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Redwood trees reveal history of West Coast rain, fog, ocean conditions

By Guest PostNovember 3, 2013Environmentatmosphere, climate change, coastal redwoods, coastline, dendrochronology, earth, fog, foggy surrounding, historic fires, human caused, jim johnstone, john roden, molecules, natural variability cycles, northern california, ocean condition, oxygen, reconstructing historic climate, redwood trees, redwoods lifetime, southern oregon university, todd dawson, university of california, university of washington, west coast rain

Many people use tree ring records to see into the past. But redwoods – the iconic trees that are the world’s tallest living things – have so far proven too erratic in their growth patterns to help with reconstructing historic climate.

A University of Washington researcher has developed a way to use the trees as a window into coastal conditions, using oxygen and carbon atoms in the wood to detect fog and rainfall in previous seasons. (more…)

UA Scientists Find Evidence of Roman Period Megadrought

By Guest PostNovember 6, 2011Environment, Scienceannual growth rings of trees, bristlecone pine tree, chronology, climate, cody routson, colorado river, connie woodhouse, core, dendrochronology, extreme drought conditions, geoscientists, jonathan overpeck, la niña, medieval period, multi decade drought period, primary drainage, rio grande, rocky landscapes of alpine or near alpine mountain slopes, san juan bristlecone pines, san juan drainage, san juan rivers, second century a d, shelley littin, south central colorado, southern san juan mountains, southwestern aridity, southwestern u.s, tree bark, tropical pacific ocean, university of arizona

*A new study at the UA’s Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research has revealed a previously unknown multi-decade drought period in the second century A.D. The findings give evidence that extended periods of aridity have occurred at intervals throughout our past.*

Almost nine hundred years ago, in the mid-12^th century, the southwestern U.S. was in the middle of a multi-decade megadrought. It was the most recent extended period of severe drought known for this region. But it was not the first.

The second century A.D. saw an extended dry period of more than 100 years characterized by a multi-decade drought lasting nearly 50 years, says a new study from scientists at the University of Arizona. (more…)

Tag Archives: dendrochronology

Redwood trees reveal history of West Coast rain, fog, ocean conditions

UA Scientists Find Evidence of Roman Period Megadrought