Northern Arkansas Spring Precipitation Reconstructed from Tree Rings, 1023-1992 A.D.

Abstract

Three baldcypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) tree-ring chronologies in northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri respond strongly to April-June (spring) rainfall in northern Arkansas. I used regression to reconstruct an average of spring rainfall in the three climatic divisions of northern Arkansas since 1023 A.D. The reconstruction was validated by comparing it to independent observed data. The reconstruction shows highly variable hydroclimatic conditions in the past, with considerable long-term low frequency variation. Managers who wish to know the "natural" state of ecosystems must consider ecosystem response to climate and the long-term changes in climatic averages and variability that have shaped the adaptability of the ecosystems. This adaptability may translate into resilience in the face of anthropogenic climate change.

Parent Publication

• Bottomland Hardwoods of the Mississippi Alluvial Valley: Characteristics and Management of Natural Function, Structure, and Composition

Citation

Cleaveland, Malcolm K. 2001. Northern Arkansas Spring Precipitation Reconstructed from Tree Rings, 1023-1992 A.D. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS 42. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. pp. 1-6