A 225-year long drought reconstruction for east Xinjiang based on Siberia larch (Larix sibirica) tree-ring widths: Reveals the recent dry trend of the eastern end of Tien Shan

In light of a significant increase in the warming trend observed in recent decades in semi-arid Mongolia, tree-ring attributes and anomalies were analysed to detect potential changes in the growth–climate relationship. In a moisture-limited environment, an increase in temperature could cause a shift in the seasonal response of trees to climate. Chronologies were developed for the dominant tree species (Larix sibirica Ledeb., Pinus sibirica Du Tour, and Pinus sylvestris L.) from north-central Mongolia. In addition to annual ring width, both earlywood and latewood width were measured, and tree-ring anomalies such as false rings and light rings were systematically identified. Earlywood width was mainly associated with precipitation in the year prior to ring formation and early growing season conditions. Temperature was associated with current year growth and mainly influenced latewood development. False rings were good indicators of early summer droughts, whereas light rings were mainly associated with a cold end of summer. A seasonal shift in the significance of monthly climate variables was observed in recent decades. This displacement presumably resulted from changes in the timing and duration of the growing season. Tree growth starts earlier in spring and is now affected by late summer to early autumn climate conditions.

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Climate response of tree-ring width in Larix sibirica growing in the drought-stressed forest-steppe ecotone of northern Mongolia

Annals of Forest Science ◽

10.1007/s13595-011-0043-9 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 68 (2) ◽

pp. 275-282 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Choimaa Dulamsuren ◽

Markus Hauck ◽

Hanns Hubert Leuschner ◽

Christoph Leuschner

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Ring Width ◽

Larix Sibirica ◽

Forest Steppe ◽

Climate Response ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Northern Mongolia

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Tree-Ring Based Drought Reconstruction (A.D. 1855–2001) for the Qilian Mountains, Northwestern China

Tree-Ring Research ◽

10.3959/1536-1098-63.1.27 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 63 (1) ◽

pp. 27-36 ◽

Cited By ~ 54

Author(s):

Qinhua Tian ◽

Xiaohua Gou ◽

Yong Zhang ◽

Jianfeng Peng ◽

Jinsong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Northwestern China ◽

Drought Reconstruction ◽

The Qilian Mountains

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A method to separate temperature and precipitation signals encoded in tree-ring widths for the western Tien Shan Mountains, northwest China

Global and Planetary Change ◽

10.1016/j.gloplacha.2015.08.002 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 133 ◽

pp. 141-148 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Wenhuo Liu ◽

Xiaohua Gou ◽

Jinbao Li ◽

Yuxia Huo ◽

Keyan Fang

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Northwest China ◽

Tien Shan ◽

Temperature And Precipitation ◽

Tien Shan Mountains

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Tree ring record of annual runoff for Issyk Lake, Central Asia

Journal of Water and Climate Change ◽

10.2166/wcc.2018.232 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 610-623 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Tongwen Zhang ◽

Mamatkanov Diushen ◽

Ermenbaev Bakytbek ◽

Huaming Shang ◽

Yaqi Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Central Asia ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Moving Average ◽

Ring Width ◽

Junggar Basin ◽

Annual Runoff ◽

Tien Shan ◽

Mountainous Area ◽

Large Area ◽

Good Opportunity

Abstract Revealing hydrologic variations in the past is helpful to understand the dynamic changes and evolution of a given water body. The widespread long-lived spruce forests growing in the mountainous area around Issyk Lake in Central Asia provide a good opportunity for dendrohydrologic studies about that lake. A regional tree-ring width chronology developed for Picea schrenkiana was used to reconstruct 345-year annual runoff for Issyk Lake. Based on frequency of the wettest/driest years and decades, the 20th century was identified as having the most frequent hydrologic fluctuations among the last three centuries. After applying a 21-year moving average, seven wet and six dry periods were found in the runoff reconstruction. The 10- and 2.1–5.4-year cycles of this reconstruction revealed that annual runoff variability of Issyk Lake may be influenced by solar activity and the atmosphere–ocean system. Spatial correlation proves that the runoff reconstruction contains climatic signals representative of a large area, including the western Tien Shan Mountains and Junggar Basin. A comparison between the annual runoff reconstruction and other hydroclimatic reconstructions reveals similar variations, particularly in the high-frequency domain. The annual runoff reconstruction also accurately captures some flood/drought events noted in the meteorological records and hydroclimatic reconstructions of Central Asia.

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