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Intra-annual oxygen isotopes in the tree rings record precipitation extremes and water reservoir levels in the Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo, Brazil

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Author(s):
Locosselli, Giuliano Maselli ; Brienen, Roel J. W. ; de Souza Martins, Veridiana Teixeira ; Gloor, Emanuel ; Boom, Arnoud ; de Camargo, Evelyn Pereira ; Nascimento Saldiva, Paulo Hilario ; Buckeridge, Marcos Silveira
Total Authors: 8
Document type: Journal article
Source: Science of The Total Environment; v. 743, p. 8-pg., 2020-11-15.
Abstract

The impacts of climate change on precipitation and the growing demand for water have increased the water risks worldwide. Water scarcity is one of the main challenges of the 21st century, and the assessment of water risks is only possible from spatially distributed records of historical climate and levels of water reservoirs. One potential method to assess water supply is the reconstruction of oxygen isotopes in rainfall. We here investigated the use of tree-ring stable isotopes in urban trees to assess spatial/temporal variation in precipitation and level of water reservoirs. We analyzed the intra-annual variation of delta C-13 and delta O-18 in the tree rings of Tipuana tipu trees from northern and southern Metropolitan Area of Sao Paulo (MASP), Brazil. While variation in delta C-13 indicates low leaf-level enrichments from evapotranspiration, delta O-18 variation clearly reflects precipitation extremes. Tree-ring delta O-18 was highest during the 2014 drought, associated with the lowest historical reservoir levels in the city. The delta O-18 values from the middle of the tree rings have a strong association with the mid-summer precipitation (r = -0.71), similar to the association between the volume of precipitation and its delta O-18 signature (r = -0.76). These consistent results allowed us to test the association between tree-ring delta O-18 and water-level of the main reservoirs that supply the MASP. We observed a strong association between intra-annual tree-ring delta O-18 and the water-level of reservoirs in the northern and southern MASP (r = -0.94, r = -0.90, respectively). These results point to the potential use of high-resolution tree-ring stable isotopes to put precipitation extremes, and water supply, in a historical perspective assisting public policies related to water risks and climate change. The ability to record precipitation extremes, and previously reported capacity to record air pollution, place Tipuana tipu in a prominent position as a reliable environmental monitor for urban locations. (C) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 13/21728-2 - The use of modern autopsy techniques to investigate human diseases (MODAU)
Grantee:Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 18/22422-8 - Dendrochronological analysis of isotopic and tree species of the Peruaçu Valley (MG) and interpretation of rainfall
Grantee:Evelyn Pereira de Camargo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
FAPESP's process: 17/50085-3 - PIRE: climate research education in the Americas using tree-ring speleothem examples (PIRE-CREATE)
Grantee:Francisco William da Cruz Junior
Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
FAPESP's process: 19/08783-0 - Functional forests: biodiversity in the benefit of cities
Grantee:Giuliano Maselli Locosselli
Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Young Investigators Grants
FAPESP's process: 15/25511-3 - Climate and pollution reconstruction based on urban tree-rings growth records
Grantee:Giuliano Maselli Locosselli
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
FAPESP's process: 10/20876-0 - Application of Pb, Sr, H and o isotopes as tools for studies of groundwater recharge and contamination in the West zone of São Paulo City, upper Tiete Watershed
Grantee:Veridiana Teixeira de Souza Martins
Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
FAPESP's process: 17/10544-9 - Dendrochronology of Cedrela fissilis from an urban park in São Paulo
Grantee:Evelyn Pereira de Camargo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation