Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

A 1,400-year tree-ring record of summer temperatures in Fennoscandia

Nature volume 346, pages 434–439 (1990)Cite this article

Abstract

Tree-ring data have been used to reconstruct the mean summer (April-August) temperature of northern Fennoscandia for each year from AD 500 to the present. Summer temperatures have fluctuated markedly on annual, decadal and century timescales. There is little evidence for the existence of a Medieval Warm Epoch, and the Little Ice Age seems to be confined to the relatively short period between 1570 and 1650. This challenges the popular idea that these events were the major climate excursions of the first millennium, occurring synchronously throughout Europe in all seasons. An analysis of past warming trends suggests that any summer warming induced by greenhouse gases may not be detectable in this region until after 2030.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Bartholin, T. S. & Karlén, W. Dendrokronologiska Sällskapets Meddelanden 5, 3–16 (1983).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Bartholin, T. S. Ann. Acad. Sci. Fennicae Alll 145, 79–88 (1987).

    Google Scholar 

  3. Schweingruber, F. H., Bartholin, T., Schär, E. & Briffa, K. R. Boreas 17, 559–566 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Garfinkel, H. L. & Brubaker, L. B. Nature 286, 872–874 (1980).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  5. Jacoby, G. C. & Cook, E. H. Arct. Alp. Res. 13, 409–418 (1981).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Aniol, R. W. & Eckstein, D. Climate Changes on a Yearly to Millennial Basis (eds Mörner, N-A. & Karlén, W.) 261–262 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  7. Briffa, K. R., Jones, P. D., Pilcher, J. R. & Hughes, M. K. Arct. Alp. Res. 20, 385–242 (1988).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Karlén, W. Climate Changes on a Yearly to Millennial Basis (eds Mörner, N. A. & Karlén, W.) 263–271 (Reidel, Dordrecht. 1984).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  9. Fritts, H. C. Tree Rings and Climate (Academic, London, 1976).

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cook, E. R., Briffa, K. R., Shiyatov, S. G. & Mazepa, V. S. Methods of Dendrochronology (eds Cook, E. R. & Kairiukstis, L. A.) 104–123 (Kluwer, Dordrecht, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  11. Wigley, T. M. L., Briffa, K. R. & Jones, P. D. J. Clim. appl. Met. 23, 201–213 (1984).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Jones, P. D. et al. A Grid Point Surface Air Temperature Data Set for the Northern Hemisphere, 1851–1984. DOE Tech. Rep. TR022 (US Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Hustich, I. Acta Bot. Fennica 42, 1–75 (1948).

    Google Scholar 

  14. Sirén, G. Communicationes Instituti Forestalls Fenniae 54 (1961).

  15. Briffa, K. R. et al. J. Clim. 3, 233–242 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Bradley, R. S., Kelly, P. M., Jones, P. D., Goodess, C. M. & Diaz, H. F. A Climatic Data Bank for Northern Hemisphere Land Areas. 1851–1980. DOE Tech. Rep. TR017 (US Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 1985).

    Google Scholar 

  17. Lamb, H. H. Climate Vol. 2 (Methuen, London, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

  18. Williams, L. D. & Wigley, T. M. L. Quat. Res. 20, 286–307 (1983).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Grove, J. M. The Little Ice Age (Methuen, London, 1988).

    Book  Google Scholar 

  20. Wigley, T. M. L., Farmer, G. & Ogilvie, A. E. J. Current Issues in Climate Research (eds Ghazi, A. & Fantechi, R.) 97–99 (Reidel, Dordrecht, 1984).

    Google Scholar 

  21. Wigley, T. M. L. The Greenhouse Effect Lecture presented at the prime minister's seminar on global climate change, UK Department of the Environment (1989).

  22. Santer, B. D., Wigley, T. M. L., Schlesinger, M. E. & Mitchell, J. F. B. Developing Climate Scenarios from Equilibrium G.C.M. Results, Rep. 47 (Max Planck institut für Meteorologie, Hamburg, 1990).

    Google Scholar 

  23. Wigley, T. M. L. & Raper, S. C. B. Nature 344, 324–327 (1990).

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Climatic Research Unit, School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, UK

    K. R. Briffa & P. D. Jones

  2. Laboratory of Quaternary Biology, University of Lund, Tornavägen 13, S-22363, Lund, Sweden

    T. S. Bartholin

  3. Institute of Wood Biology, University of Hamburg, Leuschnerstrasse 91, D-2050, Hamburg, 80, FRG

    D. Eckstein

  4. Department of Physical Geography, University of Stockholm, S-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden

    W. Karlén

  5. Swiss Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Zücherstrasse 11, CH-8903, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

    F. H. Schweingruber

  6. Karelian Institute, Section of Ecology, University of Joensuu, PO Box 111, SF-80101, Joensuu, Finland

    P. Zetterberg

Authors
  1. K. R. Briffa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. S. Bartholin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. D. Eckstein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P. D. Jones
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. W. Karlén
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. F. H. Schweingruber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. P. Zetterberg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Briffa, K., Bartholin, T., Eckstein, D. et al. A 1,400-year tree-ring record of summer temperatures in Fennoscandia. Nature 346, 434–439 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1038/346434a0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/346434a0

This article is cited by

Comments

By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing