BULK WOOD ISOTOPE MEASUREMENTS AS A METHOD FOR TRACKING CLIMATE CHANGE DURING THE QUATERNARY OF THE AMERICAN EAST COAST

Cellulose-based isotope proxies are limited by cellulose’s relatively poor preservation in the fossil record. Previous studies have successfully used isotope measurements of cellulose in pine needles to track climatic and plant physiological changes from the last glacial maximum (LGM) to today. This study aims to use δ¹⁸O, δD, and δ¹³C measurements of bulk wood as a proxy for changes in tree physiology and the hydrological cycle. Using wood fragments ranging from ~25 Ka to today collected from sites of the American East Coast identified as temperate or warm-temperate forests during the LGM and the pre-industrial Holocene by Prentice et al. (2011). Data from this study is presented below.