Tree-ring isotopes capture interannual vegetation productivity dynamics at the biome scale

Mathieu Levesque, Laia Andreu-Hayles, William Kolby Smith, A. Park Williams, Martina L. Hobi, Brady W. Allred, Neil Pederson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

44 Scopus citations

Abstract

Historical and future trends in net primary productivity (NPP) and its sensitivity to global change are largely unknown because of the lack of long-term, high-resolution data. Here we test whether annually resolved tree-ring stable carbon (δ 13 C) and oxygen (δ 18 O) isotopes can be used as proxies for reconstructing past NPP. Stable isotope chronologies from four sites within three distinct hydroclimatic environments in the eastern United States (US) were compared in time and space against satellite-derived NPP products, including the long-term Global Inventory Modeling and Mapping Studies (GIMMS3g) NPP (1982–2011), the newest high-resolution Landsat NPP (1986–2015), and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS, 2001–2015) NPP. We show that tree-ring isotopes, in particular δ 18 O, correlate strongly with satellite NPP estimates at both local and large geographical scales in the eastern US. These findings represent an important breakthrough for estimating interannual variability and long-term changes in terrestrial productivity at the biome scale.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number742
JournalNature communications
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2019

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Chemistry
  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Physics and Astronomy

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