Responses of radial growth of Pinus sibirica to climate and hydrology in Altay, Xinjiang, China

Abstract

Based on a standardized tree-ring width chronology established at Altay, Xinjiang, we examined the climatic and hydrological factors affecting the tree-ring width of Pinus sibirica. The results showed that the tree-ring width chronology of P. sibirica was negatively correlated with the average temperature and the average maximum temperature in May-June of current year and positively correlated with May-June PDSI and January-June precipitation. The tree-ring width chronology of P. sibirica was positively correlated with previous November runoff of the Irtysh River. The radial growth of P. sibirica was affected by temperature and precipitation, with precipitation in early stage of tree growth and temperature in summer being the key climatic factors. The study of the extreme years of chronology showed that the radial growth of P. sibirica was related to ENSO events and global large-scale circulations. By affecting the location of cyclones over Central Asia, ENSO affected water vapor transport to Altay, with consequences on the radial growth of P. sibirica.