Publication details
Investigation of age trends in tree-ring stable carbon and oxygen isotopes from northern Fennoscandia over the past millennium
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2022 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Quaternary International |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2022.05.017 |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2022.05.017 |
| Keywords | Tree rings; Isotopes; Pinus sylvestris; Age trend; Fennoscandia |
| Description | Although tree-ring stable carbon (?13C) and oxygen (?18O) isotopes are increasingly used for climate reconstructions, it remains unclear whether isotopic ratios from the two chemical elements and different tree species exhibit age-related trends that require removal prior to any paleoclimatic interpretation. Here, we present 2,355 ?13C and 2,237 ?18O decadal measurements of living and relict Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) from northern Fennoscandia to investigate the occurrence of isotope-specific age trends at both the individual tree and chronology level between 941 and 2010 CE, together with total-ring width and maximum density data. We show that ?13C values increase by ~0.035‰ per 10 years of tree age, and therefore require detrending, which is not the case for ?18O that only contains minor changes related to age. This study provides independent evidence for the unique paleoclimatic value of stable ?18O isotopic ratios from the cellulose of living and relict pine wood to reconstruct high-to low-frequency climate variability. Conversely, caution is advised when information from diverse tree-ring parameters, species and regions is combined in multi-proxy climate reconstructions. |