Adding years: Extending paleoclimate records in the Oregon High Desert to better understand ocean teleconnections

Keywords: dendrochronlogy, PDO, Pacific Northwest
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

Future climate projections depend on an accurate record of past climatic fluctuations. However, our historical climatic records are too short to fully illustrate climatic fluctuations over long time scales. Proxy records are often used to extend these historical climatic records. In this dendroclimatological study, western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis Hook ssp. occidentalis) from central Oregon is used as a climatic proxy to reconstruct processes caused by ocean-atmosphere conditions such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The PDO initiates many environmental anomalies, including but not limited to, interruptions in traditional storm tracks, average precipitation, streamflow, and animal behavior. Western juniper is well suited for this project because of its extensive range, longevity, high sensitivity to moisture, low sensitivity to temperature, and high physical resistance to these normally distressing factors. A chronology that extends from A.D. 797–2000 was established using western juniper cross sections in 2007. A continuation of this research began in Spring 2022 with goals to increase the sample depth and extend the length of the chronology. These additional data will provide a better understanding of the strength and periodicity of past climatic change in the Pacific Northwest and strengthen our predictive capabilities of potential future climatic shifts.