Finding an imprint of solar and climatic cycles in tree rings of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)

Abstract

The present study is focused on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) growth in eastern Bohemia in the Broumovské stěny National Nature Reserve, Czech Republic. The objective of this research was to develop an evaluation of European beech radial growth in relation to solar activity (number of sunspots), air temperature in the growing season, annual precipitation and air pollution (SO<sub>2</sub> depositions). The highest positive significant correlation coefficient was found between radial growth of European beech and number of sunspots, followed by the correlation with air temperature in the growing season. The radial growth showed a negative significant correlation with SO<sub>2</sub> depositions. The correlation of the radial growth indicates that precipitation and sunspots have a lower correlation coefficient with beech growth than seasonal temperature during an air pollution disaster in the 21st solar cycle. Radial growth, precipitation total and air temperature in the growing season were processed by spectral analysis for the evaluation of periodic cycles. The 7.5- to 11-year cycles were observed in air temperature and in sunspot cycles. Precipitation and air temperature in the growing season indicate a higher frequency at 3.7-year cycles. The long-term periodicity of radial growth was influenced by both solar activity and fluctuations of growing-season air temperature.

Cyclicities in the Regime of Groundwater and of Meteorological Factors in the Basin of the Southern Bug River

“…Seven-year stable cycles are also quite clear for the flow of the Dniester and Prut rivers, along with 5-and 29-year cycles, which go beyond random origin [24]. Moreover, 3.2-and 6-8-year cycles in the growing season air temperature were revealed by [25] using tree-rings of European beech.…”

Effects of Climate Change on Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) Growth across Europe: Decrease of Tree-Ring Fluctuation and Amplification of Climate Stress

“…This cycle can be linked with the influence of the solar cycle that has been described for precipitation and temperature across Europe [122,123] and can be observed in the tree-ring series of many tree species. The 11-year growth cycle has been recorded on forest tree rings throughout Europe, on European beech, for example, in the Czech Republic, Italy [124][125][126], and Bulgaria [127]. Scots pine forests also reflected solar cycles, for example, in western Russia [87,88,120].…”