An Introduction to Tree-Ring Dating

An Introduction to Tree-Ring Dating

Author: Marvin A. Stokes

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 2022-05-03

Total Pages: 92

ISBN-13: 0816549036

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Tree-ring dating, or dendrochronology, is the study of the chronological sequence of annual growth rings in trees. This book--a seminal study in its field--provides a simple yet eloquent introduction to the discipline, explaining what a dendrochronologist does both in the field and in the laboratory. Authors Stokes and Smiley first explain the basic principles of tree-ring dating, then describe details of the process, step by step, from the time a sample is collected until it is incorporated into a master chronology. The book focuses on coniferous evergreens of the Southwest, particularly piƱons, because they have wide geographic distribution, constitute a large population, and show excellent growth response to certain controlling factors. The book is specifically concerned with the task of establishing a calendar date for a wood or charcoal specimen. This concise but thorough explication of an important discipline will make dendrochonology more meaningful to students and professionals in archaeology, forestry, hydrology, and global change.


Fundamentals of Tree Ring Research

Fundamentals of Tree Ring Research

Author: James H. Speer

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 0816526850

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This comprehensive text addresses all of the subjects that a reader who is new to the field will need to know and will be a welcome reference for practitioners at all levels. It includes a history of the discipline, biological and ecological background, principles of the field, basic scientific information on the structure and growth of trees, the complete range of dendrochronology methods, and a full description of each of the relevant subdisciplines.


Tree Story

Tree Story

Author: Valerie Trouet

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2020-04-21

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1421437783

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What if the stories of trees and people are more closely linked than we ever imagined? Winner of the World Wildlife Fund's 2020 Jan Wolkers PrizeOne of Science News's "Favorite Books of 2020" A New York Times "New and Noteworthy" BookA 2020 Woodland Book of the YearGold Winner of the 2020 Foreword INDIES Award in Ecology & EnvironmentBronze Winner of the 2021 Independent Publisher Book Award in Environment/Ecology People across the world know that to tell how old a tree is, you count its rings. Few people, however, know that research into tree rings has also made amazing contributions to our understanding of Earth's climate history and its influences on human civilization over the past 2,000 years. In her captivating book Tree Story, Valerie Trouet reveals how the seemingly simple and relatively familiar concept of counting tree rings has inspired far-reaching scientific breakthroughs that illuminate the complex interactions between nature and people. Trouet, a leading tree-ring scientist, takes us out into the field, from remote African villages to radioactive Russian forests, offering readers an insider's look at tree-ring research, a discipline known as dendrochronology. Tracing her own professional journey while exploring dendrochronology's history and applications, Trouet describes the basics of how tell-tale tree cores are collected and dated with ring-by-ring precision, explaining the unexpected and momentous insights we've gained from the resulting samples. Blending popular science, travelogue, and cultural history, Tree Story highlights exciting findings of tree-ring research, including the fate of lost pirate treasure, successful strategies for surviving California wildfire, the secret to Genghis Khan's victories, the connection between Egyptian pharaohs and volcanoes, and even the role of olives in the fall of Rome. These fascinating tales are deftly woven together to show us how dendrochronology sheds light on global climate dynamics and uncovers the clear links between humans and our leafy neighbors. Trouet delights us with her dedication to the tangible appeal of studying trees, a discipline that has taken her to austere and beautiful landscapes around the globe and has enabled scientists to solve long-pondered mysteries of Earth and its human inhabitants.


Transformations

Transformations

Author: Colin Renfrew

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2014-05-10

Total Pages: 540

ISBN-13: 1483277526

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Transformations: Mathematical Approaches to Culture Change focuses on the application of contemporary mathematical techniques to the study of culture change and formulates problems in archaeology, anthropology, and historiography in such a way that they are susceptible to treatment of a mathematical kind. Mathematical models, extending from the almost purely quantitative methods of physics to the purely verbal conceptual explanations, are described. Emphasis is placed on catastrophe theoretic models that exemplify the use of soft mathematics in situations in which the use of hard quantitative models is not possible. Comprised of 21 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the role of mathematics in theoretical archaeology, followed by a discussion on two general categories of mathematical methods that seem to be suitable for modeling cultural transformations: methods of dynamical systems theory and methods that give greater emphasis on discrete entities and the structural relations or patterns among them. Subsequent chapters deal with the use of mathematics in history; morphogenesis in biological and social systems; simulation of the growth of hierarchies; and logistic trends in Southwest population growth. A reconstruction of political units in the Valley of Mexico during the Toltec period is also presented. This monograph will be of interest to archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, biologists, sociologists, and mathematicians.


Tree Rings and Climate

Tree Rings and Climate

Author: H Fritts

Publisher: Elsevier

Published: 2012-12-02

Total Pages: 583

ISBN-13: 0323145280

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Tree Rings and Climate deals with the principles of dendrochronology, with emphasis on tree-ring studies involving climate-related problems. This book looks at the spatial and temporal variations in tree-ring growth and how they can be used to reconstruct past climate. Factors and conditions that appear most relevant to tree-ring research are highlighted. Comprised of nine chapters, this book opens with an overview of the basic biological facts and principles of tree growth, as well as the most important terms, principles, and concepts of dendrochronology. The discussion then shifts to the basic biology governing the response of ring width to variation in climate; systematic variations in the width and cell structure of annual tree rings; and the significance of tree growth and structure to dendroclimatology. The movement of materials and internal water relations of trees are also considered, along with photosynthesis, respiration, and the climatic and environmental system. Models of the growth-climate relationships as well as the basic statistics and methods of analysis of these relationships are described. The final chapter includes a general discussion of dendroclimatographic data and presents examples of statistical models that are useful for reconstructing spatial variations in climate. This monograph will be of interest to climatologists, college students, and practitioners in fields such as botany, archaeology, hydrology, oceanography, biology, physiology, forestry, and geophysics.


Tree Rings and Telescopes

Tree Rings and Telescopes

Author: George Ernest Webb

Publisher:

Published: 1983

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13:

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A pioneer educator and scientist in Arizona, Douglass had a distinguished career as an astronomer, and then established the field of Dedrochronology, the dating of tree rings, that changed the field of Southwest Archaeology.


Mogollon Culture in the Forestdale Valley, East-central Arizona

Mogollon Culture in the Forestdale Valley, East-central Arizona

Author: Emil Walter Haury

Publisher: University of Arizona Press

Published: 1985-04

Total Pages: 475

ISBN-13: 0816508941

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Classic site reports establish the Mogollon on their own cultural track distinct from the Anasazi and also document the earliest known association of tree-ring dates with pottery in the Southwest.


Methods of Dendrochronology

Methods of Dendrochronology

Author: E.R. Cook

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2013-11-11

Total Pages: 403

ISBN-13: 9401578796

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This book is a review and description of the state-of-the-art methods of tree-ring analy~is with specific emphasis on applications in the environmental sciences. Traditionally, methods of tree-ring analysis, or more properly in this case methods 0/ dendrochronology, were developed and used for dating archaeological and historical structures and for reconstructing past climates. The classic book Tree Rings and Climate, by H.C. Fritts, published in 1976, provided a superb introduction to the science and an in-depth description of techniques useful for extracting climatic information from tree rings. This book, which was published by Academic Press, is sadly out of print and, even though only 12 years old, lim ited in its methods and applications. This is owing to the extremely rapid development of the science since the 1970s. Only recently have tree rings as environmental sensors been fully recog nized as a valuable tool in detecting environmental change. For example, tree ring measurements have been critically important in studies of forest decline in Europe and North America. There are also attempts to use tree-ring analysis for ecological prognosis to solve large-scale regional problems including the sustain ability of water supplies, prediction of agricultural crops, and adoption of silvi cultural measures in response to ecological changes. More speculatively, dendro chronological methods are also used for dating and evaluating some astrophysical phenomena and for indicating possible increase in the biospheric carrying capac ity due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide.