Southwest Alaska Tree Ring Stable Isotope Data Csank, A.Z.; Miller, A.E.; Sherriff, R.L.; Berg, E.; Welker, J. Csank, A.Z. Miller, A.E. Sherriff, R.L. Berg, E. Welker, J. earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (sample identification,null,null,null,null,tree ring,null,null,C,CC_D (dead trees); CC_L (live trees)) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (sample identification,null,null,null,null,tree ring,null,null,C,PB_D (dead trees); PB_L (live trees)) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 18O,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VSMOW,null,tree ring,composited,null,N,"Chronology produced using 4 trees per group (Live, Dead)") earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (sample identification,null,null,null,null,tree ring,null,null,C,VR_D (dead trees); VR_L (live trees)) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected,null,N,"Chronologies produced using 4 trees per group (Live, Dead) pooling samples prior to chemical processing; corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization") earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 18O,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VSMOW,null,tree ring,composited,null,N,"Chronologies produced using 4 trees per group (Live, Dead) pooling samples prior to chemical processing.") earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 18O,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VSMOW,null,tree ring,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 18O,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VSMOW,null,tree ring,null,null,N,Processed to alpha cellulose using Modified Brendel method (Anchukaitis et al. 2008)) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,composited|corrected,null,N,"Chronology produced using 4 trees per group (Live, Dead); corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization") earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (tree ring standardized growth index,null,null,null,null,tree ring,composited,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,corrected,null,N,corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (sample identification,null,null,null,null,tree ring,null,null,C,BR_D (dead trees); BR_L (live trees)) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,tree ring,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/tree ring (delta 13C,alpha cellulose,null,per mil VPDB,null,tree ring,corrected,null,N,Processed to alpha cellulose using Modified Brendel method (Anchukaitis et al. 2008); corrected for the decrease in atmospheric δ13C values due to the rise in CO2 caused by fossil fuel combustion since the beginning of the industrialization) earth science/paleoclimate/tree-ring earth science/paleoclimate/tree-ring (Valley of 10,000 Smokes>LATITUDE 58.3759>LONGITUDE -155.3842) (Bufflehead Road>LATITUDE 60.8067>LONGITUDE -150.84) (Currant Creek>LATITUDE 60.3097>LONGITUDE -153.9422) (Pedro Bay>LATITUDE 59.7953>LONGITUDE -154.0987) Increasing temperatures have resulted in reduced growth and increased tree mortality across large areas of western North American forests. Here we use tree-ring isotope chronologies (d13C and d18O) from live and dead trees from four locations in south-central Alaska to test whether white spruce trees killed by recent spruce beetle (Dendroctonus rufipennis Kirby) outbreaks showed evidence of drought stress prior to death. Trees that were killed were more sensitive to spring/summer temperature and/or precipitation than trees that survived. At two of our sites we found greater correlations between the d13C and d18O chronologies and spring/summer temperatures in dead trees than in live trees, suggesting that trees that are more sensitive to temperature-induced drought stress are more likely to be killed. At one site, the difference between d13C in live and dead trees was related to winter/spring precipitation, with dead trees showing stronger correlations between d13C and precipitation, again suggesting increased water stress in dead trees. At all sites where d18O was measured, d18O chronologies showed the greatest difference in climate response between live and dead groups, with d18O in live trees correlating more strongly with late winter precipitation than dead trees. Our results indicate that sites where trees are already sensitive to warm or dry early growing-season conditions experienced the most beetle-kill, which has important implications for forecasting future mortality events in Alaska. STUDY NOTES: Tree-ring stable isotope ratios of carbon and oxygen from trees killed during a recent spruce beetle outbreak and trees that survived from Southwest Alaska. Raw d13C data uncorrected for changing atmospheric CO2 or changing 13C value of the atmosphere are presented here. Site chronology produced using 4 trees per group (Live, Dead). IITRDB15 NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Csank, A.Z. Investigator : Miller, A.E. Investigator : Sherriff, R.L. Investigator : Berg, E. Investigator : Welker, J. 2016-04-15 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/20024 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/smokes2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/bufflehead2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/smokes2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/bufflehead2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/currant2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/pedro2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/smokes2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/bufflehead2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/smokes2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/bufflehead2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/currant2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/pedro2016iso-crn.txt English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/20024 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/smokes2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/bufflehead2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/smokes2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/bufflehead2016iso.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/currant2016iso-crn.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/treering/isotope/northamerica/usa/alaska/pedro2016iso-crn.txt Csank, A.Z., A.E. Miller, R. Sherriff, E. Berg, and J. Welker2016Tree-ring isotopes reveal drought sensitivity in trees killed by spruce beetle outbreaks in south-central AlaskaEcological Applications2672001–202010.1002/eap.1365 START YEAR: 1950 AD * END YEAR: 2011 AD -155.3842 58.3759 -150.84 60.8067