Abstract
The primary objective of the study I will present on is to reconstruct multi-century streamflow records of the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, utilizing standard dendrochronological techniques to better understand past and present trends in hydrologic and hydroclimatic extremes within the system. Tree-ring analyses of moisture sensitive trees provide a long-term assessment of streamflow variability and moisture, as well as valuable information about past hydroclimate. This research will improve the paleoclimate record for the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta and expand the broader understanding of the region’s hydrologic variability. The longest direct observations of streamflow and climate extend only back to the 1890s in the United States (U.S.), and often are significantly shorter. These records are insufficiently long to capture the frequency of severe droughts and floods or to observe long-term monotonic changes in climate, such as increased aridity, humidity, or changes in consumption. The comparatively short length of instrumental climate records limits the capacity to ascertain the relationships between streamflow and large-scale climatic signals. This limitation can be addressed through the creation of paleoreconstructions of streamflow and extreme hydroclimatic events (e.g., floods and drought). New tree-ring chronologies from the Mobile-Tensaw Delta watershed can supply the high-resolution records of climate variability needed to better understand the impacts of extreme events, multi-decadal trends in rainfall variability, and the influence of regional and large-scale forcing factors on hydroclimate variability (Therrell et al., 2017). In this lightning talk, I will share the latest findings of this project.
