Sensors 2010, 10(6), 5827-5844; https://doi.org/10.3390/s100605827
Using Automated Point Dendrometers to Analyze Tropical Treeline Stem Growth at Nevado de Colima, Mexico
Franco Biondi 1,2,*
and Peter Hartsough 1,2,†
and Peter Hartsough 1,2,†1
DendroLab, Mail Stop 154, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
2
Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
†
Present address: Department of Land, Air and Water Resources, University of California, Davis, CA 95618, USA.
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 10 May 2010 / Revised: 2 June 2010 / Accepted: 4 June 2010 / Published: 9 June 2010
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sensors in Agriculture and Forestry)
Abstract
The relationship between wood growth and environmental variability at the tropical treeline of North America was investigated using automated, solar-powered sensors (a meteorological station and two dendrometer clusters) installed on Nevado de Colima, Mexico (19° 35’ N, 103° 37’ W, 3,760 m a.s.l.). Pure stands of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. (Mexican mountain pine) were targeted because of their suitability for tree-ring analysis in low-latitude, high-elevation, North American Monsoon environments. Stem size and hydroclimatic variables recorded at half-hour intervals were summarized on a daily timescale. Power outages, insect outbreaks, and sensor failures limited the analysis to non-consecutive months during 2001–2003 at one dendrometer site, and during 2002–2005 at the other. Combined data from the two sites showed that maximum radial growth rates occur in late spring (May), as soil temperature increases, and incoming short-wave radiation reaches its highest values. Early season (April–May) radial increment correlated directly with temperature, especially of the soil, and with solar radiation. Stem expansion at the start of the summer monsoon (June–July) was mostly influenced by moisture, and revealed a drought signal, while late season relationships were more varied. View Full-TextKeywords:
point dendrometers; radial growth; tree rings; dendroecology; high elevation ecosystems; Mexican mountain pine; Pinus hartwegii Lindl.; Volcán de Fuego
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Biondi, F.; Hartsough, P. Using Automated Point Dendrometers to Analyze Tropical Treeline Stem Growth at Nevado de Colima, Mexico. Sensors 2010, 10, 5827-5844.