Influence of Local Climate and ENSO on the Growth of Cedrela odorata L. in Suriname

Abstract

In this study, we used retrospective dendroclimatological analyses to explore whether El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and local precipitation patterns have an influence on tree growth in Suriname, a country located on the Guiana Shield, as annual precipitation patterns on the Guiana Shield are related to ENSO. Discs were taken from 20 trees of Cedrela odorata, whose stem forms very distinct annual growth rings, for tree ring analyses. The trees grew in unmanaged tropical wet forests of Suriname. The tree-ring series of individual trees started between 1836 and 1931 and extended over a period of 84–180 years. The 20 dated series were utilized for constructing a tree-ring chronology. Unlike many other studies that used local anomalies such as flood pulse, precipitation, and drought events to describe the influence of El Niño on tree growth, we used monthly precipitation and ENSO indices as predictors of tree growth to calculate response and correlation functions. The study observed that tree ring growth of Cedrela odorata is influenced by precipitation in August and June of the current year and in August of the previous year, as well as by the ENSO indices SSTA, TSA, TNA, and NAO. Systematic increases in the strength of the El Niño southern oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection due to climate change could affect the growth of trees on the Guiana Shield.