Guobao Xu

Relative humidity history on the Batang–Litang Plateau of western China since 1755 reconstructed from tree-ring δ18O and δD

We measured the annual variation in the stable isotopes of oxygen (δ18O) and hydrogen (δD) in tree rings of Abies georgei on the Batang–Litang Plateau of western China. Although correlations between tree-ring δ18O and δD are relatively weak in semi-arid regions, we found a strong correlation between the δ18O and δD time series from 1755 to 2009 under the wetter environment. Tree-ring δ18O and δD time series are both significantly and negatively correlated with moisture conditions from June to August, including relative humidity and total precipitation, respectively, from 1960 to 2009. Considering the difference in low-frequency domain between the two isotopes, the relative humidity histories from June to August, reconstructed separately from the tree-ring δ18O and δD data with instrumental climate data, reveal a persistent drying trend since 1850s, especially since the early 1970s. There is an obvious offset of reconstructed relative humidity from tree-ring δ18O and δD in the period 1755–1820, despite the strong similarity in their 21-year moving averages. The decreased relative humidity since the 1850s may be associated with the thermal contrast between the sea surface temperature of the Indian Ocean and the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, which determines the strength of moisture transfer via the Indian summer monsoon.

Specific climatic signals recorded in earlywood and latewood δ 18 O of tree rings in southwestern China

ABSTRACT Earlywood and latewood form during different parts of the growing season and therefore capture climate of distinct time intervals. Here we present a comparison of earlywood and latewood δ18O in tree rings from the Yulong Snowy Mountains of southwestern China, covering the period from 1902 to 2005. Earlywood and latewood δ18O exhibit different long-term behaviour obviously during the past century. Climate–response analysis indicates that the dominant parameters for earlywood δ18O are temperature and relative humidity during the early part of the monsoon season (May to July); however, for latewood, it is the moisture condition (precipitation and relative humidity) from August to October. Sea-surface temperatures over the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean have imprinted their different influences on the earlywood and latewood δ18O. The δ18O of source water were reconstructed from the earlywood and latewood δ18O. We found that the source of the water synthesised into earlywood was mainly contributed by current precipitation, while for latewood it is more complicated. The signals from the Indian Summer Monsoon and the East Asian Summer Monsoon are temporally superimposed (though differently) on the source water of earlywood and latewood, as well as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation events.

Tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency of inland riparian forests in northwestern China: evaluation via δ13C and δ18O analysis of tree rings

The rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) has increased tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). However, the magnitude of this effect on long-term iWUE and whether this increase could stimulate the growth of riparian forests in extremely arid regions remain poorly understood. We investigated the relationship between growth [ring width; basal area increment (BAI)] and iWUE in a riparian Populus euphratica Oliv. forest to test whether growth was enhanced by increasing CO2 and whether this compensated for environmental stresses in the lower reaches of the inland Heihe River, northwestern China. We accomplished this using dendrochronological methods and carbon (δ(13)C) and oxygen (δ(18)O) isotopic analysis. We found an increase in BAI before 1958, followed by a decrease from 1958 to 1977 and an increase to a peak around 2000. Tree-ring carbon discrimination (Δ) and δ(18)O indicated significant negative overall trends from 1920 to 2012. However, the relationship shifted in strength and direction around 1977 from significantly negative to a weak connection. The seasonal minimum temperature in April to July showed strong influence on Δ, and δ(18)O was controlled by relative humidity (negatively correlated) and temperature (positively correlated) in June and July. The patterns of internal to atmospheric CO2 (Ci/Ca) suggest a specific adaptation of tree physiology to increasing CO2. Intrinsic water-use efficiency increased significantly (by 36.4%) during the study period. The increased iWUE explained 19.8 and 39.1% of the observed yearly and high-frequency (first-order difference) variations in BAI, respectively, after 1977. Our results suggest significant CO2 stimulation of riparian tree growth, which compensated for the negative influences of reductions in river streamflow and a drying climate during the study period.

Elevation-dependent variations of tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency in Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) in the western Tianshan Mountains, China

Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) is expected to accelerate tree growth by enhancing photosynthesis and increasing intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). However, the extent of this effect on long-term iWUE and its interactions with climate remains unclear in trees along an elevation gradient. Therefore, we investigated the variation in the radial growth and iWUE of mature Picea schrenkiana trees located in the upper tree-line (A1: 2700 m a.s.l.), middle elevation (A2: 2400 m a.s.l.), and lower forest limit (A3: 2200 m a.s.l.), in relation to the rising Ca and changing climate in the Wusun Mountains of northwestern China, based on the basal area increment (BAI) and tree-ring δ13C chronologies from 1960 to 2010. We used the CRU TS3.22 dataset to analyze the general response of tree growth to interannual variability of regional climate, and found that BAI and δ13C are less sensitive to climate at A1 than at A2 and A3. The temporal trends of iWUE were calculated under three theoretical scenarios, as a baseline for interpreting the observed gas exchange at increasing Ca. We found that iWUE increased by 12–32% from A1 to A3 over the last 50 years, and showed an elevation-dependent variation in physiological response. The significant negative relationship between BAI and iWUE at A2 and A3 showed that tree growth has been decreasing despite long-term increases in iWUE. However, BAI remained largely stable throughout the study period despite the strongest iWUE increase [at constant intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) before 1980] at A1. Our results indicate a drought-induced limitation of tree growth response to rising CO2 at lower elevations, and no apparent change in tree growth and diminished iWUE improvement since 1980 in the upper tree-line. This study may contradict the expectation that combined effects of elevated Ca and rising temperatures have increased forest productivity, especially in high-elevation forests.

Tree ring δ18O's indication of a shift to a wetter climate since the 1880s in the western Tianshan Mountains of northwestern China

Central Asian droughts have drastically and significantly affected agriculture and water resource management in these arid and semiarid areas. Based on tree ring δ18O from native, dominant Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana Fisch. et Mey.), we developed a 300 year (1710–2010) standard precipitation-evaporation index (SPEI) reconstruction from January to August for Chinas western Tianshan Mountains. The regression model explained 37.6% of the variation in the SPEI reconstruction during the calibration period from 1950 to 2010. Comparison with previous drought reconstructions confirmed the robustness of our reconstruction. The 20th century has been a relatively wet period during the past 300 years. The SPEI showed quasi 2, 5, and 10 year cycles. Several pluvials and droughts with covariability over large areas were revealed clearly in the reconstruction. The two longest pluvials (lasting for 12 years), separated by 50 years, appeared in the 1900s and the 1960s. The most severe drought occurred from 1739 to 1761 and from 1886 to 1911 was the wettest period since 1710. Compared to previous investigations of hydroclimatic changes in the western Tianshan Mountains, our reconstruction revealed more low-frequency variability and indicated that climate in the western Tianshan Mountains shifted from dry to wet in 1886. This regime shift was generally consistent with other moisture reconstructions for the northeastern Tibetan Plateau and northern Pakistan and may have resulted from a strengthened westerly circulation. The opposite hydrological trends in the western Tianshan Mountains and southeastern Tibetan Plateau reveal a substantial influence of strengthened westerlies and weakening of the Indian summer monsoon.

Pooled versus separate tree-ring δD measurements, and implications for reconstruction of the Arctic Oscillation in northwestern China

Stable hydrogen isotope ratios (δD) in tree rings are an attractive but still rarely explored terrestrial archive of past climatic information. Because the preparation of the cellulose nitrate for δD measurements requires more wood and a longer preparation time than preparation techniques for other isotopes in cellulose (δ18O or δ13C), it is challenging to obtain high-resolution records, especially for slow-growing trees at high elevations and in boreal regions. Here, we tested whether annually pooled samples of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) trees from northwestern China provided results similar to those derived as the mean of individual measurements of the same trees and whether the resulting chronologies recorded useful climate information. Inter-tree variability of δD was higher than that of measured ring width for the same trees. We found higher and significant coherence between pooled and mean isotope chronologies than that among the individual series. It showed a logarithmic relationship between ring mass and δD; however, accounting for the influence of ring mass on δD values only slightly improved the strength of climatic signals in the pooled records. Tree-ring δD was significantly positively correlated with the mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures during the previous winter and with maximum temperature during the current August, and significantly negatively correlated with precipitation in the previous November to January and the current July. The winter climate signal seems to dominate tree-ring δD through the influence of large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns, i.e. the Arctic Oscillation. These results will facilitate reconstruction of winter atmospheric circulation patterns over northwestern China based on a regional tree-ring δD networks.

Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) growth–climate response between lower and upper elevation gradient limits: a case study along a consistent slope in the mid-Qilian Mountains region

Tree-ring width chronologies are important records of climate change. Mounting evidence suggests that tree-ring climate response is elevation dependent. In this study, even-aged Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) chronologies from six sites along a consistent slope in the Qilian Mountains region were selected to investigate altitudinal variability of growth–climate response. Results showed that growth–climate response of this species at different elevations was limited by identical factors. In the Qilian Mountains, P. crassifolia tree-ring growth was limited primarily by drought conditions which are determined by precipitation and temperature in the Qilian Mountains along the entire elevation gradient, exhibiting a positive correlation with PDSI in growth season, a positive correlation with precipitation in May and a negative correlation with the maximum temperature in June. Moreover, P. crassifolia recruitment dynamics coincided well with the temperature variations, suggesting that recruitment rates at different elevations were all primarily influenced by temperature. What was noteworthy was that the great decrease in the mean sensitivity and standard deviation of chronologies directly indicated that P. crassifolia climate–growth response weakened at higher elevations. Furthermore, tree-ring-climate correlation coefficients, and spatial correlation fields of tree-ring width indices to regional climate factors also significantly decreased at higher elevations, indicating that P. crassifolia climate–growth response at higher elevations was weaker than that at lower elevations. Additionally, response of P. crassifolia recruitment dynamics to changes in temperature decreased with increasing elevation, confirming results from chronology and response analyses that showed that P. crassifolia climate–growth response weakened at higher elevations.

Differential response of Qilian juniper radial growth to climate variations in the middle of Qilian Mountains and the northeastern Qaidam Basin

Tree growth in the mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere reveals significant inter-annual variation in carbon sequestration, and the variations have been widely attributed to climate change, especially to the recent rapid warming and increasing drought stress. However, the response of natural trees under the different regions that exist in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau remains unclear. Here, we use nine Qilian juniper (Sabina przewalskii) tree-ring width and basal area increment (BAI) chronologies from the middle of the Qilian Mountains and the northeastern Qaidam Basin to quantify tree growth trends and their response to the recent rapid warming. The trees, growing at high and low elevations, exhibited a consistent pattern of inter-annual variations, with increasing synchronicity in their trends since 1950. Responses to several climate factors indicate that increasing temperature accelerated tree growth in the middle of the Qilian Mountains, but restricted tree growth in the northeastern Qaidam Basin. Moving-window correlation analyses demonstrate a clearly contrasting response to the temperature variations. Our findings suggest that growth of Qilian juniper in the middle of the Qilian Mountains will increase steadily in the future rapid warming, but may remain constant or even decrease in the northeastern Qaidam Basin. These contrasting responses to temperatures provide valuable information on forest dynamics in the critical mid-latitude regions that should be incorporated into predictions of future forest carbon cycling under global warming.

Unstable relationships between tree ring δ18O and climate variables over southwestern China: possible impacts from increasing central Pacific SSTs

In this study, we investigated the potential influence of central and eastern Pacific sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on the unstable relationship between earlywood δ18O and climatic factors in the southwestern China from 1902 to 2005. The results show that the strength of the climate signals recorded in the earlywood δ18O series has declined since the late 1970s. This reduction in signal strength may have been caused by the changes in the local hydroclimate, which is associated with the increasing SSTs in the central Pacific Ocean over recent decades. Alongside these increasing SSTs in the central Pacific, southwestern China has experienced more droughts, as well as more severe droughts through the late spring and early summer during the central Pacific (CP) El Niño years than during the eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño years in recent decades. This increased drought frequency may have weakened the response of earlywood δ18O to climate variables.

Application and verification of simultaneous determination of cellulose δ13C and δ18O in Picea shrenkiana tree rings from northwestern China using the high-temperature pyrolysis method

Stable isotopes in tree-ring cellulose provide important data in ecological, archaeological, and paleoenvironmental researches, thereby, the demand for stable isotope analyses is increasing rapidly. Simultaneous measurement of cellulose δ13C and δ18O values from tree rings would reduce the cost of isotopic commodities and improve the analytical efficiency compared with conventional separate measurement. In this study, we compared the δ13C and δ18O values of tree-ring α-cellulose from Tianshan spruce (Picea schrenkiana) in an arid site in the drainage basin of the Urumqi River in Xinjiang of northwestern China based on separate and simultaneous measurements, using the combustion method (at 1050°C) and the high-temperature pyrolysis method (at 1350°C and 1400°C). We verified the results of simultaneous measurement using the outputs from separate measurement and found that both methods (separate and simultaneous) produced similar δ13C values. The two-point calibrated method improved the results (range and variation) of δ13C and δ18O values. The mean values, standard deviations, and trends of the tree-ring δ13C obtained by the combustion method were similar to those by the pyrolysis method followed by two-point calibration. The simultaneously measured δ18O from the pyrolysis method at 1400°C had a nearly constant offset with that the pyrolysis method at 1350°C due to isotopic-dependence on the reaction temperature. However, they showed similar variations in the time series. The climate responses inferred from simultaneously and separately measured δ13C and δ18O did not differ between the two methods. The tree-ring δ13C and δ18O values were negatively correlated with standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index from May to August. In addition, the δ18O was significantly correlated with temperature (positive), precipitation (negative), and relative humidity (negative) from May to August. The tree-ring δ13C and δ18O values determined simultaneously through the high-temperature pyrolysis method could produce acceptable and reliable stable isotope series. The simultaneous isotopic measurement can greatly reduce the cost and time requirement compared with the separate isotopic measurement. These results are consistent with the previous studies at humid sites, suggesting that the simultaneous determination of δ13C and δ18O in tree-ring α-cellulose can be used in wide regions.