What Is Dendrochronology?

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Introduction

Dendrochronology is the study of the characteristics of tree ring widths correlated in the same geographical region to be able to understand and estimate changing weather patterns over the years and centuries, and also to date archaeological sites. The width of these rings from trees cut down, is directly affected by the growing conditions that affect it, namely the climate. Studying tree rings provides a detailed outlook into whether changes in global temperatures are natural cycles, or human made problems, like global warming today. This area of studies in science is called dendrochronology.

Background
In understanding dendrochronology it may be important to note that there are eight different types of the science, all of which developed from the study of tree rings. The definition of some of which are:

•Dendropyrochronology: Is the abilty to …show more content…

• Dendroclimatology: The science of determining past climates from trees (primarily properties of the annual tree rings).
• Dendroecology: The use of tree rings to study changes in ecological processes over time such as defoliation by insect outbreaks; the effects of air, water, and soil pollution on tree growth and forest health; the age, maturity, and successional status of forest stands; and the effects of human disturbances and management on forest vitality.
• Dendrogeomorphology: The use of tree-ring data to study earth surface processes. Scientists can date when trees were killed (by dating the outer ring of the tree) or bent (by analysing when dramatic changes in tree growth occurred) by mass movements, such as landslides and snow avalanches.
• Dendrohydrology: The science of using tree-ring data to investigate and reconstruct hydrologic properties, such as streamflow and riverflow, runoff, and past lake

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