Unlocking the full potential of tree ring oxygen isotope archives

Start date: 1 January 2024
End date: 31 December 2027
Funder: Leverhulme Trust
Primary investigator: Prof. Roel Brienen
Co-investigators: Professor Emanuel Gloor
External co-investigators: Professor Bruce Turnbull and Vajinder Kumar , University of Leeds, School of Chemistry

Tree rings contain invaluable information on past climates locked away in the form of oxygen isotopes (oxygen
atoms with different mass) in the wood. However, tree ring oxygen isotopes are a mixture of climate signals from
rain and the plant. We will develop novel chemical procedures to separate these signals through analysis of
isotope ratios at different positions in cellulose molecules and in other compounds from tree rings. This will fully
unlock the potential of tree ring isotopes to provide better climate histories and reveal insights on plant
physiological responses to climate and CO2.