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Wang Y, Liu X, Treydte K, Zhang Z, Kang H, Zeng X, Xu G, Wu Q, Kang S. Permafrost degradation alters the environmental signals recorded in tree-ring lignin methoxy group δ 2H in northeastern China. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 860:160519. [PMID: 36442636 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming has profoundly altered the status of permafrost and has caused extensive permafrost degradation in the Northern Hemisphere. However, long-term observations investigating the hydrological dynamics of permafrost and its ecological effects on plant growth are lacking. Previous studies have reported tree-ring stable hydrogen isotope ratios of lignin methoxy groups (δ2HLM) as an archive of hydrological signals. This study sampled tree-ring cores from a Larix gmelinii forest in Nanwenghe Forest Park, Northeastern China, and separately measured the tree-ring δ2HLM for earlywood and latewood from 1900 to 2020. Earlywood and latewood δ2HLM values, as well as the difference between them, showed no significant long-term trend from 1900 to 1987; however, they both exhibited significant increasing trends since 1988 at rates of 2.6 ‰ and 4.9 ‰ per decade, respectively. This variance changes the magnitude of the difference between the two chronologies and can be explained by the shift in source water δ2H values during tree growth. Based on a structural equation model analysis, when the influence of permafrost melting weakened due to permafrost degradation, the growing season temperature was better recorded in latewood δ2HLM through the effects of precipitation δ2H from July to September. Based on the environmental response of tree-ring δ2HLM in the permafrost region, permafrost degradation influences the source water δ2H values of trees, thereby affecting the expression of temperature signals in tree-ring δ2HLM. The novel results in this study provide a new perspective on permafrost degradation based on the dynamic responses of tree-ring δ2HLM to source water δ2H during permafrost degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yabo Wang
- School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China; State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China.
| | - Kerstin Treydte
- Research Unit Forest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Zhongqiong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Huhu Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Xiaomin Zeng
- School of Geography and Tourism, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, China
| | - Guobao Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Qingbai Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
| | - Shichang Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
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Tree-Ring Stable Carbon Isotope as a Proxy for Hydroclimate Variations in Semi-Arid Regions of North-Central China. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13040492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Carbon and oxygen isotope ratios (δ13C and δ18O) were measured in annual tree-ring cellulose samples dated from 1756 to 2015 CE. These samples were extracted from Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) trees located in a semi-arid region of north-central China. We found that tree-ring δ13C and δ18O values both recorded similar climatic signals (e.g., temperature and moisture changes), but found that tree-ring δ13C exhibited a stronger relationship with mean temperature, precipitation, average relative humidity, self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index (scPDSI), and standard precipitation evaporation index (SPEI) than δ18O during the period 1951–2015 CE. The strongest correlation observed was between tree-ring δ13C and scPDSI (previous June to current May), which explains ~43% of the variance. The resulting 130-year reconstruction reveals severe drought events in the 1920s and a sustained drying trend since the 1980s. This hydroclimate record based on tree-ring δ13C data also reveals similar dry and wet events to other proxy data (i.e., tree-ring width and historical documentation) that have allowed reconstructions to be made across the northern fringe of the Asian summer monsoon region. Our results suggest that both large-scale modes of climate variability (e.g., El Niño-Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and North Atlantic Oscillation) and external forcing (e.g., solar variability) may have modulated moisture variability in this region. Our results imply that the relationship between tree-ring δ18O and local climate is less well-characterized when compared to δ13C and may be affected more strongly by the influences of these different atmospheric circulation patterns. In this semi-arid region, tree-ring δ13C appears to represent a better tool with which to investigate historical moisture changes (scPDSI).
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Binda G, Di Iorio A, Monticelli D. The what, how, why, and when of dendrochemistry: (paleo)environmental information from the chemical analysis of tree rings. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 758:143672. [PMID: 33277003 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Revised: 10/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The chemical analysis of tree rings has attracted the interest of researchers in the past five decades in view of the possibility of exploiting this biological indicator as a widely available, high-resolution environmental archive. Information regarding the surrounding environment can be derived either by directly measuring environmental variables (nutrient availability, presence of pollutants, etc.) or by exploiting proxies (e.g. paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental reconstructions). This review systematically covers the topic and provides a critical view on the reliability of dendrochemical information. First, we introduce the determinable chemical species, such as major elements, trace metals, isotopic ratios, and organic compounds, together with a brief description of their uptake mechanisms and functions in trees. Subsequently, we present the possibilities offered by analytical techniques in the field of tree ring analysis, focusing on direct methods and recent developments. The latter strongly improved the details of the accessible information, enabling the investigation of complex phenomena associated with plant life and encouraging the direct analysis of new analytes, particularly minor organic compounds. With regard to their applications, dendrochemical proxies have been used to trace several processes, such as environmental contamination, paleoclimate reconstruction, global environmental changes, tree physiology, extreme events, ecological trends, and dendroprovenance. Several case studies are discussed for each proposed application, with special emphasis on the reliability of tracing each process. Starting from the reviewed literature data, the second part of the paper is devoted to the critical assessment of the reliability of tree ring proxies. We provide an overview of the current knowledge, discuss the limitations of the inferences that may be drawn from the dendrochemical data, and provide recommendations for the best practices to be used for their validation. Finally, we present the future perspectives related to the advancements in analytical instrumentation and further extension of application fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilberto Binda
- Department of Science and High Technology, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Via Valleggio, 12, 22100 Como, Italy
| | - Antonino Di Iorio
- Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Via Jean Henry Dunant, 3, 21100 Varese, Italy
| | - Damiano Monticelli
- Department of Science and High Technology, Università degli Studi dell'Insubria, Via Valleggio, 12, 22100 Como, Italy.
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Fan J, Wei X, Shi W, Guo Q, Zhang S, Xu H, Song H, Xu C, An W, Jiang H. Response of tree rings to earthquakes during the past 350 years at Jiuzhaigou in the eastern Tibet. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 731:138714. [PMID: 32422435 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2020] [Revised: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Trees growing in the tectonically active and climatically sensitive regions, such as the Tibetan Plateau, frequently suffer damage from strong earthquakes and extreme hydro-climatic events. Spruce trees in the Jiuzhaigou National Park exhibited abrupt periods of growth suppression with durations of 3-9 years, which was demonstrated to have recorded five seismic events during the last 350 years after excluding the climatic impacts. The ring-width reductions occurred immediately after earthquakes in the growing seasons of 1748, 1879 and 2017, and one year later in 1961 when the earthquake occurred after the growing season in 1960. In contrast, seismic signals of the 1976 earthquake were moderated in the tree-ring indices by improved climatic conditions in 1975. The intensity prediction equation and isoseismal modelling results suggested that past earthquakes required a minimum intensity threshold of 6.2-6.8 MMI to significantly impact tree growth, thus indicating a minimum magnitude threshold of Mw5.3 for near-field (≤20 km) earthquakes and Mw7.4 for regional (≤115 km) earthquakes. These results would greatly improve the dendroseismological reconstruction of past earthquake characteristics and the valid assessment of future probabilities in the eastern Tibet, and help to identify and eliminate seismic signals in the dendroclimatological studies in the hazardous environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiawei Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China.
| | - Xiaotong Wei
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Wei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Qiaoqiao Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Siqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Hongyan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Huiming Song
- Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710061, China
| | - Chenxi Xu
- Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Wenling An
- Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China; CAS Center for Excellence in Life and Paleoenvironment, Beijing 100044, China
| | - Hanchao Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Earthquake Dynamics, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China.
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