Can intra-annual d13C variation of pine tree rings record an event of roots immersion in saltwater following tsunami?

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25660129
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: KUBOTA Tayoko 独立行政法人森林総合研究所, 東北支所, 主任研究員 (70353670)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): KAGAWA Akira 森林総合研究所木材特性研究領域, 主任研究員 (40353635) ; KODAMA Naomi 兵庫県立大学, 環境人間学部, 研究員 (60594611)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 東日本大震災 / クロマツ / 塩害 / 年輪 / セルロース / 炭素同位体比

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Pinus Thunbergii growing in pacific coastal sand dunes in Japan was damaged by tsunami following the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on 11 March, 2011. Even those that managed to survive the direct physical damage from tsunami began to die back from summer due to the physiological stress from saltwater immersion. The objective of this work was to analyze the association between carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) of tree-ring cellulose of P. Thunbergii and effect of salt water immersion caused by tsunami. Intra-annual δ13C of the tree ring formed after the tsunami event was significantly higher. Compared to controls, those immersed in tsunami seawater showed δ13C increase in earlywood formed in spring just after the tsunami, the increase was likely caused by water stress caused by the root immersion in saltwater, and following δ13C decrease by the dissipation of water stress as the seawater was drained by precipitation.

Free Research Field

森林水文学