Résultat de la recherche
Heat and drought 2003 in Europe: a climate synthesis
Heat and drought were extreme in summer 2003 in Europe. Climatic data show that most extreme were maximum air temperatures in June and August; maps of these two months show a striking similarity in geographical range. Over wide regions, monthly mean temperatures were more than 4 degrees C above the long term mean values. The heat lasted from May to September in large parts of western and central Europe. The lack of precipitation was most severe in summer 2003 but precipitation was generally below normal from February 2003 until June 2004 ( with the exception of two months). Sunshine duration was above normal, particularly in regions which usually have rainy and cloudy episodes in summer, and relative air humidity was below normal during the whole year of 2003. The drought experienced by the vegetation in summer 2003 was exacerbated by the length of the period with scarce precipitation and humidity, by the heat during the summer and by long sunshine duration.
Climate change may already threaten Scots pine stands in the Swiss Alps
Large numbers of Scots pine are dying in the dry inner-alpine valleys of the European Alps; in Switzerland, locally almost half the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) population has died since 1995. As Switzerland's temperature has increased at more than twice the global average in the 20(th) stop century and as most of this increase has occurred during the last 20 years, we investigated possible relationships between the dying Scots pine and climatic parameters. We centred our studies in the upper Rhone valley. Our results show that the strong climatic warming that has occurred in recent years may well be the indirect cause of the mortality observed in these forests. Tree mortality was highest following the dry and hot year 1998, and tree defoliation, an indicator of tree vitality, showed a strong correlation with the previous year's precipitation. While precipitation showed no clear significant trend over time, the number of warm days (mean >20degreesC, maximum >25 degreesC) and potential evapotranspiration have significantly increased over the last 20 years. Higher temperatures favour pine wood nematodes and bark beetles, both of which are found at the study site, and increasing drought stress reduces tree resistance against pathogens. As these forests have in part protective functions, there is a need to better understand the mortality through interdisciplinary research and also to find means to change the species composition in order to establish tree species that are better able to withstand warmer temperatures.
To what extent can oxygen isotopes in tree rings and precipitation be used to reconstruct past atmospheric temperature? A case study
We analyzed the relationship between air temperature and oxygen isotopes measured in tree rings of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) from a long-term forest ecosystem research plot in the Swiss Jura mountains (LWF project). The oxygen isotope data were compared with a century-long meteorological series of air temperature data. Measurements of oxygen isotope ratios in precipitation were also used for comparison. Results show that the late-wood tree-ring series is significantly correlated with May to August temperatures. Correlations were higher for maximum (daytime) air temperature and even better for air temperature measured on rainy days only. We stress that trends in maximum temperature series for this time of the year, like trends in oxygen isotope ratios series from tree rings, are completely different from trends in yearly mean temperature. Indeed, maximum temperature trends during the vegetation period slightly decreased during the 20th century, whereas yearly means increased strongly.