Teak rings uncover rainfall data
a ring can reveal a lot. Research suggests growth rings in teak tree trunks can reveal climatic changes over the years. The width of the rings are in direct proportion to the rainfall. A study of teak rings in India has traced rainfall data back to 1835. Rainfall measurements are available from 1871.
The study at the Lucknow-based Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeo-botany was published in the journal Dendrochronologia (Vol 25, No 1).
Lore of the rings Only 25 per cent of the trees in India bear distinct growth rings. The study shows growth of teak in rainfed central India is mostly controlled by southwest monsoon, which accounts for 70