Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Tree-ring-based drought variability in northern China over the past three centuries

  • Special Issue: Climate Change and Its Regional Response
  • Published:
Journal of Geographical Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Droughts are the most frequent natural disaster in regions at the margins of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM), which pose threats to agriculture, the economy, and human lives. However, the limitations of only approximately 60 years of meteorological observations hamper our understanding of the characteristics and mechanisms of local hydroclimate. Trees growing in the marginal region of the EASM are usually sensitive to moisture variations and have played important roles in past hydroclimatic reconstructions. Here, a 303-year tree-ring-width chronology of Pinus tabulaeformis from Mt. Lama, which is located in the junction of the Liaoning Province and Inner Mongolia, China, was used to reconstruct the May–August Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) in the marginal region of the EASM. The transfer function explains 48.0% (or 47.2% after adjusting for the loss of the degrees of freedom) of the variance over the calibration period from 1946 to 2012. A spatial correlation analysis demonstrates that our PDSI reconstruction can represent the drought variability on the northernmost margin of the EASM. The winter Asian polar vortex area index showed a delayed impact on the summer EASM precipitation in the following year.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cheng D L, 2001. Drought and drought relief in 2000. China Flood & Drought Management, (1): 30–35. (in Chinese)

  • Cook E R, Kairiukstis L A, 1990. Methods of Dendrochronology: Applications in the Environmental Sciences. Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 394pp.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cook E R, Meko D M, Stahle D W et al., 1999. Drought reconstructions for the continental United States. Journal of Climate, 12(4): 1145–1162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dai A G, 2011. Characteristics and trends in various forms of the Palmer Drought Severity Index during 1900–2008. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 116 (D12): doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015541.

  • Dai A G, Trenberth K E, Qian T, 2004. A global dataset of Palmer drought severity index for 1870–2002: Relationship with soil moisture and effects of surface warming. Journal of Geophysical Research Atmospheres, 5(6): 1117–1130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deng W T, Sun Z B. 2006. Variational analysis of Arctic Oscillation and polar vortex in winter. Transactions of Atmospheric Sciences, 29(5): 613–619. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang K Y, Gou X H, Chen F H et al., 2010. Tree-ring based drought reconstruction for Guiqing Mountain (China): Linkage to the Indian and Pacific Oceans. International Journal of Climatology, 30(8): 1137–1145.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang J Y, Liu G, Zhao X Y. 2004. Effects of subtropical and polar vortex factors on summer precipitation in China. Chinese Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, 28(4): 517–526. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes R L, 1983. Computer-assisted quality control in tree-ring dating and measurement. Tree-Ring Bulletin, 43: 69–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li M S, Li S, Li Y H, 2003. Analysis of drought disasters in China in the past 50 years. Chinese Agricultural Meteorology, 24(1): 8–11. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Li Q, Liu Y, Cai Q F et al., 2006. Reconstruction of annual precipitation since 1686A.D. from Ningwu region, Shanxi province. Quaternary Sciences, 26(6): 999–1006. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang E Y, Liu X H, Yuan Y J et al., 2006. The 1920s drought recorded by tree rings and historical documents in the semi-arid and arid areas of northern China. Climatic Change, 79(3/4): 403–432.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang E Y, Shao X M, Liu H Y et al., 2007. Tree-ring based PDSI reconstruction since AD 1842 in the Ortindag Sand Land, east Inner Mongolia. Chinese Science Bulletin, 52(19): 2715–2721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Cai W J, Sun C F et al., 2019. Anthropogenic aerosols cause recent pronounced weakening of Asian summer monsoon relative to last four centuries. Geophysical Research Letters, 46(10): 5469–5479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Lei Y, Sun B et al., 2013. Annual precipitation in Liancheng, China, since 1777AD derived from tree rings of Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.). International Journal of Biometeorology, 57(6): 927–934.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Song H M, An Z S et al., 2020. Recent anthropogenic curtailing of Yellow River runoff and sediment load is unprecedented over the past 500 y. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 117(31): 201922349.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Tian H, Song H M et al., 2010. Tree-ring precipitation reconstruction in the Chifeng—Weichang region, China, and East Asian summer monsoon variation since AD 1777. Journal of Geophysical Research, 115: D06103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Wang C Y, Hao W J et al., 2011. Tree-ring-based annual precipitation reconstruction in Kalaqin, Inner Mongolia for the last 238 years. Chinese Science Bulletin, 56(28/29): 2995–3002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu Y, Zhang X J, Song H M et al., 2017. Tree-ring-width-based PDSI reconstruction for central Inner Mongolia, China over the past 333 years. Climate Dynamics, 48(3/4): 867–879.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mei R C, Song H M, Liu Y et al., 2019. Tree-ring width-based precipitation reconstruction in Zhaogaoguan, China since 1805 AD. Quaternary International, 510(2019): 44–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meko D M, Graybill D A, 1995. Tree-ring reconstruction of Upper Gila River discharge. Water Resources Bulletin, 31(4): 605–616.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer W C, 1965. Meteorological drought. Washington, DC: US Department of Commerce, 45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Song H M, Liu Y, 2011. PDSI variations at Kongtong Mountain, China, inferred from a 283-year Pinus tabulaeformis ring width chronology. Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, 116 (22): doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD016220.

  • Sung M K, Kwon W T, Baek H J et al., 2006. A possible impact of the North Atlantic Oscillation on the East Asian summer monsoon precipitation. Geophysical Research Letters, 33: L21713. doi: https://doi.org/10.1029/2006GL027253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stokes M A, Smiley T L, 1968. An Introduction to Tree Ring Dating. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang B, Lin H, 2002. Rainy season of the Asian-Pacific summer monsoon. Journal of Climate, 15(4): 386–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang H J, Sun J Q, Chen H P et al., 2012. Extreme climate in China: Facts, simulation and projection. Meteorologische Ztschrift, 21(3): 279–304.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang Z M, He L J, 2015. Impact of climate change on agricultural meteorology and pests and diseases in Jianping County. China Agricultural Information, 16: 79–80. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wen K G, 2008. Chinese Meteorological Disaster: Inner Mongolia Volume. Beijing: China Meteorological Press, 384pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wigley T M L, Briffa K R, Jones P D, 1984. On the average value of correlated time series, with applications in dendroclimatology and hydrometeorology. Journal of Climate and Applied Meteorology, 23(2): 201–213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu B Y, Zhang R H, D’Arrigo R, 2008. Arctic dipole anomaly and summer rainfall in Northeast China. Chinese Science Bulletin, 53(14): 2222–2229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu Y, Qian W H, 2003. Research on East Asian Summer Monsoon: A review. Acta Geographica Sinica, 58(Suppl.1): 138–146. (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang J K, Tian W S, Chipperfield M P et al., 2016. Persistent shift of the Arctic polar vortex towards the Eurasian continent in recent decades. Nature Climate Change, 6(12): 1094–1099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang P, Jeong J H, Yoon J H et al., 2020. Abrupt shift to hotter and drier climate over inner East Asia beyond the tipping point. Science, 370(6520): 1095–1099.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao G J, Huang G, Wu R G et al., 2015. A new upper-level circulation index for the East Asian Summer Monsoon variability. Journal of Climate, 28(24): 9977–9996.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao J H, Yang L, Gu B H et al., 2016. On the relationship between the winter Eurasian teleconnection pattern and the following summer precipitation over China. Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, 33(6): 743–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu X, Wei Z G, Dong W J et al., 2018. Possible influence of Asian polar vertex contraction on rainfall deficits in China in autumn. Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans, 82: 64–75. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dynatmoce.2018.04.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Xueli Zeng, Yu Liu, Huiming Song, Qiang Li, Qiufang Cai, Congxi Fang, Changfeng Sun & Meng Ren

  2. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xueli Zeng

  3. CAS Center for Excellence in Quaternary Science and Global Change, CAS, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Yu Liu, Huiming Song, Qiang Li, Qiufang Cai & Changfeng Sun

  4. Laboratory for Ocean Dynamics and Climate, Pilot Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, Shandong, 266237, China

    Yu Liu

  5. School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Yu Liu & Qiufang Cai

  6. Xi’an Institute for Innovative Earth Environment Research, Xi’an, 710061, China

    Meng Ren

Authors
  1. Xueli Zeng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yu Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Huiming Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Qiang Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Qiufang Cai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Congxi Fang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Changfeng Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Meng Ren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yu Liu.

Additional information

Author: Zeng Xueli (1995–), PhD Candidate

Foundation

The Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, No.XDB40000000; National Natural Science Foundation of China, No.41630531; State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, CAS, No.SKLLQG2041

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zeng, X., Liu, Y., Song, H. et al. Tree-ring-based drought variability in northern China over the past three centuries. J. Geogr. Sci. 32, 214–224 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-022-1943-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11442-022-1943-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation