Tree Rings

Tree rings are formed on an annual basis. They are caused by a more rapid growth in the spring followed by slower growth the rest of the year. Using a tree ring borer you can examine these rings and glean the following information:

• The size of the ring is affected by the climatic factors such as rainfall and temperature.
• If a tree is fossilized, the age of the tree (how long ago it died) can be determined by examining isotopes. If that tree was pushed down and preserved by an advancing glacier, you can determine, within decades, when that glacier was advancing.

Tree ring studies reveal climatic information back to more than 10,000 years ago and provide us with annual and seasonal changes in climate.

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