Wet season precipitation during the past century reconstructed from tree-rings of a tropical dry forest in Southern Ecuador

Pucha Cofrep D, Peters T, Bräuning A (2015)


Publication Language: English

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2015

Journal

Publisher: Elsevier

Book Volume: 133

Pages Range: 65-78

URI: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921818115001526

DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.08.003

Abstract

This study investigates the dendroclimatic potential of tree species in a tropical dry forest in southern Ecuador. From 10 selected tree species, Bursera graveolens and Maclura tinctoria exhibited distinct annual and cross-datable tree-rings. It was possible to synchronize individual tree-ring series and to establish two tree-ring chronologies of 203 and 87 years length, respectively. The characteristic ENSO frequency band is reflected in wavelet power spectra of both chronologies. Both species show a strong correlation between ring width and precipitation of the wet season (January–May). Strong El Niño events (1972, 1983 and 1998) lead to strong growth responses in the tree-ring chronologies, whereas ‘normal’ ENSO events do not trigger long-lasting growth responses. The first ring-width based wet-season precipitation reconstruction for the past 103 years was developed. Statistical and spatial correlation analysis verified the skills of the reconstructed precipitation which captures a great part of the Rainfall Index over the land area of Ecuador and the equatorial Pacific. Furthermore, teleconnections with central Pacific precipitation and SST patterns were found.

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How to cite

APA:

Pucha Cofrep, D., Peters, T., & Bräuning, A. (2015). Wet season precipitation during the past century reconstructed from tree-rings of a tropical dry forest in Southern Ecuador. Global and Planetary Change, 133, 65-78. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.08.003

MLA:

Pucha Cofrep, Darwin, Thorsten Peters, and Achim Bräuning. "Wet season precipitation during the past century reconstructed from tree-rings of a tropical dry forest in Southern Ecuador." Global and Planetary Change 133 (2015): 65-78.

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