Reconstructing the Sitka temperature record using Tree ring widths from 8 chronologies in Southeast Alaska - Erica Erlanger
Hometown: Weehawken, New Jersey
Class Year: 2008
Major: Geology, French
Research Advisor: Gregory Wiles
On-campus Advisor: Jackie Cockburn
Project Description:
This summer, I participated in the Glacier Bay Project, a Keck Geology Consortium research project. I worked with two students under the guidance of Greg Wiles, collecting wood samples from the Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in the Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Our aim was to analyze the past climate, specifically temperature, signal incorporated into the widths of annual tree rings. A strong temperature signal allowed us to compare actual temperature data from the GOA with tree ring data and to use the tree ring data as a substitute for actual temperature when no records existed. Results show that the tree rings and temperature generally correlate well with one another and cover a period from 1569-1993 AD.