A 300‐year Vietnam hydroclimate and ENSO variability record reconstructed from tree ringδ18O

Abstract

A tree ring δ18O chronology is developed for the past 300 years (1705–2004) using 6 cypress trees from northern Vietnam to reconstruct long‐term hydroclimatic variations in the summer monsoon season. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first well‐replicated tree ringδ18O chronology from Southeast Asia, as well as the longest yet produced. Response analyses reveal that tree ring δ18O is significantly correlated with temperature, precipitation, and the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) during the period May–October, with highest correlation to the PDSI. Our δ18O chronology accounts for 44% of the PDSI variance, and is in good agreement with a 52‐year tree ringδ18O chronology from northern Laos (r = 0.77), indicating that regional hydroclimatic signals are well recorded in the δ18O data. Spatial correlation analyses with global sea surface temperatures suggest that the tropical Pacific plays an important role in modulating hydroclimate over the study region. Further, the δ18O chronology correlates significantly with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)‐related indices, and is therefore used to reconstruct the annual Multivariate ENSO Index. Because previously published ENSO reconstructions are based mainly on proxy records originating from North America and/or the tropical Pacific, the future development of a tree ringδ18O network from mainland Southeast Asia could lead to an independent and more robust reconstruction of ENSO variability.