Methods of Dendro- chronology. Applications in the Environmental Sciences. 1990. illustr. XII, 394 p. gr8vo. Hardcover.

Only recently have tree rings been fully recognized as a valuable tool in detecting environmental changes. For example, tree-ring measurements have been critically important in studies of forest decline in Europe and North America. There are also attempts to use tree-rings analysis for ecological prognosis to solve large-scale regional problems including the sustainability of water supplies, prediction of growth of agricultural crops, and adoption of silvi-cultural measures in response to ecological changes. More speculatively, dendrochronological methods are also used for dating and evaluating some astrophysical phenomena and for indicating possible increase in the biospheric carrying capacity due to increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Such a wide range of application of modern dendrochronology beyond its traditional field has resulted in the development of various approaches. This has placed heavy demands on methodological unification and improvement. This book is are view and description of the state-of-the-art methods of tree-ring analysis with specific emphasis on applications in the environmental sciences.