Reconstructing Hawaiian Rainfall Patterns from Māmane Tree Rings

Summary

Can tree rings show how rainfall has changed over the last 100 years on Mauna Kea? Only one Hawaiian tree, māmane, has annual growth rings. These trees can be used in reconstructing Hawai‘i precipitation over the past 100+ years. This project measures growth rings in māmane trees from the upper slopes of Mauna Kea on the island of Hawai‘i, providing critical information on past rainfall and helping validate climate models predicting future rainfall.

 Final Report

 Factsheet

 Data Served on Science Base

Suggested Citation

Shubert, A. and Jahren, A.H. (2013). Reconstructing past Hawaiian precipitation using stable carbon isotope analysis of Māmane trees Final Report to PICCC (pp. 16). Honolulu: University of Hawai’i at Manoa.