Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-dk4vv Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T08:49:44.688Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Glacier Variations in the Sierra Nevada, California, as Related to a 1200-Year Tree-Ring Chronology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Louis A. Scuderi
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A time-series of tree-ringwidth indices for alpine timberline foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) from the Sierra Nevada of California shows a growth response to summer, late fall, and early winter temperatures that is the inverse of that resulting in the expansion of alpine glaciers. These are correlated with lichen-dated moraines and avalanche deposits that accumulated during subsequent decades. Minima in the ringwidth record, reflecting marked temperature declines occurred at 810, 1470, 1610, 1700 and 1810. Cold periods of lesser extent are also indicated between 1190 to 1400 and suggest that the initial pulses of the Sierran Matthes advances may have begun as early as 1190, or 150 yr earlier than previously dated. The Matthes advances were preceded by a period of pronounced warmth from 900 to 1190 during which timberline rose 10 m to its present elevation. A warm period is also indicated between 1500 and 1580. Recent work extending the tree-ring chronology to 3031 yr B.P. and radiocarbon dating of weathered samples to 6300 yr B.P. suggests that the chronology may ultimately be applicable to the dating of earlier Sierran glacier advances.

Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 27 , Issue 3 , May 1987 , pp. 220 - 231
Copyright
University of Washington

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adam, D.P., (1967). Late-Pleistocene and Recent palynology in the central Sierra Nevada, California Cushing, E.J. Wright, H.E. Jr. Quaternary Paleoecology Yale Univ. Press New Haven, CN 275–301 Google Scholar
Adamenko, V.N., (1963). On the similarity in the growth of trees in northern Scandinavia and in the polar Ural Mountains Journal of Glaciology 4, 449–451 Google Scholar
Bailey, D.K., (1970). Phytogeography and taxonomy of Pinus subsection Balfourianae Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 57, 210–249 Google Scholar
Benedict, J.B., (1968). Recent glacial history of an alpine area in the Colorado Front Range, U.S.A. II. Dating the glacial deposits Journal of Glaciology 7, 77–87 Google Scholar
Birkeland, P.W. Burke, R.M. Yount, J.C., (1976). Preliminary comments on late Cenozoic glaciations in the Sierra Nevada Mahaney, W.C. Stratigraphy of North America: Proceedings of a Symposium Dowden, Hutchinson and Ross Stroudsberg 283–295 Google Scholar
Birman, J.H., (1964). Glacial Geology across the Crest of the Sierra Nevada, California Geological Society of America, Special Paper 75 Google Scholar
Bray, J.R. Struik, G.J., (1963). Forest growth and glacial chronology in eastern British Columbia, and their relation to recent climatic trends Canadian Journal of Botany 41, 1245–1271 Google Scholar
Calkin, P.E. Ellis, J.M., (1980). A lichenometric dating curve and its application to Holocene glacier studies in the central Brooks Range, Alaska Arctic and Alpine Research 12, 245–264 Google Scholar
Curry, R.R., (1969). Holocene Climate and Glacial History of the Central Sierra Nevada, California Geologic Society of America, Special Paper 123 1–47 Google Scholar
Dansgaard, W. Johnson, S.J. Reeh, N. Gundestrup, H.B. Clausen, H.B. Hammer, C.U., (1975). Climatic changes, Norsemen and modern man Nature (London) 255, 24–28 Google Scholar
Denton, G.H. Karlén, W., (1977). Holocene glacial and tree line variations in the White River Valley and Skolai Pass, Alaska and Yukon Territory Quaternary Research 7, 63–111 Google Scholar
Fritts, H.C., (1971). Dendroclimatology and dendroecology Quaternary Research 1, 419–449 Google Scholar
Fritts, H.C., (1976). Tree Rings and Climate Academic Press London/New York Google Scholar
Gillespie, A.R., (1982). Quaternary Glaciation and Tectonism in Southeastern Sierra Nevada, Inyo County, California California Institute of Technology Unpublished Ph.D. thesis Google Scholar
Howell, J.T., (1951). The arctic-alpine flora of three peaks in the Sierra Nevada Leaflets of Western Botany 6, 141–156 Google Scholar
Jochimsen, M., (1966). Ist die Grosse des Flechtenthallus wirklich ein brauchbarer Masstab zur Datierung von glazialmorphologischen Relikten Geografiska Annaler 48A, 157–164 Google Scholar
Kuhn, M., (1979). Climate and glaciers International Association of Scientific Hydrology 131, 3–20 Google Scholar
LaMarche, V.C. Jr. (1973). Holocene climatic variations inferred from treeline fluctuations in the White Mountains, California Quaternary Research 3, 632–660 Google Scholar
LaMarche, V.C. Jr. (1974). Paleoclimatic inferences from long tree-ring records Science 183, 1043–1048 Google Scholar
LaMarche, V.C. Jr. Fritts, H.C., (1971). Tree rings, glacial advance, and climate in the Alps Zeitschrift für Gletscherkunde und Glazialgeologie 7, 125–131 Google Scholar
LaMarche, V.C. Jr. Stockton, C.W., (1974). Chronologies from temperature-sensitive bristlecone pines at upper treeline in western United States Tree-Ring Bulletin 34, 21–45 Google Scholar
Lamb, H.H., (1977). Climate: Present, Past and Future Vol. 2, Methuen London Google Scholar
Libby, L.M., (1983). Past Climates: Tree Thermometers, Commodities, and People Univ. of Texas Press Austin Google Scholar
Matthews, J.A., (1976). “Little Ice Age” paleotemperatures from high altitude tree growth in S. Norway Nature (London) 264, 243–245 Google Scholar
Matthews, J.A., (1977). Glacier and climatic fluctuations inferred from tree growth variations over the last 250 years, central southern Norway Boreas 6, 1–24 Google Scholar
Miller, C.D., (1973). Chronology of Neoglacial deposits in the northern Sawatch Range, Colorado Arctic and Alpine Research 5, 385–400 Google Scholar
Porter, S.C., (1986). Pattern and forcing of Northern Hemisphere glacier variations during the last millenium Quaternary Research 26, 27–48 Google Scholar
Schutze, E.D. Mooney, H.A. Dunn, E.L., (1967). Wintertime photosynthesis of bristlecone pine (Pinus aristata) in the White Mountains of California Ecology 48, 1044–1047 Google Scholar
Scuderi, L.A., (1984). A Dendrocronologic and Geomorphic Investigation of Late-Holocene Glaciation, Southern Sierra Nevada, California University of California Los Angeles Unpublished Ph.D. thesis Google Scholar
Scuderi, L.A., (1987). Late-Holocene upper timberline variation, southern Sierra Nevada, California Nature (London) 325, 242–244 Google Scholar
Stokes, M.A. Smiley, T.L., (1968). An Introduction to Tree-Ring Dating Univ. of Chicago Press Chicago Google Scholar
Tangborn, W.V., (1980). Two models for estimating climate-glacier relationships in the North Cascades, Washington, U.S.A. Journal of Glaciology 25, 3–21 Google Scholar
Tranquillini, W., (1964). The physiology of plants at high altitudes Annual Review of Plant Physiology 15, 345–362 Google Scholar
Tranquillini, W., (1979). Physiological Ecology of the Alpine Timberline: Tree Existence at High Altitudes with Special Reference to the European Alps Springer-Verlag New York/Berlin Google Scholar
Wardle, P., (1971). An explanation for alpine timberline New Zealand Journal of Botany 9, 371–402 Google Scholar
Wright, R.D. Mooney, H.A., (1965). Substrate-oriented distribution of bristlecone pine in the White Mountains of California American Midland Naturlist 73, 257–284 Google Scholar
Yount, J.C. Birkeland, P.W. Burke, R.M., (1982). Holocene glaciation: Mono Creek, central Sierra Nevada, California Geological Society of America, Abstracts with Programs 1982, 246 Google Scholar