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Tree stem diameters fluctuate with tide

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Abstract

The diameter of tree stems growing under open and controlled conditions undergoes rhythmic fluctuations independent of daily periodic factors such as light, temperature and humidity. We find a strong correlation between these fluctuations and the timing and strength of tides. This correlation suggests that the Moon is influencing the flow of water between different parts of the trees.

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Figure 1: Reversible diameter variations in spruce and gravimetric tides.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Chair of Wood Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, 8092, Zurich, Switzerland

    Ernst Zürcher

  2. Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Sciences, University of Trento, Mesiano di Povo, 38050, Trento, Italy

    Maria-Giulia Cantiani

  3. Department of Agronomy and Forestry, University of Florence, Via S.Bonaventura 13, 50145, Florence, Italy

    Francesco Sorbetti-Guerri

  4. Bureau dEtudes et de Recherches Géologiques Appliquées, 1500 Avenue de la Pompignane, 34000, Montpellier, France

    Denis Michel

Authors
  1. Ernst Zürcher
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  2. Maria-Giulia Cantiani
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  3. Francesco Sorbetti-Guerri
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  4. Denis Michel
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Zürcher, E., Cantiani, MG., Sorbetti-Guerri, F. et al. Tree stem diameters fluctuate with tide. Nature 392, 665–666 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1038/33570

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