Development of tree-ring maximum latewood density chronologies for the western Tien Shan Mountains, China: Influence of detrending method and climate response

Abstract

Three tree-ring maximum latewood density chronologies were developed from high elevation Picea schrenkiana sites in the western Tien Shan Mountains using different detrending methods. The new chronologies extend back to the early 16th and late 17th centuries, and contain significant late spring and summer temperature signals, respectively. An assessment of varying detrending methods and band-pass filtering the chronologies revealed only slightly differing low frequency trends retained in the maximum latewood densities. The distance between sampling sites and the varying seasonality of limiting climatic factors are identified as key drivers affecting the correlation among the maximum latewood density records in the study region. The new chronologies represent reliable proxies of high elevation late spring and summer temperature variability in an area underrepresented by such data, and are ready-to-use for network analyses addressing longer-term climate variations in eastern central Asia.