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Tree-Ring Reconstruction of Drought on Tribal Lands. Holly Faulstich School of Geography and Development Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research. Overview. Decade of severe and persistent drought conditions in the Four Corners region.
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Tree-Ring Reconstruction of Drought on Tribal Lands Holly Faulstich School of Geography and Development Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research
Overview • Decade of severe and persistent drought conditions in the Four Corners region • Limited drought monitoring capabilities and few long instrumental climate records available • Tree rings provide extended history of drought under natural climate variability Tribal Lands in the Four Corners Navajo Nation Hopi Nation Hopi Nation • Purpose is to aid decision-making capabilities of resource managers by framing current drought in long term context
Climate Reconstruction Methods Update and develop tree-ring chronologies for the region Develop a reliable network of climate data Historical Climate Network EW & LW chronologies serve as unique proxies for seasonal temperature and precipitation variability
The Next Steps… • Statistically reconstruct past climate using tree-ring indices and instrumental climate data • Develop outreach materials and present results to tribal members • The reconstruction model is a regression of PRISM precipitation data on the • tree-ring chronologies, calibrated on a common time period (AD 1895-2009)