Climate controls on tree growth in the Western Mediterranean

• Published in: The Holocene
• Main Authors: Touchan, Ramzi, Anchukaitis, Kevin J, Meko, David M, Kerchouche, Dalila, Slimani, Said, Ilmen, Rachid, Hasnaoui, Fouad, Guibal, Frederic, Julio Camarero, Jesus, Sánchez-Salguero, Raúl, Piermattei, Alma, Sesbou, Abdessadek, Cook, Benjamin I, Sabir, Mohamed, Touchane, Hayat
• Other Authors: Univ Arizona
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: SAGE PUBLICATIONS LTD 2017
• Subjects: chronology development; cubic smoothing spline; expressed population signal; general circulation models; North Africa; palmer drought index; North Atlantic; North Atlantic oscillation
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/632096; https://doi.org/10.1177/0959683617693901

The first large-scale network of tree-ring chronologies from the western Mediterranean (WM; 32 degrees N-43 degrees N, 10 degrees W-17 degrees E) is described and analyzed to identify the seasonal climatic signal in indices of annual ring width. Correlation and rotated empirical orthogonal function analyses are applied to 85 tree-ring series and corresponding gridded climate data to assess the climate signal embedded in the network. Chronologies range in length from 80 to 1129 years. Monthly correlations and partial correlations show overall positive associations for Pinus halepensis (PIHA) and Cedrus atlantica (CDAT) with winter (December-February) and spring (March-May) precipitation across this network. In both seasons, the precipitation correlation with PIHA is stronger, while CDAT chronologies tend to be longer. A combination of positive correlations between growth and winter-summer precipitation and negative partial correlations with growing season temperatures suggests that chronologies in at least part of the network reflect soil moisture and the integrated effects of precipitation and evapotranspiration signal. The range of climate response observed across this network reflects a combination of both species and geographic influences. Western Moroccan chronologies have the strongest association with the North Atlantic Oscillation. This item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [e-mail].