Abstracts
SEARCH Open Science Meeting
October 27, 2003
Seattle, Washington, USA
Linking Cassiope tetragona Growth and Reproduction to High Arctic Cimate and the Arctic Oscillation
Shelly A. Rayback1, Greg H. Henry2
1Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada, Phone 206-352-3849, rayback@interchange.ubc.ca
2Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, 1984 West Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z2, Canada, Phone 604-822-2985, Fax 604-822-6150, ghenry@geog.ubc.ca
In this study, we report the initial results of an investigation of the relationships between Cassiope tetragona growth and reproduction chronologies from sites on central Ellesmere Island, Canada with climate variables recorded at the Eureka High Arctic Weather Station (HAWS) (1948-1996) and the summer Arctic Oscillation index (AOS) (1948-1996). Using modified dendrochronological techniques, annual growth and reproduction chronologies were developed for sites at Hot Weather Creek (HWC) and Alexandra Fiord (AF), Ellesmere Island.
Correlation analysis showed that, in general, the AF and HWC chronologies were positively correlated with average air temperature and negatively correlated with total monthly precipitation at Eureka HAWS during the growing season (June-Sept). In addition, the chronologies were negatively associated with the AOS index for the period 1948-1996. Furthermore, high AOS index values were negatively correlated with average air temperature and positively correlated with total precipitation during the growing season. High AOS index values appear to be associated with a small decrease in C. tetragona growth and reproduction from 1948-1996. Thus, when the AOS index is in the positive phase (high index values), cooler and wetter conditions may predominate in the Canadian Arctic during the growing season, which in turn, may lead to reduced growth in C. tetragona. Future investigations will address the relationship between C. tetragona growth and reproduction and phase changes in the AOS index values throughout the twentieth century.
Key words: Cassiope tetragona, dendrochronology, Arctic Oscillation, Arctic, Canada.
Abstract Categories: Changes on Land
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