Site-specific climatic signals in stable isotope records from Swedish pine forests

Esper, Jan; Holzkämper, Steffen; Büntgen, Ulf; Schöne, Bernd R.; Keppler, Frank; Hartl, Claudia; George, Scott St.; Riechelmann, Dana F. C.; Treydte, Kerstin

doi:10.1007/s00468-018-1678-z

Cited by 25 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Moreover, it is unclear how the small‐scale variations explored here influence the interpretation of large‐scale patterns, where other processes presumably dominate (Allen, Kirchner, & Goldsmith, ; Esper et al, ; Treydte et al, ). As such, there is a clear need to describe patterns of stable isotopes of water in the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum across scales and to better understand the processes that structure those patterns.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Spatial variation in throughfall, soil, and plant water isotopes in a temperate forest

Goldsmith

Allen

Braun³

et al. 2018

Ecohydrology

103

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Studies of stable isotopes of water in the environment have been fundamental to advancing our understanding of how water moves through the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum; however, much of this research focuses on how water isotopes vary in time, rather than in space. We examined the spatial variation in the δ18O and δ2H of throughfall and bulk soil water, as well as branch xylem and bulk leaf water of Picea abies (Norway spruce) and Fagus sylvatica (beech), in a 1‐ha forest plot in the northern Alps of Switzerland. Means and ranges of water isotope ratios varied considerably among throughfall, soil, and xylem samples. Soil water isotope ratios were often poorly explained by soil characteristics and often not predictable from proximal samples. Branch xylem water isotope values varied less than either soil water or bulk leaf water. The isotopic range observed within an individual tree crown was often similar to that observed among different crowns. As a result of the heterogeneity in isotope ratios, inferences about the depth of plant root water uptake drawn from a two end‐member mixing model were highly sensitive to the soil sampling location. Our results clearly demonstrate that studies using water isotopes to infer root water uptake must explicitly consider how to characterize soil water, incorporating measures of both vertical and lateral variations. By accounting for this spatial variation and the processes that shape it, we can improve the application of water isotopes to studies of plant ecophysiology, ecohydrology, soil hydrology, and palaeoclimatology.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Spatial variation in throughfall, soil, and plant water isotopes in a temperate forest

Goldsmith

Allen

Braun³

et al. 2018

Ecohydrology

103

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“…The difference plot shows that the only negative column is at the site HIB, spruce shows significantly less depleted values than cembran pine, while the oxygen values are similar. This might be due to some characteristics of the site, like the aspect, that are known to affect temperature-controlled changes in assimilation regulated by enzymatic isotopic fractionation processes (δ 13 C) (Esper et al, 2018).…”

Section: Stable Isotopes Of Subfossil Holocene Conifersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larch Cellulose Shows Significantly Depleted Hydrogen Isotope Values With Respect to Evergreen Conifers in Contrast to Oxygen and Carbon Isotopes

Arosio¹,

Ziehmer-Wenz²,

Nicolussi³

et al. 2020

Front. Earth Sci.

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The analysis of the stable isotope of the tree-ring cellulose is an important tool for paleo climatic investigations. Long tree-ring chronologies consist predominantly of oaks and conifers in Europe, including larch trees (Larix decidua) and cembran pines (Pinus cembra) that form very long tree ring chronologies in the Alps and grow at the treeline, where tree growth is mainly determined by temperature variations. We analyzed δ13C, δ18O and δ2H isotopes in the cellulose extracted from tree-rings of wood samples collected at high altitude in the Swiss and Tyrol Alps, covering the whole Holocene period. We found that larch cellulose was remarkably more depleted in deuterium than that of cembran pine, with mean δ2H values of −113.4 ± 9.7‰ for larch and of −65.4 ± 11.3‰ for cembran pine. To verify if these depleted values were specific to larch or a property of the deciduous conifers, we extended the analysis to samples from various living conifer species collected at the Bern Botanical Garden. The results showed that not only the larch, but also all the samples of the deciduous larch family had a cellulose composition that was highly depleted in δ2H with regard to the other evergreen conifers including cembran pine, a difference that we attribute to a faster metabolism of the deciduous conifers. The δ18O values were not statistically different among the species, in agreement with the hypothesis that they are primary signals of the source water. While the δ13C values were slightly more depleted for larch than for cembran pine, likely due to metabolic differences of the two species. We conclude that the deciduous larch conifers have specific metabolic hydrogen fractionations and that the larch unique signature of δ2H is useful to recognize it from other conifers in subfossil wood samples collected for paleoclimatic studies. For climate information the absolute δ2H values of larch should be considered carefully and separate from other species.

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“…Although we sampled only five trees at one location, the resulting tree-ring Δ 13 C and δ 18 O chronologies were able to predict previous winter temperature and ice conditions locally and regionally, as well as depicting the dominant large-scale atmospheric circulation pattern associated with these winter temperature and ice conditions (Figs 2 , 3 ; Table 2 ). There are limitations to using a data set from only one site, since climatic controls on tree-ring isotopic variation can differ depending on microsite conditions, and specifically with distance to water bodies 45 . It is possible that the sampling location was more responsive to lake effect climate than others at similar distances from Lake Superior or that adding additional sites may further strengthen winter climate signals affecting this region.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree-ring isotopes adjacent to Lake Superior reveal cold winter anomalies for the Great Lakes region of North America

Voelker

Wang

Dawson

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Tree-ring carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) and oxygen isotopes (δ18O) collected from white pine (Pinus strobus) trees adjacent to Lake Superior show potential to produce the first winter-specific paleoclimate reconstruction with inter-annual resolution for this region. Isotopic signatures from 1976 to 2015 were strongly linked to antecedent winter minimum temperatures (Tmin), Lake Superior peak ice cover, and regional to continental-scale atmospheric winter pressure variability including the North American Dipole. The immense thermal inertia of Lake Superior underlies the unique connection between winter conditions and tree-ring Δ13C and δ18O signals from the following growing season in trees located near the lake. By combining these signals, we demonstrate feasibility to reconstruct variability in Tmin, ice cover, and continental-scale atmospheric circulation patterns (r ≥ 0.65, P < 0.001).

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Site-specific climatic signals in stable isotope records from Swedish pine forests

Cited by 25 publications

References 96 publications

Spatial variation in throughfall, soil, and plant water isotopes in a temperate forest

Spatial variation in throughfall, soil, and plant water isotopes in a temperate forest

Larch Cellulose Shows Significantly Depleted Hydrogen Isotope Values With Respect to Evergreen Conifers in Contrast to Oxygen and Carbon Isotopes

Tree-ring isotopes adjacent to Lake Superior reveal cold winter anomalies for the Great Lakes region of North America

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