Climate Reconstruction from Tree-Rings in the Tatra Mountains

Abstract

This chapter examines the long-term variability of summer (June–July) air temperature and summer humidity (precipitation and Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, SPEI) in the region of the Tatra Mountains, which represents natural climate conditions, free of strong anthropogenic influences. The reconstruction of temperature is available for the period since the beginning of the 17th century and reconstruction of humidity related parameters since the beginning of the 18th century by means of the methods based on the tree-ring chronologies. The main proxies utilized for temperature reconstruction were tree-ring widths of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst) and Stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) growing in the timberline ecotone. The precipitation and SPEI were reconstructed based on Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) tree-ring widths of trees growing at ~1000 m a.s.l. The reconstruction of summer temperature from tree-rings pointed to a relatively cold interval as a part of the Little Ice Age (from the mid 16th to late 19th centuries). In the 20th and at the beginning of the 21st centuries, general increase of air temperature was observed. However, in this recent warm period and during earlier main climatic periods, temperature conditions were not uniform. Analysing series of summer temperature (the 17th–21st centuries) several shorter warm and cool fluctuations were observed. The reconstructed humidity variables exhibited less variability. This is the first attempt of precipitation reconstruction in mountains regions based on the tree-ring chronologies. But the correlation between flood events and humid periods is poor due to the predominant character of the flood caused by short term intensive precipitation of short duration.