Search for Solar Periodicities in Tree-ring Widths from Concórdia (S.C., Brazil)

Abstract

Tree ring studies are usually used to determine or verify climatic factors prevailing at a given place or region that may cause tree-ring width variations. Few studies are dedicated to the solar phenomena which may underlie these tree-ring width variations. Furthermore, it is known that some terrestrial phenomena are influenced by short- and long-time scale solar variability. An optical and computational method was set up and applied to tree samples (Araucaria angustifolia from Santa Catarina State in Southern Brazil) in order to obtain a growth ring width mean chronology. Spectral analysis is used for the search of periodicities, by maximum entropy and iterative regression methods. The results evidenced several embedded signals at periods which may be related to solar activity variations. Cross-correlation analysis between sunspot number and tree-ring data was performed and a lag of zero year was obtained. From our work, it seems that the tropical conifer species Araucaria angustifolia may be a good choice for studies on Sun-Earth relationships and their regional effects.