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Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-79
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-79
29 Jan 2025
 | 29 Jan 2025
Status: this preprint is open for discussion and under review for Climate of the Past (CP).

Peatland trees record strong and temporally stable hydroclimate information in tree-ring δ13C and δ18O

Karolina Janecka, Kerstin Treydte, Silvia Piccinelli, Loïc Francon, Marçal Argelich Ninot, Johannes Edvardsson, Christophe Corona, Veiko Lehsten, and Markus Stoffel

Abstract. Peatland trees are valuable archives of paleoclimatic information; however, gaps persist in understanding the relationships between tree growth, peatland hydrology, and hydroclimate variables. While previous research in peatlands has mainly focused on tree-ring widths (TRW), yielding inconclusive results, the potential of stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopes in tree rings remains unexplored. In this study, we develop TRW, δ13C, and δ18O chronologies of Scots pine trees located in a Swedish peatland and a reference site on bedrock with a mineral soil layer. We assess their responses to hydroclimate conditions and evaluate their potential for reconstructing hydroclimate variations. Our findings show significant differences in mean TRW and δ13C values between the peatland and reference sites. Moreover, while all three proxies exhibit uniform year-to-year variations across sites, we observe discrepancies in long-term trends, particularly in δ13C. Although the climate sensitivity of TRW is weak and non-homogenous, the δ13C and δ18O peatland and reference chronologies contain robust and consistent signals, with a maximum sensitivity to water table, precipitation, and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) variations during summer. Both δ13C and δ18O chronologies show stable relationships with three key hydroclimate variables over time. In conclusion, while TRWs from living peatland pines at our sites have limited potential to record high-frequency hydroclimate information, δ13C and δ18O chronologies can serve as excellent proxies for the reconstruction of past hydroclimate changes.

Publisher's note: Copernicus Publications remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims made in the text, published maps, institutional affiliations, or any other geographical representation in this preprint. The responsibility to include appropriate place names lies with the authors.
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Short summary
Peatlands hold valuable insights about past climate, but the link between tree growth and water...
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