Dendroclimatic reconstruction of April-May temperature fluctuations in the Western Himalaya of India since A.D. 1698

Abstract

Ring-width chronologies of Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara (D. Don.) G. Don.), Himalayan pine (Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jackson), and Himalayan spruce (Picea smithiana(Wall.) Boiss.) from the western Himalayan region, India, have been used to reconstruct mean April-May temperature back to A.D. 1698. The reconstruction correlates significantly with the average April-May instrumental temperature record (r= +0.62, 1876-1988) and is characterized by annual to multiyear fluctuations. The most striking feature of the present reconstruction is the absence of any warming trend in the 20th century. Relationships between the mean April-May temperature for the western Himalayan region, Indian summer monsoon rainfall, and Southern Oscillation Index indicate that the tree-ring chronologies, as surrogate temperature records, will provide valuable data for climate change studies with regional and global perspectives.