ABSTRACT
Much effort is being expended in the reconstruction of surrogate climatic and environmental data over several time scales. The history of climate is of exceptional interest and importance and has been investigated through traditional methods such as floral and faunal analysis, pollen analysis, tree ring widths and tree ring X-ray analysis. The sole source of carbon in the growth rings of trees may be assumed to be derived from the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere and the ring constituents actively record the variations of atmospheric d13C. Much progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms of isotopic fractionation that can occur during the complex processes between water entering the tree and the incorporation of hydrogen and oxygen in the cellulose of tree rings.
