Potential for Reconstruction of Summer Streamflow Using False Rings in Taxodium distichum

Annual growth rings of southern bald cypress (Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich.) frequently display intra-annual growth bands characterized as "false rings". Relatively little research has been focused on the climate/meteorological signal embedded in false rings in general and only a couple of studies have examined false rings in bald cypress despite the extensive utilization of this species for climate reconstruction. For this research we examined false rings in bald cypress trees growing along the Choctawhatchee River in northwest Florida and find that these anomalies are significantly related to unusually high streamflow in June and July and to a lesser extent dry March April periods. While many of the wettest early summer seasons are reflected in wider annual growth rings about one third of these periods are not reflected in ringwidth alone but are apparent in the false ring chronology. Our analysis indicates that there may be strong potential to use bald cypress false ring chronologies to develop improved streamflow reconstructions over those based on ringwidth alone.