Stable isotopes in tree rings from the Russian Arctic— a proxy for winter precipitation?

Abstract

Dendroclimatology studies shed light on the climate conditions prior to the instrumental data period. The classical approach is to derive past summer temperatures from the tree ring width or more recently, from tree ring density. By studying stable carbon and oxygen isotopes in tree ring cellulose, additional climate parameters may be retrieved, though the underlying mechanisms and relations between climate and tree ring isotopes are complex and may vary for different locations (McCarroll and Loader, 2004).