Dendrochronology
From Glossary of Meteorology
dendrochronology
The analysis of the annual growth rings of trees, leading to the calculation of significant indices of climate and general chronology of the past.
The width of a tree ring was determined by the temperature and/or the moisture that prevailed during the year of its formation. Since stress from temperature and/or moisture variations reduces the width of the seasonal growth of a tree ring, dendrochronology has important application in the study of long-term climatic variations.