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Tree-rings provide one of the longest and highest resolution paleoclimate records for North America. Millennium length climate proxy records are primarily from extreme environments (e.g., deserts, cliffs, high elevations) and do not represent climate-plant responses in the Central U.S. agricultural region. The value of understanding long-term climate dynamics in region of Mid-continental North America lays in the region's role as one the largest suppliers to the global agricultural economy. During the last six years cross sections from over 500 oak logs have been collected from streams and sediments for use in dendroclimatology, carbon, and other paleoecological studies. Thus far, oak wood has been distributed nearly continuously from modern (less than 100 years) in age to more than 14,000 years BP using both 14C and tree-ring cross dating (i.e., growth pattern matching) methods. A modern tree-ring chronology has been constructed that dates from AD 912 to 2002. Seven other floating chronologies are also being constructed and analyzed throughout the Holocene period including a 300 yr long chronology dating circa 11400 BP. In addition, we have cross dated several of the 24 samples collected from trees that grew between 10,000 and 14,000 years BP. Recent publications: Guyette, R.P., M.C. Stambaugh, and E.R. McMurry. (in prep). American Long Oak Chronology (ALOC): constructing a Holocene-length tree-ring chronology from Midwestern U.S.A. Guyette, R.P., M.C. Stambaugh, A. Lupo, R. Muzika, and D.C. Dey. 2006. Oak growth in Midwestern North American linked with post-glacial climate epochs in the North Atlantic. PAGES (Past Global Changes) News, 14(2):21-22.(PDF) Guyette, R.P., M.C. Stambaugh, and D.C. Dey. 2004. Ancient oak climate proxies from the agricultural heartland. EOS, Transactions, American Geophysical Union 85(46):483. Guyette, R.P. and M.C. Stambaugh. 2003. The age and density of ancient and modern oak wood in streams and sediments. International Association of Wood Anatomists (IAWA) Journal, 24(4):345-353. more publications 2005 Natural Areas Conference Poster (jpg image) |
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