A 1119-year tree-ring-width chronology from western Prince William Sound, southern Alaska

Abstract

Living and subfossil trees from glacier forefields are used to develop a 1119-year-long tree-ringwidth chronology. Strong cross-dating among ring-width series from sites up to 60 km apart and an analysis of sample homogeneity support combination of all samples into a single, regional composite chronology. Comparison with instrumental climate data indicates May through July temperatures of the growth year are the primary control on ring-widths. Multidecadal-length warm periods in western Prince William Sound during the past 800 years were centred on AD 1300, 1440 and possibly 1820. Multidecadal-length cool periods were centred on AD 1400, 1660 and 1870. This is the first tree-ring chronology from the Gulf of Alaska region to extend into the first millennium AD.