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Tree‐ring‐based temperature reconstruction for the Wolong Natural Reserve, western Sichuan Plateau of China
Author(s) -
Li Zongshan,
Liu Guohua,
Wu Xing,
Wang Xiaochun
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
international journal of climatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.58
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-0088
pISSN - 0899-8418
DOI - 10.1002/joc.4207
Subject(s) - plateau (mathematics) , chronology , climatology , dendroclimatology , dendrochronology , china , pacific decadal oscillation , precipitation , climate change , geography , period (music) , sichuan basin , physical geography , environmental science , el niño southern oscillation , geology , meteorology , oceanography , archaeology , mathematical analysis , physics , mathematics , acoustics , geochemistry
High‐resolution tree‐ring records covering past centuries in the western Sichuan Plateau of China are scarce, yet essential for developing a complete understanding of the regional patterns of climate change for the Tibetan plateau. This paper presents a temperature reconstruction for the Wolong Natural Reserve of the western Sichuan Plateau based on a tree‐ring width chronology of a cypress species ( Sabina saltuaria ) endemic to the Tibetan plateau. The annual (prior October to current September) temperature reconstruction, which spans from 1840 to 2011, was developed using a linear regression model. The reconstruction explains 54.1% of the actual temperature variance during the calibration period from 1956 to 2010. The noteworthy warming periods of the reconstruction occurred between 1864–1882 and 1927–1960, while the most pronounced cold episodes were found between 1886–1926, 1788–1822, and 1961–1996. Spectral analysis revealed the existence of multi‐decadal, decadal, and annual cycles that might correspond to the related cycles of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, solar activity, and ENSO ‐type variability, respectively.