. J. (1991). Subalpine tree growth, climate, and increasing C02: An assessment of recent growth trends. Ecology 72 , 1–11.Google Scholar
Graybill, D. A., and Shiyatov, S. G. (1992). Dendroclimatic evidence from the northern Soviet Union. In “Climate since A.D. 1500” (Bradley, R. S. and Jones, P. D., Eds.), pp. 393–14. Routledge, London.Google Scholar
Grissino-Mayer, H. Holmes, R., and Fritts, H. C. (1993). “International Tree-Ring Data Bank Program Library User’s Manual.” Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.Google Scholar
Hansen, J., and Lebedeff, S. (1987). Global trends of measured surface air temperature. Journal of Geophysical Research 92 , 13345–13372.Google Scholar
Herron, M. M. Herron, S. L., and Langway, C. C. Jr. (1981). Climatic signal of ice melt features in southern Greenland. Nature (London) 293 , 389–391.Google Scholar
Heusser, C. J., and Marcus, M. G. (1964). Historical variations of Lemon Creek Glacier, Alaska, and their relationship to the climatic record. Journal of Glaciology 5 , 77–86.Google Scholar
Houghton, J. T. Jenkins, G. J., and Ephraums, J. J., Eds. (1990). “Climate change: The IPCC scientific assessment.” Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Jacoby, G. C. Jr., and Cook, E. R. (1981). Past temperature variations inferred from a 400-year tree-ring chronology from Yukon Territory, Canada. Arctic and Alpine Research 13 , 409–418.Google Scholar
Jacoby, G. C. Jr. Cook, E. R., and Ulan, L. D. (1985). Reconstructed summer degree days in centra] Alaska and northwestern Canada since 1524, Quaternary Research 23 , 18–26.Google Scholar
Jacoby, G. C. Jr. Ivanciu, I. S., and Ulan, L. D. (1988). A 263-year record of summer temperatures for northern Quebec reconstructed from tree-ring data and evidence of a major climatic shift in the early 1800’s. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Paìaeoecology 64 , 69–78.Google Scholar
Jacoby, G. C. Jr., and D’Arrigo, R. (1989). Reconstructed northern hemisphere annual temperature since 1671 based on high-latitude tree-ring data from North America. Climatic Change 14 , 39–59.Google Scholar
Koemer, R. M. (1977). Devon Island ice cap: Core stratigraphy and paleoclimate. Science 196 , 15–18.Google Scholar
Kozlowski, T. T. (1971). “Growth and Development of Trees,” Vol. 1. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Kramer, P. J., and Kozlowski, T. T. (1979). “Physiology of woody plants.” Academic Press, London.Google Scholar
Pittock, A. B. (1982). Climatic reconstruction from tree-rings. In “Climate from Tree Rings.” (Hughes, M. K. Kelly, P. M. Pilcher, J. R., and LaMarehe, V.C., Eds.), pp. 62–65. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK.Google Scholar
Schweingruber, F. H. Briffa, K. R., and Nogler, P. (1993). A tree-ring densitometric transect from Alaska to Labrador. International Journal of Bio-meteorology 37 , 151–169.Google Scholar
Szeicz, J. M., and MacDonald, G. M. (1994). Age dependent tree-ring growth responses of subarctic white spruce to climate. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 24 , 120–132.Google Scholar
Tranquillini, W. (1979). “Physiological Ecology of the Alpine Timberline.” Springer, Berlin.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Deusen, P. C. (1990). Evaluating time-dependent tree ring and climate relationships. Journal of Environmental Quality 19 , 481–188.Google Scholar
Yamaguchi, D. K. (1991). A simple method for cross-dating increment cores from living trees. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 21 , 414–416.Google Scholar
Yoder, B. J. Ryan, M. G. Waring, R. H. Schoettle, A. W., and Kaufmann, M. R. (1994). Evidence of reduced photosynthetic rates in old trees. Forest Science 40 , 513–527.Google Scholar