Spatiotemporal Drought Variability of the Near East and Eastern Mediterranean from Tree Rings

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Funding is provided to investigate the climatology of the Mediterranean and Near East regions using tree-rings. Specifically, the researchers will: 1) complete the development of a tree-ring proxy network necessary for multi-century drought reconstructions of the eastern Mediterranean and Near East (Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, and Lebanon); 2) investigate patterns of large-scale spatiotemporal climate variations impacting the Middle East by integrating newly-developed proxy data into spatially-complete gridded climate field reconstructions of drought for the region; and 3) identify the relationship between regional drought, radiative forcing, and atmosphere-ocean dynamics. The broader impacts involve supporting post doctoral scholars and students, providing for strong international collaborations, and developing new climate data of value to studies of drought and other climatic events of direct relevance to societies and cultures.