Abstract
Blue Light Intensity (BI) offers the potential to provide high sensitivity climate reconstructions using tree density measurements. This innovative and cost-effective technique merely requires a commercially available flat bed scanner and several software programs. BI considers parameters other than ring-width (RW), such as latewood and earlywood density, which are often overlooked in traditional ring width-based measurements. BI data is generated for five sites on the Gulf of Alaska and for a portion of the Alaska Peninsula. Resulting BI chronologies demonstrate strong positive summer climate signals relative to the ring width chronologies for each corresponding site, suggesting BI is sensitive to summer climate and can serve as a proxy for summer temperature. A comparison of BI and RW data denotes that BI data is associated with higher interannual frequency and RW is associated with decadal-centennial frequency trends. Future research should consider combining high and low frequency trends to enhance climate reconstruction.
Advisor
Wiles, Gregory
Department
Geology
Recommended Citation
Happ, Madeline, "Investigating Blue Light Intensity in Tree Rings to Generate High-Sensitivity Summer Temperature Records for Southern Alaska." (2016). Senior Independent Study Theses. Paper 7291.
https://openworks.wooster.edu/independentstudy/7291
Disciplines
Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Publication Date
2016
Degree Granted
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type
Senior Independent Study Thesis
© Copyright 2016 Madeline Happ