Tree-rings and climate: Implications for Great Basin paleoenvironmental studies

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:60987

Graybill, D A ^[1]; Rose, M R; Nials, F L ^[2]

---

1. Univ. of Arizona, Tucson, AZ (United States)
2. Desert Research Institute, Reno, NV (United States)

The Quaternary Sciences Center of the Desert Research Institute is currently conducting a multi-phased study of floral, faunal, and geomorphic response to long- and short-term climate change and extremes in assessing Yucca Mountain`s suitability as a high-level nuclear waste repository. Preliminary results of these studies indicate synchronous responses in late Holocene tree-ring, palynology and geomorphic records. A tree-ring chronology for paleoclimatic reconstruction is developed by collection of multiple cores from 20-60 living trees and a similar number of dead trees in a climate-sensitive location. Samples are cross-dated and every growth layer in each specimen is measured to the nearest .001 mm. The measured ring width series potentially contain a variety of climatic, biological, and anthropogenic signals. Each ring width series is subjected to a numerical standarization procedure that removes an age-related biological growth trend, reduces endogeneous and exogenous stand disturbance factors, and maximizes any climatic signal that is present. Each of these empirically defined components can be graphically portrayed and subjected to further analyses. The geophysical signal analysis techniques involved in the standarized protocol are well-documented and established. The final result is a tree-ring chronology that represents regional paleoclimatic variability over the time represented by the sample population.

• Research Organization: American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States); American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 60987
• Report Number(s): CONF-940553--Vol.4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
56 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
APPLIED STUDIES
BIOLOGICAL INDICATORS
CLIMATIC CHANGE
GREAT BASIN
HIGH-LEVEL RADIOACTIVE WASTES
PALEOCLIMATOLOGY
PALYNOLOGY
QUATERNARY PERIOD
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
TREE RINGS
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project