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

Only recently have tree rings been fully recognized as a valuable toolin detecting environmental changes. For example, tree-ring measurementshave been critically important in studies of forest decline in Europeand North America. There are also attempts to use tree-rings analysisfor ecological prognosis to solve large-scale regional problemsincluding the sustainability of water supplies, prediction of growth ofagricultural crops, and adoption of silvi-cultural measures in responseto ecological changes. More speculatively, dendrochronological methodsare also used for dating and evaluating some astrophysical phenomena andfor indicating possible increase in the biospheric carrying capacity dueto increased atmospheric carbon dioxide. Such a wide range of application of modern dendrochronology beyond its traditional field hasresulted in the development of various approaches. This has placed heavydemands on methodological unification and improvement. This book is areview and description of the state-of-the-art methods of tree-ringanalysis with specific emphasis on applications in the environmentalsciences.