Potential linkages between volcanic activity and a 403-year record of Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine) growth and summer temperatures estimated from tree-ring widths are evaluated from an Arctic tree-line site on the Kola Peninsula, northwestern Russia. The joint occurrence of volcanic eruptions and severe negative ring-width values is more than four times that expected by chance. A composite average of temperatures indicates that a 0.72°C temperature reduction is typical for the year immediately following volcanic eruptions, while tree growth is reduced for up to two decades. The Greenland Ice Sheet Project 2 (GISP2) volcanic sulphate record shows a small but significant correlation with summer temperatures. Volcanic aerosols originating at low and middle latitudes appear to cause the greatest ring-width reduction and cooling.
Arctic atlas1985: Moscow: Geodesy and Cartography Ministry (in Russian).
2.
Baillie, M.G. and Munro, M.A.1998: Irish tree rings, Santorini and volcanic dust veils . Nature332, 344–346 .
3.
Bradley, R. S.1988: Northern Hemisphere continental temperature records . Climatic Change12, 221–243 .
4.
Bradley, R.S. and Jones, P.D.1992: Records of explosive volcanic eruptions over the last 500 years. In Bradley, R.S. and Jones, P.D. , editors, Climate since ad 1500, London: Routledge .
5.
Briffa, K.R. , Bartholin, T.S. , Eckstein, D. , Jones, P.D. , Karlén, W. , Schweingruber, F.H. and Zetterburg, P.1990: A 1400-year tree-ring record of summer temperatures in Fennoscandia . Nature346, 434–439 .
6.
Briffa, K.R. , Jones, P.D. and Schweingruber, F.H.1994: Summer temperatures across northern North America: regional reconstructions from 1760 using tree-ring densities . Journal of Geophysical Research99, 25835–25844 .
7.
Briffa, K.R. , Jones, P.D. , Schweingruber, F.H. and Osborn, T.J.1998: Influence of volcanic eruptions on Northern Hemisphere summer temperature over the past 600 years . Nature393, 450–455 .
8.
Dai, J.E. , Mosley-Thompson, E. and Thompson, L.G.1991: Ice core evidence for an explosive tropical eruption 6 years preceding Tambora . Journal of Geophysical Research100, 17361–17366 .
9.
Filion, L. , Payette, S. , Gautheir, L. and Boutin, Y.1986: Light rings in subarctic conifers as a dendrochronological tool . Quaternary Research26, 272–279 .
10.
Fritts, H. C.1976: Tree rings and climate. London: Academic Press .
11.
Gervais, B.R. and MacDonald, G.M.2000: A 403-year record of July temperatures and treeline dynamics of Pinus sylvestris from the Kola Peninsula, Northwest Russia . Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research32, 295–302 .
12.
Hammer, C.U. , Clausen, H.B. and Dansgaard, W.1980: Greenland ice sheet evidence of post-glacial volcanism and its climatic impact . Nature288, 230–235 .
13.
Jones, P.D. , Briffa, K.R. and Schweingruber, F.H.1995: Tree-ring evidence of the widespread effects of explosive volcanic eruptions . Geophys. Res. Lett. 22, 1333–1336 .
14.
Kelly, P.M. and Sear, C.B.1984: Climatic impact of explosive volcanic eruptions . Nature311, 740–743 .
15.
Lamb, H.H.1970: Volcanic dust in the atmosphere; with a chronology and assessment of its meteorological significance . Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of LondonA266, 425–533 .
16.
LaMarche, V.C. and Hirschboeck, K.K.1984: Frost rings in trees as records of major volcanic eruptions . Nature307, 121–126 .
17.
Lough, J.M. and Fritts, H.C.1987: An assessment of the possible effects of volcanic eruptions on North American climate using tree-ring data, 1602 to 1900 ad . Climatic Change10, 219–239 .
18.
Lyons, W.B. , Mayewski, P.A. , Spencer, M. and Twickler, M.S.1990: A Northern Hemisphere volcanic chemistry record (1869–1984) and climatic implications using a south Greeland ice core . Annals of Glaciology14, 176–182 .
19.
MacDonald, G.M. , Gervais, B.R. , Snyder, J.A. , Tarasov, G.A. and Borisova, O.K.2000: Radiocarbon dated Pinus sylvestris L. wood from beyond tree-line on the Kola Peninsula, Russia . The Holocene10, 143–147 .
20.
Mass, C. and Schneider, S.H.1977: Statistical evidence on the influence of sunspots and volcanic dust on long-term temperature records . Journal of Atmospheric Science34, 1995–2008 .
21.
Mitchell, J.M.1971: The effect of atmospheric aerosols on climate with special references to temperature near the earth's surface . Journal of Applied Meteorology10, 703–714 .
22.
Newhall, C.G. and Self, S.1982: The Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI): An estimate of explosive magnitude for historical volcanism . Journal of Geophysical Research87, 1231–1238 .
23.
Pollack, J.B. , Toon, O.B. , Sagan, C. , Summers, A. , Baldwin, B. and Van Camp, W.1976: Volcanic explosions and climatic change: a theoretical assessment . Journal of Geophysical Research81, 1071–1083 .
24.
Rampino, M.R. and Self, S.1982: Historic eruptions of Tambora (1815), Bruce R. Gervais and Glen M. MacDonald: Tree-ring and summer-temperature response to volcanic aerosol forcing 505 Krakatau (1983) and Agung (1963), their stratospheric aerosols, and climatic impact . Quaternary Research18, 127–143 .
Self, S. , Rampino, M.R. and Barbera, J.J.1981: The possible effects of large 19th and 20th century volcanic eruptions on zonal and hemispheric surface temperatures . Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research11, 41–60 .
27.
Shiyatov, S.G.1996: Tree growth decrease between ad 1800 and 1840 in subarctic and highland regions of Russia. In Dean, J.S. , Meko, D.M. and Swetnam, T.W. , editors, Tree rings, environment and humanity, Radiocarbon, Tucson: University of Arizona , 283–284.
28.
Simkin, T.L. , McClelland, S.L. , Bridge, D. , Newhall, C. and Latter, J.H.1981: Volcanoes of the world. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold .
29.
Stothers, R.B.1984: The great Tambora eruption in 1815 and its aftermath . Science224, 1191–1198 .
30.
Stuiver, M. , Grootes, P.M. and Braziunas, T.F.1995: The GISP2 18O climate record of the past 16,500 years and the role of the sun, ocean and volcanoes . Quaternary Research44, 341–354 .
31.
Taylor, B.L. , Gal-Chen, T. and Schneider, S.H.1980: Volcanic eruptions and long-term temperature records: an empirical search for cause and effect . Quarterly Journal of the Royal Meteorological Society196, 175–199 .
32.
Zielinski, G. A.1995: Stratospheric loading and optical depth estimates of explosive volcanism over the last 2100 years derived from the Greenland ice sheet Project 2 ice core . Journal of Geophysical research100, 20937–20955 .
33.
Zielinski, G.A. , Mayewski, P.A. , Meeker, L.D. , Whitlow, S. , Twickler, M.S. , Morrison, M. , Meeese, D.A. , Gow, A.J. and Alley, R.B.1994: Record of volcanism since 7000 bc from the GISP2 Greenland ice core and implications for the volcano-climate system . Science264, 948–951 .
