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Imprint of Climate Variability on Mesozoic Fossil Tree Rings: Evidences of Solar Activity Signals on Environmental Records Around 200 Million Years Ago?

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Abstract

Evidence of the solar activity modulation of the Earth’s climate has been observed on several parameters, from decadal to millennial time scales. Several proxies have been used to reconstruct the paleoclimate as well as the solar activity. The paleoclimate reconstructions are based on direct and/or indirect effects of global and regional climate conditions. The solar activity reconstructions are based on the production of the 14C isotope due to the interaction of cosmic ray flux and the Earth’s atmosphere. Because trees respond to climate conditions and store 14C, they have been used as proxies for both for climate and solar activity reconstructions. The imprints of solar activity cycles dating back to 10,000 years ago have been observed on tree-ring samples using 14C data, and those dating back to 20 million years ago have been analyzed using fossil tree-growth rings. All this corresponds to the Cenozoic era. However, solar activity imprints on tree rings from earlier than that era have not been investigated yet. In this work, we showed that tree rings from the Mesozoic Era (of ~200 million years ago) recorded 11- and 22-year cycles, which may be related to solar activity cycles, and that were statistically significant at the 95 % confidence level. The fossil wood was collected in the southern region of Brazil. Our analysis of the fossils' tree-ring width series power spectra showed characteristics similar to the modern araucaria tree, with a noticeable decadal periodicity. Assuming that the Earth’s climate responds to solar variability and that responses did not vary significantly over the last ~200 million years, we conclude that the solar–climate connection was likely present during the Mesozoic era.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank CRS and LACESM for logistic support with our field work, and CNPq, CAPES and FAPESP for grants supporting this research: A. Prestes FAPESP—(2009/02907-8) and CNPq (309092/2010-8); N. R. Rigozo—CNPq (APQ 470605/2012-0 and research productivity, 303368/2012-8); M. P Souza Echer—CNPq (304368/2013-0); E. Echer CNPQ/PQ (301233/2011-0) e FAPESP (2012/066734).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento, Universidade do Vale do Paraíba, Av. Shishima Hifumi, 2911, Urbanova, São José dos Campos, SP, CEP 12244-000, Brazil

    A. Prestes

  2. Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Caixa Postal 515, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil

    N. R. Rigozo, D. J. R. Nordemann, E. Echer, L. E. A. Vieira, M. P. Souza Echer & C. M. Wrasse

  3. Vale Soluções em Energia, Rodovia Presidente Dutra, km 138, São Jose dos Campos, SP, 12247-004, Brazil

    F. L. Guarnieri

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  1. A. Prestes
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Correspondence to N. R. Rigozo.

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Prestes, A., Rigozo, N.R., Nordemann, D.J.R. et al. Imprint of Climate Variability on Mesozoic Fossil Tree Rings: Evidences of Solar Activity Signals on Environmental Records Around 200 Million Years Ago?. Pure Appl. Geophys. 171, 1983–1991 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00024-013-0726-2

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