Revealing Ancient Secrets: 1,000 Years of Tree Rings in Yellowstone Show Recent Climate Warming Trend
June 02, 2021
This story by Jerry Painter appeared in the Idaho State Journal on May 31.
Like careful note-takers during the past 1,250 years, Engelmann spruce trees high in the Yellowstone National Park backcountry have left behind a record of how harsh summer temperatures have been. A new study of living and dead tree ring samples, applying new technology, reveals that the past 20 years in Yellowstone have been the hottest in 1,250 years. The new temperature record was cross-referenced with the shorter instrumental records of the national park that are available since 1905. The millennium-long record was gathered by a group of researchers from the University of Idaho led by dendrochronologist Karen Heeter. Read more.
About the University of Idaho
The University of Idaho, home of the Vandals, is Idaho’s land-grant, national research university. From its residential campus in Moscow, U of I serves the state of Idaho through educational centers in Boise, Coeur d’Alene and Idaho Falls, nine research and Extension centers, plus Extension offices in 42 counties. Home to nearly 11,000 students statewide, U of I is a leader in student-centered learning and excels at interdisciplinary research, service to businesses and communities, and in advancing diversity, citizenship and global outreach. U of I competes in the Big Sky and Western Athletic conferences. Learn more at uidaho.edu