Tree ring precipitation reconstruction in the Chifeng‐Weichang region, China, and East Asian summer monsoon variation since A.D. 1777

Abstract

The total precipitation of previous August to current July was reconstructed on the basis of the Pinus tabulaeformis ring widths from three sites in Chifeng and Weichang regions, China, for the past 236 years. The explained variance of reconstruction is 47.4%. The intervals with below‐average precipitation (1768–2003) comprise 1779–1806, 1853–1883, 1926–1972, and 1980–1989. The intervals with above average precipitation consist of 1807–1852, 1884–1925, 1973–1979, and 1990–1999. Precipitation in the study area is dependent on the East Asian summer monsoon strength. The reconstructed series is significantly correlated with the average dryness/wetness index series of Datong and Beijing, as well as with previous results from Baiyinaobao, Helan Mountains, and even the state of Mongolia. A significant negative correlation (r = −0.63, p < 0.0001) is also found between the reconstruction and our previously reconstructed temperatures of Weichang for the period 1884–2002. Our result suggests that the variations of the East Asian summer monsoon on a decadal scale are coincident with the other regions within the environmentally sensitive zone of northern China as well as Mongolia for the past 236 years, and our reconstruction is representative of regional climate patterns.

Tree-ring-based annual precipitation reconstruction in Kalaqin, Inner Mongolia for the last 238 years

“…Absent rings were found in 1861, 1906, 1961, 1972, 1986 and 2000. The rate of absent rings was 0.85%, which is much less than 4.4% found for ChifengWeichang (Figure 1) [20], in the west of the Kalaqin region, indicating that Chifeng-Weichang is much drier.…”

“…The Chifeng-Weichang region [20], the closest tree-ring research site to Kalaqin, is in the rim zone of the East Asian summer monsoon. The same species of trees were adopted to study climatic variation of the two regions, which may indicate the comparability of the precipitation series of the two sites.…”

“…These achievements helped researchers to understand the past climatic variations in China in the context of global climate change. For the north margin of the East Asian summer monsoon [16], high-resolution tree-ring records were used to reconstruct temperature [17] and precipitation [18][19][20][21][22] variations over the past few hundred years. The first tree-ring based precipitation prediction was also carried out [23], which has been proved to be largely consistent with real precipitation records until now.…”

Asian Monsoon Variability Recorded in Other Archives

“…The total August to July precipitation was reconstructed for the Chifeng and Weichang regions for the past 236 years (Liu et al 2010b). The reconstructed series was significantly correlated with the average dryness/wetness index series of Datong and Beijing, as well as with previous results from Baiyinaobao, the Helan Fig.…”

Development of a <i>Larix principis</i>-<i>rupprechtii</i> tree-ring width chronology and its climatic signals for the southern Greater Higgnan Mountains

“…The former periods were 1836-1852, 1872-1878 and 1944-2008, and the latter value periods were 1853-1871and 1879-1943. Two small-value periods (1853-1871and 1879-1943 coincide with the dry periods 1853-1883 in the Chifeng-Weichang region (Liu et al, 2010(Liu et al, ) and 1888(Liu et al, -1929 in the Hailar region (Liu et al, 2009a), which are attributable to a weak monsoon. …”