National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Over 200 Years of Hurricane Data Recorded in Trees, Study Says


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A record of almost every hurricane to hit southern Georgia is held inside trees such as longleaf pines (pictured), researchers say. Chemical signals in the pines' tree rings—like the rings of an unidentified tree seen inset—could help researchers extend the hurricane record for the southeastern United States by hundreds of years.

Longleaf pines photograph courtesy USDA NRCS; Tree rings photograph by Bruce Dale/NGS