Process-based modeling of tree-ring formation and its relationships with climate on the Tibetan Plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 31-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Minhui He ◽  
Vladimir Shishov ◽  
Nazgul Kaparova ◽  
Bao Yang ◽  
Achim Bräuning ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Ring Formation ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau

scholarly journals Critical minimum temperature limits xylogenesis and maintains treelines on the Tibetan Plateau

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoxia Li ◽  
Eryuan Liang ◽  
Jozica Gricar ◽  
Sergio Rossi ◽  
Katarina Cufar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Climatic Variable ◽  
Eastern Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Xylem Growth ◽  
Ecological Mechanisms

ABSTRACTPhysiological and ecological mechanisms that define treelines are still debated. It is suggested that the absence of trees above the treeline is caused by the low temperature that limits growth. Thus, we raise the hypothesis that there is a critical minimum temperature (CTmin) preventing xylogenesis at treeline. We tested this hypothesis by examining weekly xylogenesis across three and four growing seasons in two natural Smith fir (Abies georgei var. smithii) treeline sites on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Despite differences in the timing of cell differentiation among years, minimum air temperature was the dominant climatic variable associated with xylem growth; the critical minimum temperature (CTmin) for the onset and end of xylogenesis occurred at 0.7±0.4 °C. A process-based-modeled chronology of tree-ring formation using this CTmin was consistent with actual tree-ring data. This extremely low CTmin permits Smith fir growing at treeline to complete annual xylem production and maturation and provides both support and a mechanism for treeline formation.

scholarly journals A comparison of tree-ring records and glacier variations over the past 700 years, northeastern Tibetan Plateau

2006 ◽  
Vol 43 ◽  
pp. 86-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohua Gou ◽  
Fahu Chen ◽  
Meixue Yang ◽  
Gordon Jacoby ◽  
Jianfeng Peng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Climate Changes ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The Past ◽  
Summer Maximum

AbstractThe ecological environment of the headwater area of the Yellow River, west China, is seriously deteriorating because of the harsh natural environment, weakened ecological systems and intensified human activities as well as regional climate changes. Forests and glaciers coexist in this area. Glaciers in the area have retreated over the last decade because of climate change. Most glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) tend to retreat during warm intervals and advance during cold intervals. Tree-ring records provide an important index for examining past climate changes. A total of 139 core samples from 97 living cypresses (Juniperus przewalskii) in the central region of the Yellow River headwater area, the Animaqin mountains, northeastern TP, were sampled from three sites that are close to each other. The chronologies were developed using the ARSTAN program. Analyses indicate that these tree-ring width records reflect the summer maximum temperature of the study area over the past 700 years. The tree-ring records and the glacier advances recorded by terminal moraines are compared. Inferred summer maximum temperatures suggest three cold periods during the Little Ice Age, around AD1500, 1700 and 1850. These cold intervals are consistent with the glacier moraine record from the region.

scholarly journals Reconciling the Discrepancy of Post-Volcanic Cooling Estimated from Tree-Ring Reconstructions and Model Simulations over the Tibetan Plateau

Atmosphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 738
Author(s):  
Jianping Duan ◽  
Peili Wu ◽  
Zhuguo Ma
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Climate Variability ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
El Niño ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Model Simulations ◽  
Internal Climate Variability

Volcanic eruptions are a major factor influencing global climate variability, usually with a cooling effect. The magnitudes of post-volcanic cooling from historical eruptions estimated by tree-ring reconstructions differ considerably with the current climate model simulations. It remains controversial on what is behind such a discrepancy. This study investigates the role of internal climate variability (i.e., El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) warm phase) with a regional focus on the Tibetan Plateau (TP), using tree-ring density records and long historical climate simulations from the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparsion Project (CMIP5). We found that El Niño plays an important role behind the inconsistencies between model simulations and reconstructions. Without associated El Niño events, model simulations agree well with tree-ring records. Divergence appears when large tropical eruptions are followed by an El Niño event. Model simulations, on average, tend to overestimate post-volcanic cooling during those periods as the occurrence of El Niño is random as part of internal climate variability.

scholarly journals Tree growth and its climate signal along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients: comparison of tree rings between Finland and the Tibetan Plateau

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 3083-3095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lixin Lyu ◽  
Susanne Suvanto ◽  
Pekka Nöjd ◽  
Helena M. Henttonen ◽  
Harri Mäkinen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Latitudinal Gradient ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Altitudinal Gradients

Abstract. Latitudinal and altitudinal gradients can be utilized to forecast the impact of climate change on forests. To improve the understanding of how these gradients impact forest dynamics, we tested two hypotheses: (1) the change of the tree growth–climate relationship is similar along both latitudinal and altitudinal gradients, and (2) the time periods during which climate affects growth the most occur later towards higher latitudes and altitudes. To address this, we utilized tree-ring data from a latitudinal gradient in Finland and from two altitudinal gradients on the Tibetan Plateau. We analysed the latitudinal and altitudinal growth patterns in tree rings and investigated the growth–climate relationship of trees by correlating ring-width index chronologies with climate variables, calculating with flexible time windows, and using daily-resolution climate data. High latitude and altitude plots showed higher correlations between tree-ring chronologies and growing season temperature. However, the effects of winter temperature showed contrasting patterns for the gradients. The timing of the highest correlation with temperatures during the growing season at southern sites was approximately 1 month ahead of that at northern sites in the latitudinal gradient. In one out of two altitudinal gradients, the timing for the strongest negative correlation with temperature at low-altitude sites was ahead of treeline sites during the growing season, possibly due to differences in moisture limitation. Mean values and the standard deviation of tree-ring width increased with increasing mean July temperatures on both types of gradients. Our results showed similarities of tree growth responses to increasing seasonal temperature between latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. However, differences in climate–growth relationships were also found between gradients due to differences in other factors such as moisture conditions. Changes in the timing of the most critical climate variables demonstrated the necessity for the use of daily-resolution climate data in environmental gradient studies.

scholarly journals New perspective on spring vegetation phenology and global climate change based on Tibetan Plateau tree-ring data

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (27) ◽  
pp. 6966-6971 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bao Yang ◽  
Minhui He ◽  
Vladimir Shishov ◽  
Ivan Tychkov ◽  
Eugene Vaganov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Vegetation Phenology ◽  
Sensing Data ◽  
Tree Ring Data

Phenological responses of vegetation to climate, in particular to the ongoing warming trend, have received much attention. However, divergent results from the analyses of remote sensing data have been obtained for the Tibetan Plateau (TP), the world’s largest high-elevation region. This study provides a perspective on vegetation phenology shifts during 1960–2014, gained using an innovative approach based on a well-validated, process-based, tree-ring growth model that is independent of temporal changes in technical properties and image quality of remote sensing products. Twenty composite site chronologies were analyzed, comprising about 3,000 trees from forested areas across the TP. We found that the start of the growing season (SOS) has advanced, on average, by 0.28 d/y over the period 1960–2014. The end of the growing season (EOS) has been delayed, by an estimated 0.33 d/y during 1982–2014. No significant changes in SOS or EOS were observed during 1960–1981. April–June and August–September minimum temperatures are the main climatic drivers for SOS and EOS, respectively. An increase of 1 °C in April–June minimum temperature shifted the dates of xylem phenology by 6 to 7 d, lengthening the period of tree-ring formation. This study extends the chronology of TP phenology farther back in time and reconciles the disparate views on SOS derived from remote sensing data. Scaling up this analysis may improve understanding of climate change effects and related phenological and plant productivity on a global scale.

scholarly journals Variability of summer humidity during the past 800 years on the eastern Tibetan Plateau inferred from δ<sup>18</sup>O of tree-ring cellulose

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 327-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Wernicke ◽  
J. Grießinger ◽  
P. Hochreuther ◽  
A. Bräuning
Keyword(s):  
Relative Humidity ◽  
Tibetan Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Summer Season ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Transfer Model ◽  
The Tibetan Plateau ◽  
The Past ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Hydroclimatic Variables

Abstract. We present an 800-year δ18O chronology from the eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau (TP). The chronology dates back to AD 1193 and was sampled in AD 1996 from living Juniperus tibetica trees. This first long-term tree-ring-based δ18O chronology for eastern Tibet provides a reliable archive for hydroclimatic reconstructions. Highly significant correlations were obtained with hydroclimatic variables (relative humidity, vapour pressure, and precipitation) during the summer season. We applied a linear transfer model to reconstruct summer season relative humidity variations over the past 800 years. More moist conditions prevailed during the termination of the Medieval Warm Period while a systematic shift during the Little Ice Age is not detectable. A distinct trend towards more dry conditions since the 1870s is apparent. The moisture decline weakened around the 1950s but still shows a negative trend. The mid-19th century humidity decrease is in good accordance with several multiproxy hydroclimate reconstructions for south Tibet. However, the pronounced summer relative humidity decline is stronger on the central and eastern TP. Furthermore, the relative humidity at our study site is significantly linked to the relative humidity at large parts of the TP. Therefore, we deduce that the reconstructed relative humidity is mostly controlled by local and mesoscale climatic drivers, although significant connections to the higher troposphere of west-central Asia were observed.

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