Sulphur is an element which is fixed within the woody tissues during growth and can be used with certainty for environmental reconstruction.

That sulphur should be the element which is fixed within the annual growth rings is fortuitous given its key role in modulating climate and fantastic potential as an environmental diagnostic tool. The injection of sulphur aerosol into the atmosphere is a key determinant of climate through backscattering and absorption of radiation, and has long been a concern for terrestrial ecology, causing widespread acidification of catchments upon deposition.

Historical sulphur concentration and isotopic values obtained from tree cores in Italy and in the UK are presented, spanning the period 1840-2012.

This work was funded by NERC (grant NE/H012257/1).