Abstract:Groundwater is becoming increasingly important in extremely arid areas due to climate change and human activities. Little is known, however, regarding the longterm dynamics of groundwater due to the lack of long-term historical records of groundwater depth data. In this study, we investigated the relationship between hydrometeorology and tree rings of Populus euphratica (P. euphratica) and the feasibility of reconstructing historical groundwater depths from these tree rings in the lower reaches of the Tarim Ri… Show more
“…Depending on their eco-hydrological setting, tree-ring records have been used to reconstruct time series of seasonal 1904 streamflow (e.g. [103]), and fluctuations of the water table [633].…”
Section: What Seasonal Information Can Be Recorded In Trees?mentioning
“…Depending on their eco-hydrological setting, tree-ring records have been used to reconstruct time series of seasonal 1904 streamflow (e.g. [103]), and fluctuations of the water table [633].…”
Section: What Seasonal Information Can Be Recorded In Trees?mentioning
“…Cores were brought back to the laboratory, air-dried, fixed, and polished with successively finer grades of sandpaper until annual rings could be distinguished easily [37]. Tree-ring widths were then measured with a precision of 0.001 mm by using a LINTAB system.…”
Section: Dendrochronological Study and Annual Carbon Sequestration Calculationmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Tree-ring widths were then measured with a precision of 0.001 mm by using a LINTAB system. The quality and accuracy of cross-dated tree-ring series were assessed using COFECHA software [37]. In order to accurately determine the growth characteristics of each age group of trees, standardization techniques were avoided, such as detrending, which removed age-related or non-climatic trends from tree-ring data that were commonly used for climate reconstructions [1].…”
Section: Dendrochronological Study and Annual Carbon Sequestration Calculationmentioning
As an essential part of terrestrial ecosystems, convenient and accurate reconstruction of the past carbon sequestration capacity of forests is critical to assess future trends of aboveground carbon storage and ecosystem carbon cycles. In addition, the relationship between climate change and carbon sequestration of forests has been vigorously debated. In this study, dynamic change of carbon sequestration capacity in aboveground biomass of Picea schrenkiana (hereinafter abbreviated as P. schrenkiana) in the Tianshan Mountains, northwestern China, from 1850–2017, were reconstructed using dendrochronology. The main climate drivers that affected carbon sequestration capacity in aboveground biomass of P. schrenkiana were then investigated. The results showed that: (1) tree-ring width and diameter at breast height (DBH) of P. schrenkiana obtained from different altitudes and ages were an effective and convenient estimation index for reconstructing the carbon sequestration capacity of P. schrenkiana. The carbon storage of P. schrenkiana forest in 2016 in the Tianshan Mountains was 50.08 Tg C calculated using tree-ring width and DBH, which was very close to the value determined by direct field investigation data. (2) The annual carbon sequestration potential capacity of P. schrenkiana exhibited an increasing trend from 1850–2017. Temperature, especially minimum temperature, constituted the key climatic driver resulting in increased carbon sequestration capacity. The contribution rates of temperature and minimum temperature to the change of P. schrenkiana carbon sequestration capacity was 75% and 44%, respectively. (3) The significant increase of winter temperature and minimum temperature led to warming in the Tianshan Mountains, resulting in a significant increase in carbon sequestration capacity of P. schrenkiana. The results indicate that, with the continuous increase of winter temperature and minimum temperature, carbon sequestration of P. schrenkiana in the Tianshan Mountains is predicted to increase markedly in the future. The findings of this study provide a useful basis to evaluate future aboveground carbon storage and carbon cycles in mountain systems possessed similar characteristics of the Tianshan Mountains.
“…One specific knowledge gap is how historic groundwater levels influence tree growth and how this interaction could be isolated from climate in tree ring signals. In arid environments, changing groundwater levels strongly influence tree growth (Zhou et al 2019), and recent research has highlighted depth to groundwater (DTG) as an underappreciated driver of tree growth in humid regions (Ciruzzi and Loheide 2021). However, groundwater level histories rarely span more than a few decades in most parts of the world and are notoriously challenging to reconstruct (Jackson et al 2016).…”
Tree rings can reveal long-term environmental dynamics and drivers of tree growth. However, individual ecological drivers of tree growth need to be disentangled from the effects of other co-occurring environmental and climatic conditions in tree rings to examine the histories of stand- to landscape-level ecological processes. Here, we integrate ecohydrological theory of groundwater-tree interactions with dendrochronological approaches and develop a new framework to isolate water-level effects on tree rings from climate induced variability in tree ring growth. Our results indicate that changing depth to groundwater within 1 – 2.4 m of the land surface exerts a substantial influence on red pine growth and this influence can be quantified and used to reconstruct long-term groundwater and lake level histories from tree ring patterns in Northern Wisconsin. This research suggests a substantial influence of groundwater on tree growth with implications for improving the mechanistic understanding of climate-induced tree mortality and reduce uncertainty in forest productivity models. Further, this is a transferable approach to isolate and reconstruct strong environmental drivers of tree growth that co-occur with other environmental signals.
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