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Title: Baldcypress false ring formation linked to summer hydroclimatic extremes in the southeastern United States
Abstract We describe the utility of false rings inTaxodium distichum(i.e. baldcypress) as a proxy for hydroclimatic extreme events in three different river basins (Pascagoula, Mobile, and Choctawhatchee) that discharge into the northern Gulf of Mexico. False rings occur as a result of a change in the environmental limiting resource for tree stem growth, and inT. distichum, false ring production is usually a result of increases in mid-growing season water availability. Our results show that false ring occurrence (from 1931 to 2018) is similar across sites but occur in different years, suggesting that false ring production is indicative of tree response to its local environment. False ring production inT. distichumhas previously been correlated with summer streamflow, the season when tropical cyclone precipitation (TCP) is highest. To assess a stand-wide response, we define high false ring (HFR) years as all years when 20% of trees produced a false ring. We show total TCP in July is the best predictor for HFR years inT. distichum, and false ring production in smaller river basins captures local TCP better than larger river basins. Additionally, HFR years coincide with summers of anomalously high precipitation, anomalously low temperatures, and a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. 77% of HFR years occur in seasons when there is heavy tropical cyclone activity near sample sites, building a foundation to use false ring records as robust TCP proxies with hydroclimate reconstruction potential.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2103115
PAR ID:
10378196
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Publisher / Repository:
IOP Publishing
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Environmental Research Letters
Volume:
17
Issue:
11
ISSN:
1748-9326
Page Range / eLocation ID:
Article No. 114030
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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