Influence of climate change on carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation factors between glucose and α-cellulose of pine wood

Abstract

We present the first analysis of the influence of climate change on carbon and oxygen iso-tope fractionation factors for two saccharides (glucose and α-cellulose ) of pine wood. The conifers grew in the Niepołomice Forest in Poland and the annual rings covered a time span from 1935 to 2000 AD. Glucose samples from acid hydrolysis of α-cellulose were extracted from annual tree rings. The carbon and oxygen isotope fractionation factors between glucose and α-cellulose were not stable over time. The mean value for the carbon isotope fractionation factors between glucose and α-cellulose was greater than unity. The mean value for the oxygen isotope fractionation factors be-tween glucose and α-cellulose was lower than unity. We established, with respect to climate change, the significance of the interannual and intraannual variation in the carbon and oxygen isotope frac-tionation factors between both saccharides. We used moving interval correlation results for May of the previous year through September of the current year using a base length of 48 years. The relation-ship with summer temperature is the main climate signal in the carbon isotope fractionation factor be-tween glucose and α-cellulose. The relationship with autumn sunshine is the main climate signal in the oxygen isotope fractionation factor between glucose and α-cellulose for the tree ring chronology. © 2013 Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland.