New frontiers in tree-ring research
Jessie K. Pearl, John R Keck, William Lazar Tintor, Liliana Siekacz, Hannah Herrick, M. D. Meko, Charlotte Pearson
Abstract
From its inception as a scientific discipline, tree-ring research has been used as a trans-disciplinary tool for dating and environmental reconstruction. Tree-ring chronologies in some regions extend back many thousands of years, opening up new potential for the study of climate, people, and ecology at annual and sub-annual resolution. As such, they are a frequently used resource for a diverse range of studies spanning the Holocene. They are also the focus of a constantly evolving array of analytical techniques and multidisciplinary approaches to research questions. This literature review discusses case studies at the cutting-edge of interdisciplinary tree-ring research, notes recent breakthroughs and limitations, and identifies key frontiers for the future of tree-ring research.