The dry and the wet case: Tree growth response in climatologically contrasting years on the island of corsica

Häusser M, Szymczak S, Knerr I, Bendix J, Garel E, Huneau F, Trachte K, Santoni S, Bräuning A (2021)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2021

Journal

Forests MDPI

Book Volume: 12

Article Number: 1175

Journal Issue: 9

DOI: 10.3390/f12091175

Abstract

Stem radial variations of Corsican Black pine (Pinus nigra Arnold subsp. laricio Maire) and Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Aiton) were monitored to quantify the impact of two meteorologically contrasting consecutive years. On the French island of Corsica, in the western Mediterranean basin, the year 2017 was extremely dry, while 2018 was exceptionally wet. We attached electric band den-drometers to 36 pines along an east–west transect, spanning the central mountain range, and set up automated weather stations at all five sites, ranging from 10 m asl to 1600 m asl. Stem radial variations (SRV) were separated into irreversible growth (GRO) and tree water deficit (TWD) periods. During the drought of 2017, the most severe tree water deficits occurred in the western part of the island, whereas trees at higher elevations were more affected than at lower elevations. A prolonged decrease of SRV, even close to the tree line, suggests bimodal growth and reveals high plasticity of growth patterns in both Corsican pines. Stem radial variations correlated significantly with precipitation and temperature. The positive correlations of GRO with precipitation and the negative correlations of TWD with temperature imply that high evapotranspiration led to the intense period of TWD in 2017. A novel approach was used to further investigate the growth/climate relationship by including synoptic-scale pressure situations. This revealed that an elevation gradient in GRO per weather pattern was only present in the wet year and that even rarely occurring weather patterns can have a substantial impact on tree growth. This novel approach provides a more comprehensive insight into meteorological drivers of tree growth patterns by incorporating different scales of the climatic system.

Authors with CRIS profile

Martin Häusser Institut für Geographie Sonja Szymczak Institut für Geographie Achim Bräuning Lehrstuhl für Geographie (Physische Geographie)

Involved external institutions

Philipps-Universität Marburg DE Germany (DE) Università di Corsica Pasquale Paoli FR France (FR) Brandenburgische Technische Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Häusser, M., Szymczak, S., Knerr, I., Bendix, J., Garel, E., Huneau, F.,... Bräuning, A. (2021). The dry and the wet case: Tree growth response in climatologically contrasting years on the island of corsica. Forests, 12(9). https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/f12091175

MLA:

Häusser, Martin, et al. "The dry and the wet case: Tree growth response in climatologically contrasting years on the island of corsica." Forests 12.9 (2021).

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