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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Reconstructing Salmon Abundance In Rivers: An Initial Dendrochronological Evaluation, James M. Helfield, Robert J. Naiman, Deanne C. Drake
Reconstructing Salmon Abundance In Rivers: An Initial Dendrochronological Evaluation, James M. Helfield, Robert J. Naiman, Deanne C. Drake
Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications
Decision-makers concerned with salmon or their stream habitats are faced with many persistent, difficult questions including: how large and variable were these populations before European settlement? Here, we examine the feasibility of reconstructing salmon abundance using links between marine nutrients carried upstream by Pacific salmon ( Oncorhynchus spp.) and growth of dominant riparian trees in two Alaskan systems. We employ standard dendrochronology methods and regression models to quantify relationships between annual tree-ring growth, salmon escapement, and the climate pattern that affects oceanic production of Northeast Pacific salmon stocks, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). We find that known, annual salmon escapement …