Tree ring imprints of long-term changes in climate in western Himalaya, India.
Abstract
Tree-ring analyses from semi-arid to arid regions in western Himalaya show immense potential for developing
millennia long climate records. Millennium and longer ring-width chronologies of Himalayan pencil juniper
(Juniperus polycarpos), Himalayan pencil cedar (Cedrus deodara) and Chilgoza pine (Pinus gerardiana) have been
developed from different sites in western Himalaya. Studies conducted so far on various conifer species indicate
strong precipitation signatures in ring-width measurement series. The paucity of weather records from stations close to
tree-ring sampling sites poses diffi culty in calibrating tree-ring data against climate data especially precipitation for its
strong spatial variability in mountain regions. However, for the existence of strong coherence in temperature, even in
data from distant stations, more robust temperature reconstructions representing regional and hemispheric signatures
have been developed. Tree-ring records from the region indicate multi-century warm and cool anomalies consistent
with the Medieval Warm Period and Little Ice Age anomalies.
Signifi cant relationships noted between mean premonsoon temperature over the western Himalaya and ENSO
features endorse utility of climate records from western Himalayan region in understanding long-term climate
variability and attribution of anthropogenic impact.
Description
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Citation
Yadav R R. Tree ring imprints of long-term changes in climate in western Himalaya, India. Journal of Biosciences. 2009 Nov; 34(5): 699-707.