Tree Rings

Period of productivity and dormancy are sharply separated during the calendar year in the temperate, cold and major part of the subtropical climate zones. In these conditions annual increment of trees is detectable as a clear ring-band in the radial transect of the bole. Each tree ring represents a well-dated chronozone of the past.
If the precise calendar date of forming of a particular ring is known the corresponding date of the earlier rings is designated by simple counting.
The great advantage of tree rings over other proxy climate records lies in the rigid age control and annual (sub-annual) resolution.

Dendrochemistry

Historical pollution events potentially may be determined from tree rings. The purpose of the studies is to assess the utility of xylem rings for detecting past changes in the chemical climate.

Isotope Dendroclimatology

We investigate the variability of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in tree rings. The ratios of heavy and ligth isotopes incorporated into the carbon-compounds of the wood depends upon the environmental conditions under which the tree ring has been formed. It means that tree rings can provide a record of past climate and environmental conditions by derived isotope ratios.