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BLUE INTENSITY IN LARIX SIBIRICA TREE RINGS AS A NEW PALAEOCLIMATE PROXY IN ALTAI, RUSSIA

Dmitriy V. Ovchinnikov

Abstract

Dendroclimatic studies based on the use of various indicators of annual tree-ring structure (width, maximum density, cell wall thickness, lumen size etc.) have become widespread over the past decade. However, reconstructions of climatic characteristics revealed limitations associated with the use of both the width and density of annual rings. In particular, annual ring width, in the high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and in mountain regions, is usually closely related either with June, or June and July air temperature. The tree-ring maximum density is closely related with June-August or May-August temperature, which relationship improves past climate reconstruction. Structural characteristics at a cell level (cell wall thickness, lumen size, etc.) are more suitable for dendrophysiological and dendroecological studies. Blue intensity (BI) is a new parameter of annual ring structure used in dendrochronological studies. BI correlates well with annual ring maximum density. BI key advantages are in that it is fairly inexpensive, user-friendly and timesaving concerning data acquirement. Studies done in Europe and North America show a high BI potential regarding reconstruction of past climate, in particular, of that of air temperature. This paper discusses the problems of use of BI as a paleoclimatic indicator for the mountainous areas of southern Siberia (Altai Region, Russia). BI was calculated for tree-rings of the Siberian larch trees growing in Altai mountains. As a result, a local 232-yr (1783-2014) BI-chronology of Larix sibirica L. was built for an area located in Altai Mt., southern Siberia. BI-chronology was tested for quality by standard statistical methods used in dendrochronology. Mean sensitivity (MS), standard deviation (SD), first order autocorrelation (AC1) and other indicators were used to test BI time series. The correlation between individual time series ranged 0.5 to 0.65, whereas the ranges were 0.11-0.21 for MS, 0.16-0.21 for SD, and 0.86-0.88 for AC1. The statistical data were similar regarding tree-ring maximum density (MXD). AC1 was similar to that for tree-ring width (TRW). A linear regression, negative exponential line, and different spline functions were used to calculate standard (STD) and residual (RES) BI-chronologies. STD-chronology had an autocorrelation and RES-chronology had a negative autocorrelation. Preliminary studies of Siberian larch showed a high potential of BI as a paleoclimatic proxy for dendroecological and dendroclimatological studies conducted in the mountain regions of southern Siberia (Altai Mt., Russia).

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgem2018/3.2/s14.095

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