Tree-ring widths of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr reveal variability of winter half-year precipitation on the north-south transition zone in central China over the past 220 years

Jianfeng Peng; Kunyu Peng; Xuan Li; Meng Peng; Jinkuan Li; Xiaoxu Wei; Yameng Liu; Jiaxin Li

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172719

Tree-ring widths of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr reveal variability of winter half-year precipitation on the north-south transition zone in central China over the past 220 years

Sci Total Environ. 2024 Apr 23:931:172719. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172719. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Jianfeng Peng¹, Kunyu Peng², Xuan Li³, Meng Peng³, Jinkuan Li³, Xiaoxu Wei³, Yameng Liu³, Jiaxin Li³

Affiliations

¹ College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China; Key Laboratory of Earth System Observation and Simulation of Henan Province, Kaifeng 475004, China. Electronic address: jfpeng@vip.henu.edu.cn.
² College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China.
³ College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng 475004, China.

PMID: 38663599
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.172719

Abstract

Long-term, high-resolution regional drought records contribute to understanding the impacts of drought on environmental and social systems in central China. Here, we develop a regional tree-ring width chronology of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr from the northern slope of Funiu Mountains on the north-south transition zone in central China. Monthly correlation analyses showed that temperature and humidity in current May and June are main limiting factors on tree growth. Despite that, the highest correlation with tree growth was found to be precipitation from previous December to current June (Pre_DJ, 0.718, p < 0.001), which was chosen for reconstruction. The reconstructed Pre_DJ revealed six drought periods and five wet periods over the past 220 years, and the recent dry spell would likely to continue. Spectral analyses indicated that the reconstructed Pre_DJ was closely related to the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO, 2-7a) and 35a climatic oscillation of Bruckner, and was also affected by the Quasi-Biennial Oscillation (QBO). Wavelet analyses showed that the quasi-cycle of 2-7a persisted over the past 220 years and strengthened after the 1980s, and the QBO signals appeared from the 1860s to 1970s and wear off thereafter, and 35a cycle only appeared during 1820-1920. Spatial analysis found that the reconstructed Pre_DJ had good spatial representation of precipitation in the central-eastern China. Therefore, the results of this study provide reliable information for understanding long-term drought impacts on environmental conditions and socioeconomic development in central China.

Keywords: Central China; Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.; Tree-ring; Winter half-year precipitation.