Response of <i>Pinus sylvestris</i> var. <i>mongolica</i> to water change and the reconstruction of drought history for the past 260 years in northeast China
Abstract. We present a 260-year annual PDSI reconstruction based on a regional tree-ring width chronology of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) from four sample sites in the Daxing’an Mountains, northeast China. The model explained 38.2 % of the variance of annual PDSI during the calibration period from 1911 to 2010. Compared with local historical documents, nearby forest fire history data and hydroclimate reconstructions, our reconstruction is accurate and representative, and recorded the same dry years/periods. The drought of 1920s–1930s was more severe in the Daxing’an Mountains than in surrounding areas. A moisture increase caused by a recent rapid warming (warm-wet pattern) was identified for the Daxing’an Mountains, while a warm-dry pattern was found for the East Mongolian Plateaus (mild drier) and their transition zones: the east Mongolian Plateaus (severe drier). Overall, the dry/wet variability of the Daxing’an Mountains and its relationship with the surrounding areas might be driven by Pacific and Atlantic Ocean oscillations (e.g., ENSO, PDO, AMO, NAO and SNAO) that influence the Asian monsoon, and in turn the local temperature and precipitation that influences regional drought. However, the Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas of "Cook" might inaccurately portray dry/wet variations in the Daxing’an Mountains.