A tree-ring δ18O series from southernmost Fuego-Patagonia is recording flavors of the Antarctic Oscillation

A 154 year-long, tree-ring based stable oxygen isotope time series (δ18OTRC) of the evergreen southern beech (Nothofagus betuloides) was established for the southernmost part of Patagonia. The trees grew on the terminal moraine system of the Schiaparelli Glacier (54.4°S) within the windward and hyper-humid zone of the Austral Andes. The annually resolved δ18OTRC record spans the common period 1861–2015 and is based on the analysis of five individually analyzed tree individuals showing a significant mean interseries correlation (r = 0.69). To date, this time series represents the worldwide southernmost chronology of tree-ring δ18OTRC. Variations of the δ18OTRC values are significantly correlated with hydroclimatic conditions, as derived from ERA-Interim reanalysis gridded data. Negative relationships between the δ18OTRC-series and relative humidity (rOct-Feb = −0.62, p