Solving an Eigen Problem to Create Reliable Tree-Ring Chronologies

Abstract

It is very popular in meteorology and climatology to solve the so-called eigen problem for the meteorological field covariation matrix in order to extract “main modes” of the meteorological field variability. In this paper we depict the application of a similar problem for the tree-ring record covariation matrix in order to standardize tree-ring records. For the first time this technique has been applied to a sample set of very long-lived Qilian junipers (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) from the Dulan region in western China and has been earlier published (Yang et al., 2011, 2012a, 2012b). This paper expands our report at the All-Russian conference on dendrochronology (RusDendro-2011) where we have presented the eigen analysis with some recent improvements and additional applications of the technique to a larger sample set of the long-living Chinese junipers, and to another sample set of relative short-living Siberian larches growing in the Yamal Peninsula. We demonstrate that our eigen analysis technique is applicable to heterogeneous sets of tree-ring width records, and of great perspective to create really reliable tree-ring chronologies

Keywords

• the eigen problem
• dendrochronology
• millennial paleoclimatic reconstruction
• solar activity effects on tree growth