title: Tree-ring width reveals the preparation of the 1974 Mt. Etna eruption.
abstract: Reduced near-infrared reflectance observed in September 1973 in Skylab images of the western flank of Mt. Etna has been interpreted as an eruption precursor of the January 1974 eruption. Until now, it has been unclear when this signal started, whether it was sustained and which process(es) could have caused it. By analyzing tree-ring width time-series, we show that the reduced near-infrared precursory signal cannot be linked to a reduction in annual tree growth in the area. However, comparing the tree-ring width time-series with both remote sensing observations and volcano-seismic activity enables us to discuss the starting date of the pre-eruptive period of the 1974 eruption.
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.|Department of Geography, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Ruedi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seiler
authors.affiliation: SEG - IFG, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.|MPG - IGP, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Houlié
authors.affiliation: Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cherubini