Articles | Volume 23, issue 12
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4287-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-23-4287-2026
© Author(s) 2026. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Jun 2026
Research article |
| 29 Jun 2026
| 29 Jun 2026
Unlocking the potential of pollarded oaks: a 375-year hydroclimate reconstruction from northcentral Spain
Alba Sanmiguel-Vallelado
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
EiFAB-iuFOR, Universidad de Valladolid, Soria, 42004, Spain
Max C. A. Torbenson
Department of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, 55099, Germany
Jan Esper
Department of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, 55099, Germany
Global Change Research Institute, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno 603 00, Czech Republic
Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda
EiFAB-iuFOR, Universidad de Valladolid, Soria, 42004, Spain
Carlos Prado-López
Fundación para la Investigación del Clima, Madrid, 28040, Spain
José Miguel Olano
EiFAB-iuFOR, Universidad de Valladolid, Soria, 42004, Spain
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Short summary
We studied centuries-old, traditionally pollarded oak trees in Spanish open woodlands to see if they record past rainfall. By analyzing tree rings from 102 trees, we reconstructed 375 years of precipitation. The trees captured long wet and dry periods, including extreme droughts in historical records, providing reliable, high-resolution climate information for the previously overlooked Mediterranean lowlands.
We studied centuries-old, traditionally pollarded oak trees in Spanish open woodlands to see if...
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