Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

M.S.

Department

Geographic and Environmental Sciences

Degree Program

Geography (Applied), MS

Committee Chair

Rochner, Maegen

Committee Member

Pederson, Neil

Committee Member

Day, Andrew

Author's Keywords

Dendrochronology; southeastern US; southern warming hole, non-stationarity

Abstract

As climate change accelerates, southeastern states like Kentucky face increasing environmental and economic challenges. To improve future climate predictions, this study enhances paleoclimate reconstructions with a high-resolution tree-ring network for Kentucky, combining data from both living trees and dendroarchaeological sources. I evaluated the climate sensitivity of tree growth using superposed epoch analysis, static correlations, and spatial field correlations in KNMI Climate Explorer, along with moving correlations against seasonal temperature and moisture variables. Findings reveal that white oak and tulip poplar exhibit significant drought sensitivity across both live and archeological sites. However, I observed a weakening relationship between tree-ring growth and climate variables beginning in the mid-20th century. This decline corresponds with a regional climate regime shift—from hot and dry to cooler, wetter conditions—commonly referred to as the “southern warming hole.” These shifts hinder the reliability of dendroclimatic reconstructions and pose new challenges for interpreting past climate in Kentucky.

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