An overview on isotopic divergences – causes for instability of tree-ring isotopes and climate correlations

Abstract

Climatic reconstructions based on tree-ring isotopic series convey substantial information about past conditions prevailing in forested regions of the globe. However, in some cases, the relations between isotopic and climatic records appear unstable over time, generating the “isotopic divergences”. Former reviews have thoroughly discussed the divergence concept for tree-ring physical properties but not for isotopes. Here we want to take stock of the isotopic divergence problem, express concerns and stimulate collaborative work for improving paleoclimatic reconstructions. There are five main causes for divergent parts in isotopic and climatic series: (1) artefacts due to sampling and data treatment, relevant for dealing with long series using sub-fossil stems; (2) stand dynamics, including juvenile effects mostly occurring in the early part of tree-ring series; (3) rise in atmospheric pCO2, which can directly influence the foliar behaviour; (4) change in climate, which may modify the isotope–climate causal links; and finally (5) atmospheric pollution, which may alter leaf and root functions. Future paleoclimate research would benefit from interdisciplinary efforts designed to develop further process-based models integrating multi-proxy inputs so as to help identify causes of isotopic divergences and circumvent some of them in inverse applications.