Challenges and Opportunities in Tropical Dendrochronology for Climate Reconstructions

Abstract Tree‐ring science, or dendrochronology, is broadly applied in temperate regions not only to determine a tree's age but also as a proxy for reconstructing the climatic and ecological conditions during the tree growing season. Dendrochronology application in lower latitudes (i.e., tropical regions) is an emerging field due to a common belief that tropical trees do not exhibit rhythmic growth due to the lack of thermal seasonality. However, the growing body of evidence demonstrates that tropical trees exhibit rhythmic growth, driven mainly by water availability. The article by González‐Méndez et al. (2025, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024PA005036 ) provides an excellent example of how this field can overcome challenges in developing tree‐ring chronologies for tropical tree species, while also utilizing established methods to enhance our understanding of tropical tree growth and past climate.