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Articles on Tree rings

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Warmer temperatures could lengthen the growing season of trees and consequently increase their growth rate. (Shutterstock)

Climate change is making trees bigger, but also weaker

A longer growing season for trees, due to global warming, does not necessarily lead to an increase in wood production.
A diagram of a lunar eclipse from De Sphaera Mundi by Johannes de Sacrobosco, c. 1240 AD. New York Public Library

‘Like blood, then turned into darkness’: how medieval manuscripts link lunar eclipses, volcanoes and climate change

Medieval monks recorded hundreds of lunar eclipses. Centuries later, their descriptions are helping scientists unravel the role of volcanoes in historical climate change.
An almost-dry dam, surrounded by wheat fields, in WA’s wheatbelt region. Shutterstock

We found a secret history of megadroughts written in tree rings. The wheatbelt’s future may be drier than we thought

Our research found that in 700 years, the 20th century was the wheatbelt’s wettest. This means all our drought predictions are skewed.
Higher carbon dioxide levels will not result in faster-growing forests – just the opposite in many places, study finds. rosskevin756/flickr

More CO2 won’t help northern forests or stave off climate change

Study using tree ring data and climate projections shows that buildup of CO2 will not benefit most northern forests and that growth rates will actually fall.
Researchers compared the shipwreck history to tree ring data from slash pines to piece together the hurricane history over past centuries. Grant Harley

Shipwreck records and tree rings unveil Caribbean hurricane history – and clues to the future

In an attempt to better understand hurricanes, researchers recreate hundreds of years of hurricane records with Spanish shipwreck logs and tree ring data.
Genghis Khan’s army swept across Asia, fuelled by luscious green grass. William Cho

Wet climate helped Genghis Khan conquer Asia

After unifying the Mongols, Genghis Khan led his army from Northern Mongolia in 1211 to the Caspian Sea in 1224, forging the largest contiguous land empire in history. For centuries, common wisdom held…

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