Spatial variability in large-scale and regional atmospheric drivers of Pinus halepensis growth in eastern Spain

Abstract

In this study we analyzed the influence of general atmospheric circulation patterns and the frequency of weather types on the spatio-temporal variability of tree-ring growth in Pinus halepensis forests in eastern Spain. Three atmospheric circulation patterns affecting the western Mediterranean region were included in the study: the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) and the Mediterranean Oscillation (MO). In addition, the particular circulation pattern affecting eastern Spain was quantified using the frequency of weather types. The variability of radial growth (width) of earlywood and latewood in P. halepensis was quantified at 19 sites using dendrochronological methods. Two distinct patterns, reflecting growth variability in the northern and southern areas involved in the study, were identified for both earlywood and latewood tree-ring series. The influence of atmospheric circulation modes on tree growth resembled the spatial patterns identified, as earlywood and latewood formation in northern sites was determined by the NAO variability, whereas the WeMO dominated growth at the southern sites. Winter, summer and autumn weather types also exerted a control over tree radial growth. We conclude that both atmospheric circulation indices and weather types exert significant control on the formation of earlywood and latewood, because of their influence on precipitation patterns. The findings also suggest that wet and mild conditions during winter and the following autumn enhance P. halepensis earlywood and latewood formation, respectively. Thus, winter atmospheric patterns may indirectly influence latewood growth through direct effects on previous earlywood development driven by precipitation variability.