Palaeovolcanic forcing of short-term dendroisotopic depletion: The effect of decreased solar intensity on Irish Oak

Authors

N. Ogle, Queen’s University of Belfast
Christian Turney, University of WollongongFollow
R.M. Kalin, Queen’s University of Belfast
L. O'Donnell, Queen’s University of Belfast
C.J. Butler, Armagh Observatory

RIS ID

13074

Publication Details

Turney, C., Ogle, N., Kalin, R., O''Donnell, L. and Butler, C. (2005). Palaeovolcanic forcing of short-term dendroisotopic depletion: The effect of decreased solar intensity on Irish Oak. Geophysical Research Letters, 32 (4), 1-4.

Abstract

The climatic effects of historical volcanic eruptions are well documented in the literature. What are less certain however, are the effects of eruptions on more distant environments, particularly vegetation. Here we present sub-annual δ¹³C records from two high-resolution Irish oak (Quercus spp.) chronologies that span the Laki (Grímsvötn) 1783–84 and Tambora 1815 eruptions. In both instances, a significant depletion in δ¹³C is recorded within the trees following the eruption (∼1.8‰). Historical meteorological datasets from observatories near to the trees sampled demonstrate that the shifts in carbon isotopic content cannot be accounted for by changes in local climate. We postulate atmospheric loading of ejecta from the eruptions resulted in significantly reduced irradiance, increasing discrimination within the trees.