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Rauf Z, Zarif N, Khan A, Siddiqui S, Fatima S, Iqbal W, Amin H, Iqbal T, Arif M, Sattar S, Rauf MT. The Western Himalayan fir tree ring record of soil moisture in Pakistan since 1855. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOMETEOROLOGY 2023; 67:1477-1492. [PMID: 37464201 DOI: 10.1007/s00484-023-02517-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Data on historical soil moisture is crucial for assessing and responding to droughts that commonly occur in climate change-affected countries. The Himalayan temperate forests in Pakistan are particularly at risk of climate change. Developing nations lack the means to gather surface soil moisture (SSM) information. Tree rings are one way to bridge this gap. Here, we employed dendrochronological methods on climate-sensitive tree rings from Abies pindrow to reconstruct the SSM in the Western Himalayan mountain region of Pakistan from 1855 to 2020. December (r = 0.41), May (r = 0.40), and June (r = 0.65) SSMs were found to be the limiting factors for A. pindrow growth. However, only the June SSM showed reconstruction possibility (coefficient of efficiency = 0.201 and reduction of error = 0.325). Over the studied period, we found 6 years (wet year) when June SSM was above the threshold of 32.04 (mean + 2 δ) and 1 year (dry year) when June SSM was below the threshold of 21.28 (mean - 2 δ). It was revealed that 1921 and 1917 were the driest and wettest SSM of all time, with means of 19.34 and 36.49, respectively. Our study shows that winter soil moisture is critical for the growing season in the context of climate change. Climate change has broad impacts on tree growth in the Western Himalayas. This study will assist various stakeholders in understanding and managing local and regional climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zahid Rauf
- Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
- National Centre of Excellence Geology (NCEG), University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
| | | | - Adam Khan
- University of Lakki Marwat, Lakki Marwat, 28420, Pakistan
| | - Samina Siddiqui
- National Centre of Excellence Geology (NCEG), University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
| | - Seerat Fatima
- Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
| | - Wahiba Iqbal
- Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
| | - Hira Amin
- Department of Forestry Economics & Management, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, People's Republic of China
| | - Tahir Iqbal
- Pakistan Forest Institute (PFI), Peshawar, 25000, Pakistan
| | - Muhammad Arif
- Biological Science Research Center, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Southwest University, Chongqing, 400715, People's Republic of China.
| | - Shehla Sattar
- Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Swabi, Swabi, 23561, Pakistan
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Zheng Z, Zhou F, Fonti P, Ren P, Li X, Miao G, Dong Z, Fang K. Intra-Annual Wood Formation of Cryptomeria fortunei and Cunninghamia lanceolata in Humid Subtropical China. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.733974] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Monitoring cambial activity is important for a better understanding of the mechanisms governing xylem growth responses to climate change, providing a scientific basis for tree-ring-based climate reconstructions and projections about tree growth under future climate scenarios. It plays an even more important role in investigating evergreen tree growth in regions with less distinct seasonal cycles. Subtropical evergreen forests have been studied in recent years for their sensitivity to climate change, but it remains unclear how xylem growth is driven by subtropical climates. To further understand the climate-growth response strategies of subtropical conifers, we micro-cored Cryptomeria fortunei and Cunninghamia lanceolata weekly in 2016 and 2017 at the humid subtropical Gushan Mountain in southeastern China. Our weekly growth monitoring showed that the vegetation periods of these two species were both approximately 2–3 months longer than trees in temperate and boreal forests. The growth of C. fortunei in 2016 and 2017 and C. lanceolata in 2017 showed a bimodal pattern of xylogenesis, which was induced by summer drought. The results also indicated that the earlier end of the xylem formation was related to the yearly drought stress. These findings provide more specific information about tree growth and evidence of how climate influences wood production at the cellular level in subtropical regions.
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Zheng Z, Jin L, Li J, Chen J, Zhang X, Wang Z. Moisture variation inferred from tree rings in north central China and its links with the remote oceans. Sci Rep 2021; 11:16463. [PMID: 34385488 PMCID: PMC8361152 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-93841-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we presented a composite standard chronology, spanning 1635-2018 to reconstruct May-July moisture variation in north central China. Our reconstruction revealed four severe dry epochs and five pronounced wet epochs. Additionally, spatial correlation analysis of our reconstruction with the actual self-calibrating Palmer drought severity index showed that our reconstruction was representative of large-scale May-July moisture changes. Both the severe dry and pronounced wet epochs showed one-to-one correspondence with other reconstructions nearby during their common periods, which demonstrated the reliability of our reconstruction backwards in time. Spectral analysis showed that significant spectral peaks were found at 2.1-3.8 years, which fell within the overall bandwidth of the El Niño-Southern Oscillations (ENSO). The spatial correlation patterns between our reconstruction and sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial eastern Pacific further confirmed the link between regional moisture and ENSO, with warm-phase ENSO resulting in low moisture and vice-versa. However, this link was time-dependent during the past four centuries, and was modulated by different phases of SST in the tropical Indian Ocean. Additionally, significant peaks at 24.9-46.5 years and spatial correlation patterns indicated that the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and the North Atlantic Oscillation may be the possible forcing factors of regional moisture at lower frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyu Zheng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Liya Jin
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China.
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China.
| | - Jinjian Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
- School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu, 610225, Sichuan, China
| | - Jie Chen
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
| | - Xiaojian Zhang
- School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210023, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhenqian Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental System, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, Gansu, China
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