Wood Climate History

1,000 years of regional climate history stored in tree rings In a cooperation of students from Mistelbach, and BOKU scientists (Wood Science and Technology, Meteorology, Applied Statistics and Computing) within the Sparkling-Science project WALD-WASSER-WEINviertel, tree-ring chronologies going back to 955 AD could be established. So, now it is possible to look into the climatic past of the Weinviertel region. At the project-wrap-up meeting themed WOOD-CLIMATE-HISTORY on 16 April in Mistelbach, students of two schools, forestry bachelor-students, and members of the scientific team presented first results: The reconstruction of precipitation for the region with oak and pine tree-rings shows that at the beginning of the Little Ice Age (around 1640) it was drier than today. Then, precipitation increased until it reached a maximum above today’s level around 1750 and decreased again until 1800. Also in the preceding centuries, dry and moist periods alternated. An informative guest lecture of Dr. Reinhard Böhm (ZAMG) about regional climate change in the Weinviertel region, posters from students and scientists, as well as the extraordinary wooden sculptures by Mag. Anton Böhm (BORG Mistelbach) completed the event. www.wald-wasser-weinviertel.at www.sparklingscience.at