July-August temperature at Edinburgh between 1721 and 1975 from tree-ring density and width data

The use of wood density measurements in dendroclimatology is a relatively recent development¹. There have been few attempts to use these data in climate reconstruction or to test the result rigorously. We now report on the reconstruction of July-August surface air temperature for Edinburgh, Scotland, for the period AD 1721-1975 using maximum latewood density and ring-width data from pine trees in the Scottish Highlands. In a series of tests, it is shown that the relationship between the climate and tree-ring variables is statistically significant and stable with time, confirming the power of dendroclimatic reconstruction even in a moist region such as the British Isles.