Collaborative Research: P2C2--Quantifying Climate Thresholds for High Elevation Pines Using Landscape Heterogeneity to Improve Climate Reconstructions from Tree Rings

该项目的目标是评估小气候变化对树木年轮生长的影响。该合作项目包括来自亚利桑那大学树轮实验室和西华盛顿大学的研究人员。在之前工作的基础上，研究人员记录了年轮生长可能受到气候变异性超过与海拔和精细地形相关的某些阈值的影响。为了进一步分析这些阈值，PIS将在美国西部的不同地点部署一套小气候记录系统，以记录重要的物理变量，包括内华达山脉、大盆地的干燥山脉以及落基山脉的下部和中部。将对高海拔松树进行研究，因为它们在利用年轮重建该地区过去的气候方面发挥着重要作用。通过量化小气候对树木年轮生长的影响，并确定松树记录这些影响的地理范围，研究人员将试图改善该地区的古气候重建。然后，修改后的重建将用于测试同一地区的晚全新世大气环流模式(GCM)重建。该项目的成果应有助于更好地了解美国西部近期的气候历史，并更好地预测气候变化对高海拔树木的未来影响。该项目还包括本科生和研究生的培训和研究经验。

The goal of this project is to evaluate the effects of microclimate variations on tree ring growth. The collaborative project includes researchers from the University of Arizona Tree Ring Laboratory and Western Washington University. Based on previous work, the researchers documented that tree ring growth can be affected by climate variability passing certain thresholds related to elevation and fine scale topography. To further analyze these thresholds, the PIs will deploy a set of microclimate recording systems, set up to record important physical variables, in a variety of locations in the western United States, including the Sierra Nevada mountains, the dry mountain ranges in the Great Basin, and the lower and central Rocky Mountains. High elevation pine trees will be studied because they play an important role in the reconstructions of past climate in the region using tree rings. By quantifying the effects of the microclimates on tree ring growth, and determining the geographical extent over which the effects are recorded by the pine trees, the investigators will attempt to improve the paleoclimate reconstructions for the region. The revised reconstructions will then be used to test late Holocene general circulation model (GCM) reconstructions for the same region. The results of this project should lead to better understanding of the recent history of climate in the western United States and also better projections of the future impacts of climate changes on the high elevation trees. The project also includes undergraduate and graduate student training and research experience.