scholarly journals Reconstruction of the March–August PDSI since 1703 AD based on tree rings of Chinese pine (<i>Pinus tabulaeformis</i> Carr.) in the Lingkong Mountain, southeast Chinese loess Plateau

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-521 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Cai ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
Y. Lei ◽  
G. Bao ◽  
B. Sun
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Pinus Tabulaeformis ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Pdsi Reconstruction

Abstract. We utilised tree-ring cores, collected from three sites at Lingkong Mountain located in the southeast part of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), to develope a regional ring-width chronology. Significant positive correlations between the tree-ring index and the monthly Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) were identified, indicating that the radial growth of trees in this region was moisture-limited. The March–August mean PDSI was quantitatively reconstructed from 1703 to 2008 with an explained variance of 46.4%. Seven dry periods during 1719–1726, 1742–1748, 1771–1778, 1807–1818, 1832–1848, 1867–1932 and 1993–2008 and six wet periods during 1727–1741, 1751–1757, 1779–1787, 1797–1805, 1853–1864 and 1934–1957 were revealed in our reconstruction. Among them, 1867–1932 and 1934–1957 were identified as the longest dry and wet periods, respectively. On the centennial scale, the 19th century was recognised as the driest century. The drying tendency since 1960s was evident. However, recent drought in 1993–2008 was still within the frame of natural climate variability based on the 306 yr PDSI reconstruction. The dry and wet phases of Lingkong Mountain were in accordance with changes in the summer Asian-Pacific oscillation (IAPO) and sunspot numbers, they also showed strong similarity to other tree-ring based moisture indexes in large areas in and around the CLP, indicating the moisture variability in the CLP was almost synchronous and closely related with large-scale land–ocean–atmospheric circulation and solar activity. Spatial correlation analysis suggested that this PDSI reconstruction could represent the moisture variations for most parts of the CLP, and even larger area of northern China and east Mongolia. Multi-taper spectral analysis revealed significant cycles at the inter-annual (2–7 yr), inter-decadal (37.9 yr) and centennial (102 yr) scales. Results of this study are very helpful for us to improve the knowledge of past climate change in the CLP and enable us to prevent and manage future natural disasters.

scholarly journals Reconstruction of the March–August PDSI since 1703 AD based on tree rings of Chinese pine (<i>Pinus tabulaeformis</i> Carr.) in the Lingkong Mountain, southeast Chinese loess Plateau

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 6311-6344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Cai ◽  
Y. Liu ◽  
Y. Lei ◽  
G. Bao ◽  
B. Sun
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Asian Summer Monsoon ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Pinus Tabulaeformis ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Pdsi Reconstruction

Abstract. We utilized tree-ring cores, collected from three sites at Lingkong Mountain located in the southeast part of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), to develop a regional ring-width chronology. Significant positive correlations between the tree-ring index and the monthly Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) were identified, indicating that the radial growth of trees in this region was moisture-limited. The March–August mean PDSI was quantitatively reconstructed from 1703 to 2008 with an explained variance of 46.4%. Seven dry periods during 1719–1726, 1742–1748, 1771–1778, 1807–1818, 1832–1848, 1867–1932 and 1993–2008 and six wet periods during 1727–1741, 1751–1757, 1779–1787, 1797–1805, 1853–1864 and 1934–1957 were revealed in our reconstruction. Among them, 1867–1932 and 1934–1957 were identified as the longest dry and wet periods, respectively. On the centennial scale, the 19th century was recognized as the driest century. The drying tendency since 1960s was evident, however, recent drought was still within the frame of natural climate variability based on the 306 yr PDSI reconstruction. The warm and dry phases of Lingkong Mountain were in accordance with changes in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) strength, they also showed strong similarity to other tree-ring based moisture indexes in large areas in and around the CLP, indicating the moisture variability in the CLP was almost synchronous and closely related with EASM variation. Spatial correlation analysis suggested that this PDSI reconstruction could represent the moisture variations for most parts of the CLP, even larger area of northern China and east Mongolia. Multi-taper spectral analysis revealed significant cycles at the inter-annual (2.0–7.8 yr), inter-decadal (37.9 yr) and centennial (102 yr) scales, suggesting the influence of ENSO and solar activity on moisture conditions in the CLP. Results of this study are very helpful for us to improve the knowledge of past climate change in the CLP and enable us to prevent and manage future natural disasters.

scholarly journals Characterizing the Topographic Changes and Land Subsidence Associated with the Mountain Excavation and City Construction on the Chinese Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1556
Author(s):  
Chuanhao Pu ◽  
Qiang Xu ◽  
Kuanyao Zhao ◽  
Yanan Jiang ◽  
Lina Hao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ground Deformation ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
City Construction ◽  
Large Scale Land ◽  
The Chinese Loess Plateau

A mega project, Mountain Excavation and City Construction (MECC), was launched in the hilly and gully region of the Chinese Loess Plateau in 2012, in order to address the shortage of available land and create new flat land for urban construction. However, large-scale land creation and urban expansion significantly alters the local geological environment, leading to severe ground deformation. This study investigated the topographic changes, ground deformation, and their interactions due to the MECC project in the Yan’an New District (YND). First, new surface elevations were generated using ZiYuan-3 (ZY-3) stereo images acquired after the construction in order to map the local topographic changes and the fill thickness associated with the MECC project. Then, the interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) time series and 32 Sentinel-1A images were used to assess the spatial patterns of the ground deformation in the YND during the postconstruction period (2017–2018). By combining the InSAR-derived results and topographic change features, the relationship between the ground deformation and large-scale land creation was further analyzed. The results indicated that the MECC project in the YND has created over 22 km2 of flat land, including 10.8 km2 of filled area, with a maximum fill thickness of ~110 m. Significant uneven ground deformation was detected in the land-creation area, with a maximum subsidence rate of approximately 121 mm/year, which was consistent with the field survey. The strong correlation between the observed subsidence patterns and the land creation project suggested that this recorded uneven subsidence was primarily related to the spatial distribution of the filling works, along with the changes in the thickness and geotechnical properties of the filled loess; moreover, rapid urbanization, such as road construction, can accelerate the subsidence process. These findings can guide improvements in urban planning and the mitigation of geohazards in regions experiencing large-scale land construction.

scholarly journals Development of a Larix principis-rupprechtii tree-ring width chronology and its climatic signals for the southern Greater Higgnan Mountains

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tongwen Zhang ◽  
Shulong Yu ◽  
Yujiang Yuan ◽  
Liping Huang ◽  
Shengxia Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Mountainous Area ◽  
Tree Ring Width ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Climatic Signals

Abstract Forty-one living larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii) trees collected from two sampling sites in 1310–1530 m a.s.l. in the southern Greater Higgnan Mountains in the northeastern China are used to develop a regional tree-ring width chronology. The credible chronology spans 185 years from 1830 to 2014. The results of correlation analyses indicate that moisture is the main climatic factor controlling radial growth of larch trees in this mountainous area. Spatial correlation proves that the regional tree-ring width chronology contains climatic signals representative for a large area including the eastern Mongolian Plateau and Nuluerhu Mountains. A comparison between the newly developed chronology and a May–July Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) reconstruction for the Ortindag Sand Land reveals similar variations, particularly in the low-frequency domain. The tree-ring records also capture a severe and sustained drying trend recorded in the 1920s across a wide area of northern China.

Using ecosystem service bundles to evaluate spatial and temporal impacts of large-scale landscape restoration on ecosystem services on the Chinese Loess Plateau

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Chen ◽  
Luuk Fleskens ◽  
Johanna Schild ◽  
Simon Moolenaar ◽  
Fei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Timber Production ◽  
Sediment Retention ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
The Chinese Loess Plateau

&lt;p&gt;From 1999 onwards, China has initiated a large-scale landscape restoration project on the Chinese Loess Plateau, which has had profound but variable impacts on the local ecosystem services supply. In this study, we evaluate the spatial and temporal dynamics in 11 ecosystem services in the Yan&amp;#8217;an area on the Chinese Loess Plateau from 1990 to 2018 based on the InVEST model and statistical yearbook data. To consider trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services, the concept of ecosystem service bundles was used to understand the dynamics of ecosystem services. A significant increase of fruit production, sediment retention, habitat quality, aesthetic landscape value as well as learning and inspiration value was found over time in Yan&amp;#8217;an area, while a decrease of timber production and water yield was also observed. Synergistic relations were found between sediment retention, carbon sequestration, habitat quality and outdoor recreation, while trade-offs were observed between timber production and water yield. The majority of ecosystem services bundles of Yan&amp;#8217;an area were transformed from having a focus on timber production to aesthetic landscape value. The dynamics of ecosystem services change by land restoration was discovered, to start with increasing regulating services at expense of provisioning services, cultural services exceeding regulating services and occupied the main proportion subsequently. The most obvious change was observed in 2000, coinciding with the start of large-scale restoration activities. The implementation of the large-scale restoration project is recognized as a key driving force inducing these changes. Based on the results, it is recommended that the Yan&amp;#8217;an government pays attention to local water resource management and timber supply.&lt;/p&gt;

scholarly journals The 600-mm precipitation isoline distinguishes tree-ring-width responses to climate in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Liu ◽  
Huiming Song ◽  
Changfeng Sun ◽  
Yi Song ◽  
Qiufang Cai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Climate Variations ◽  
Tree Ring Width ◽  
Past Climate ◽  
Tree Ring Data

AbstractThe numerous temperature and precipitation reconstructions in China based on tree-ring-width data have played significant roles in furthering the understanding of past climate changes. However, the geographical variability in the responses of trees to climate variations in China remains largely undetermined. Here, we describe an important spatial boundary in the response of trees to climate variations, namely the 600-mm annual precipitation isoline. We found that, to the north of this line, tree-ring widths are usually positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with growing-season temperature. To the south of this line, the tree-ring widths respond positively to temperature, and winter half-year temperatures are the main reconstructed parameters, especially on the third topographical step of China. We also found that precipitation reconstructions based on tree-ring data and the Palmer Drought Severity Index almost exclusively fall in the region of the 200- to 600-mm annual precipitation isolines, not other regions. Our findings indicate that, when using multiple tree-ring-width chronologies for large-scale past climate reconstructions, the climatic signal of each tree-ring-width series should be carefully considered.

Geochemical and grain-size evidence for the provenance of loess deposits in the Central Shandong Mountains region, northern China

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (2) ◽  
pp. 290-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuzhen Peng ◽  
Qingzhen Hao ◽  
Luo Wang ◽  
Min Ding ◽  
Wei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Major Element ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
The Yellow River ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Loess Deposits ◽  
The Chinese Loess Plateau

Widespread loess deposits in the Central Shandong Mountains yield valuable paleoclimatic records for this currently semi-humid monsoonal region of northern China. The grain-size distribution and major element composition for bulk samples and two grain-size fractions (< 20 and 20–63 μm) for the loess in the Central Shandong Mountains were compared with loess from the Chinese Loess Plateau and sediment from the Yellow River to help determine its provenance. The presence of a significant percentage of medium- and coarse-silt, and the difference in relatively immobile major element ratios of TiO2/Al2O3 and K2O/Al2O3 for the < 20 and 20–63 μm fractions, suggests that sediment that forms the loess deposits in the Central Shandong Mountains was not blown directly from the northern deserts of China as is the case for the loess deposits of the Chinese Loess Plateau. Rather, this suggests that sediments exposed during glacial times on the North China fluvial plain, including the floodplain of the Yellow River, were the major dust source for the loess in the Central Shangong Mountains. In addition, the wide distribution of perimontane loess in the Central Shandong Mountains region indicates the occurrence of strengthened local aridification during glacial times since the middle Pleistocene.

Changes in Sand Content of Loess Deposits along a North–South Transect of the Chinese Loess Plateau and the Implications for Desert Variations

1999 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhongli Ding ◽  
Jimin Sun ◽  
Nat W. Rutter ◽  
Dean Rokosh ◽  
Tungsheng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Grain Size ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Transitional Zone ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Transitional Region ◽  
Sand Content ◽  
The Loess Plateau ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Helan Mountains

Geological records have shown that the deserts east of the Helan Mountains in northern China were covered by grass during the Holocene Optimum, whereas during marine oxygen isotope stages 2 and 4 distribution of the deserts was almost the same as at present. The wide advance–retreat cycles of the deserts may have exerted an important control on grain-size changes in the loess of the Loess Plateau by altering the distance between the source and the accumulation zone of the loess. This challenges the widely accepted model that winter monsoon winds were the sole factor responsible for spatial and temporal changes in loess texture. To observe spatial changes in sedimentological characteristics of loess during the last glacial–interglacial cycle, the texture of loess was measured along a north–south transect of the Loess Plateau. This transect consists of nine loess sections, starting at Yulin in the transitional region between the Loess Plateau and the Mu Us Desert and ending at Weinan in the southernmost part of the Loess Plateau. Southward changes in sand (>63 μm) content along the transect suggest that variations in desert extent have indeed played a significant role in loess grain-size distributions, particularly in the northern part of the Loess Plateau. It is proposed that sand content (>63 μm%) of loess in the loess–desert transitional zone may be used as a proxy indicator for proximity to the desert margin.

scholarly journals Insights Into the Significance of the Chinense Loess Plateau for Preserving Biodiversity From the Phylogeography of Speranskia tuberculata (Euphorbiaceae)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun-Wei Ye ◽  
Hai-Yang Wu ◽  
Meng-Jiao Fu ◽  
Pei Zhang ◽  
Bin Tian
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Ecological Niche Modeling ◽  
Nuclear Dna ◽  
Demographic History ◽  
Haplotype Diversity ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Spatial Expansion ◽  
Chinese Loess

The significance of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) in maintaining biodiversity for northern China has rarely been shown, as previous phylogeographic studies are mostly woody species and they have revealed that Quaternary refugia are mainly located in mountain regions. We selected a drought-enduring endemic herb, Speranskia tuberculata (Euphorbiaceae), to determine its glacial refugia and postglacial demographic history. To this end, we sampled 423 individuals from 38 populations covering its entire geographic distribution. Three chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) fragments, two low-copy nuclear genes, and six nuclear microsatellites (nSSRs) were used and supplemented with ecological niche modeling (ENM) to infer the phylogeographic history of this species. Populations with private haplotypes and high haplotype diversity of cpDNA are mainly located in the CLP or scattered around northeastern China and the coastal region. Spatial expansion, detected using a neutrality test and mismatch distribution, may have resulted in a widely distributed ancestral cpDNA haplotype, especially outside of the CLP. For nuclear DNA, private haplotypes are also distributed mainly in the CLP. In nSSRs, STRUCTURE clustering identified two genetic clusters, which are distributed in the west (western cluster) and east (eastern cluster), respectively. Many populations belonged, with little to no admixture, to the western cluster while (hardly) pure populations of the eastern cluster were barely found. Genetic differentiation is significantly correlated with geographic distance, although genetic diversity is uniformly distributed. ENM suggests that the distribution of S. tuberculata has recently expanded northwards from the southern CLP, whereas it has experienced habitat loss in the south. Thus, S. tuberculata populations probably survived the last glacial maximum (LGM) in the southern CLP and experienced post-glacial expansion. Wind-dispersed pollen could bring the majority of genotypes to the front during spatial expansion, resulting in uniformly distributed genetic diversity. Based on evidence from molecular data and vegetation and climate changes since the LGM, we conclude that drought-enduring species, especially herbaceous species, are likely to have persisted in the CLP during the LGM and to have experienced expansion to other regions in northern China.

scholarly journals Tree-Ring-Recorded Drought Variability in the Northern Daxing’anling Mountains of Northeastern China

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Yu ◽  
Sher Shah ◽  
Guang Zhou ◽  
Zhenzhao Xu ◽  
Qijing Liu
Keyword(s):  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Severity Index ◽  
Drought Severity ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
The North

We developed two tree-ring width chronologies of Mongolian Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) from the low elevation forest of the northern Daxing’anling Mountains of Inner Mongolia. Although the two chronologies come from different sampling sites, significant correlations existed among the chronologies (r = 0.318), and the first principal component (PC1) accounted for 65.9% of total variance over their common period 1792–2016. Climate-growth correlation analysis revealed that the previous June and July Palmer drought severity index (PDSIp6-7) was the main climatic factor controlling tree-ring growth. Using a linear regression model, we reconstructed the PDSIp6-7 for the past 225 years (1792–2016). The reconstruction satisfied required statistical calibration and validation tests, and represented 38.6% of the PDSI variance recorded by instruments over the period 1955–2016. Six wet and five dry periods were revealed during these 225 years. The drought of 1903–1927 was the most severe drought in the study area in the last 225 years. Comparison with other tree-ring-based moisture-sensitive sequences from nearby regions confirmed a high degree of confidence in our reconstruction. The results of a spatial climate correlation analysis with a gridded PDSI dataset revealed that our reconstructions contained strong regional drought signals for the southern Stanovoy Range and the northern Daxing’anling Mountains. The power spectrum revealed the existence of significant frequency cycles, which may be linked to large-scale atmospheric-oceanic variability, such as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, solar activity, and the North Atlantic Oscillation.

scholarly journals Spatially variable provenance of the Chinese Loess Plateau

Geology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haobo Zhang ◽  
Junsheng Nie ◽  
Xiangjun Liu ◽  
Alex Pullen ◽  
Guoqiang Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Loess Plateau ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Source Model ◽  
Chinese Loess Plateau ◽  
Sediment Provenance ◽  
Chinese Loess ◽  
Atmospheric Circulation Patterns ◽  
Large N ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
The Chinese Loess Plateau

Loess sequences of the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) compose one of the most complete Neogene–Quaternary terrestrial paleoclimatic archives. Understanding the CLP’s sediment sources is critical to tracing Asian aridification, atmospheric circulation patterns, and Asian monsoon evolution. Commonly, the sediments that compose the Quaternary strata of the CLP are considered largely homogeneous, and thus numerous studies have applied a uniform source model when attempting to use CLP-derived proxies as paleoclimate indicators. Here we present large-n detrital zircon U-Pb geochronology data from the Quaternary CLP. These data support spatial variability in sediment provenance across the CLP. At least three distinct provenance zones are recognized for Quaternary loess strata: central western, eastern, and northeastern. These zones received sediment primarily from their neighboring river systems. This finding conflicts with the classic views that attribute the Quaternary loess principally to the deserts north and west of the CLP. We conclude that fluvial processes, and thus precipitation, played an important and previously underemphasized role in Quaternary dust production in northern China. Furthermore, nonuniformity in CLP Quaternary sediment provenance raises questions about the validity of using paleoclimate information archived in the CLP to make sweeping regional interpretations.

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