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A 450-year drought reconstruction for Arkansas, United States

Nature volume 316, pages 530–532 (1985)Cite this article

Abstract

A 450-year reconstruction of the June Palmer Drought Severity Index1 (PDSI) has been derived for Arkansas using annual tree-ring chronologies from selected old-growth baldcypress trees (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) found in floodplain swamps. This is the first palaeoclimate reconstruction achieved with baldcypress, and is some 150 years longer than any previous dendroclimatic estimate for eastern North America. The reconstruction is characterized by substantial fluctuation in the intensity and duration of past wet and dry spells, and is well verified against independent climate data. While there has been some very limited previous use of wet site species for dendrochronology2,3, this is the first verified climate reconstruction based exclusively on a swamp-grown species. Several 500–800-year-long baldcypress chronologies are under development, and some may be extended into mid- to late-Holocene times with tree-ring records from preserved subfossil cypress logs4.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, 72701, USA

    D. W. Stahle, M. K. Cleaveland & J. G. Hehr

Authors
  1. D. W. Stahle
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  2. M. K. Cleaveland
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  3. J. G. Hehr
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Stahle, D., Cleaveland, M. & Hehr, J. A 450-year drought reconstruction for Arkansas, United States. Nature 316, 530–532 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/316530a0

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