A multitree perspective of the tree ring tropical cyclone record from longleaf pine ( Pinus palustris Mill.), Big Thicket National Preserve, Texas, United States

Abstract

[1] Tree rings afford the temporal resolution needed to characterize extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, their frequency and variability. External factors such as soil water isotopic variability, soil heterogeneity, and/or stand disturbance affect the isotopic composition of individual trees in a stand, resulting in inaccuracies in the record. Single-tree isotope chronologies should be tested against multiple-tree chronologies to determine whether individual trees sufficiently characterize tropical cyclone variability. Eight individual trees from two sites in Big Thicket National Preserve were analyzed to evaluate whether they synchronously record tropical cyclone events. The ability of individual isotope models to capture an event was low (