Paleoenvironmental reconstructions of the last 100 years using dead leaves of Giant Senecio in the East African Alpine Zone

Abstract

This study used past and present dead leaves preserved at Dendro Senecio on Mt. Kenya in East Africa to estimate changes in soil moisture and desiccation stress associated with global warming. Radiometric dating of the dead leaves indicated that 160 cm from the top of the tree was dated to 1959, 221 cm to 1960, 280 cm to 1947, 290 cm to 1938, and 400 cm to 1889.

The δ¹³C of the dead leaf samples ranged between -22‰ and -29‰, with a decreasing trend as the distance from the tree tops became closer (more recent). These results suggest that soil moisture in this study area may have increased with recent global warming.