Exploring the potential of tree-ring chronologies from the Trafoi Valley (Central Italian Alps) to reconstruct glacier mass balance

Two tree-ring chronologies of stone pine (Pinus cembra L.) and two of Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) were
constructed on the basis of data from three high-altitude sites in the Trafoi Valley (Central Alps, Italy) to test tree
species sensitivity to climate at different sites and to explore the potential of the two species for reconstructing the
mass balance of two glaciers in the same region (the Careser and Hintereis glaciers). Influence of climate on treering
growth and on glacier mass variations was tested by means of Pearson’s correlation and response functions. At
highest altitude sites, both species appeared to be sensitive to July temperatures, while stone pine also showed
higher sensitivity than Norway spruce to previous winter precipitation. Comparing the dendrochronological and
glaciological series, stone pine showed higher negative correlations with glacier mass balance series than Norway
spruce. These different relationships reflect different species responses to climate, and stone pine is potentially
useful in reconstructing past glacier mass balance in the Central Alps. Extreme climatic events induce different and
even contrasting responses of tree-ring growth and glacier mass variations and may therefore bias tree-ring-based
glacier mass balance reconstructions.