Flood Reconstruction in Southern Illinois Using Tree Rings

Loomans, Susan M.

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/55200 Copy

Description

Title

Flood Reconstruction in Southern Illinois Using Tree Rings

Author(s)

Loomans, Susan M.

Issue Date

1993

Keyword(s)

• floods
• tree rings
• flood reconstruction
• southern Illinois
• water management

Abstract

Water management is a crucial element in directing future land development across the United States. Measures are often taken to minimize flood hazards while at the same time maintaining an adequate water supply for consumption, irrigation, sewage treatment and aquifer regeneration (Stockton, 1975). Water resource management activities directed at regulating stream runoff must address a wide variety of considerations, including the frequency and magnitude of floods. The confidence of flood frequency analysis is dependent on the existence and length of gaged records (Kochel and Baker, 1982; Martens, 1992). A lack of long-duration hydrologic records for United States streams has limited the confidence of flood frequency estimates, and created an opportunity for data contributions by proxy methods. The science of tree-ring analysis, or dendrochronology, can provide a valuable source of paleoflood information (Martens, 1992; McCord, 1990; Sigafoos, 1964). The year and, often, magnitude of significant floods can be determined from the annual ring by considering the geomorphic situation and biological response of trees to flooding. The growth of tree rings primarily depends on soil nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur), and climatic factors (mainly temperature and soil moisture)(Kramer and Kozlowski, 1960). By calibrating ring growth to recorded weather and discharge data, tree-ring information can be used to reconstruct yearly variations in climate. These relationships can be applied through the life of the tree, thus extending recent climatic and hydrologic records back in time (Fritts, 1976).

Publisher

Illinois State Water Survey

Series/Report Name or Number

ISWS Miscellaneous Publication MP-150

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/55200

Copyright and License Information

Copyright ... University of Illinois Board of Trustees. All rights reserved. This document is a product of the Illinois State Water Survey, and has been selected and made available by the Illinois State Water Survey and the University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It is intended for research and educational use, and proper attribution is requested.

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