RUI: An Investigation of the Environmental Forcing of Seasonal Stable-Carbon Isotopic Variation in Growth Rings of Trees

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Many fundamental problems remain for the stable isotopic analysis of tree rings. Although the analyses have great potential for paleoclimatic reconstructions, separating the various potential causes of isotopic change has been very difficult. Stable-carbon isotopic compositions of tree rings may be affected by many parameters, including temperature changes, growth rate, moisture availability. The PI proposes to separate these various effects by conducting a series of controlled-growth experiments and by analyzing field samples at sites where meteorological parameters are continuously monitored. This research is important because it will provide the fundamental relationships between climatic variables and tree-ring carbon isotopic composition, and it will help to develop this methodology into a new calibrated tool for paleoclimate reconstructions. This proposal has been considered under the Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI) program.