Tree ring density‐based summer temperature reconstruction for Zajsan Lake area, East Kazakhstan

Abstract

AbstractWood from Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) was collected in Hoboksar County, Xinjiang. Mean latewood densities (LWD) were measured by X‐ray densitometry; individual series were first cross‐dated and then combined to form a standard chronology. We developed a warm‐season (June–August) temperature reconstruction of Zajsan Lake area in East Kazakhstan that spans 1600–2002 based on the standard chronology (LWD). The climate/tree‐growth model accounts for 39.1% of the temperature variance from 1901 to 2002 and shows cold phase during the late 1600s early 1700s followed by a warmer period, with cooling again in the late 1700s early 1800s. Several severely cold warm seasons coincide with major volcanic eruptions. Some of the temperature variations also correspond to variations in solar activity. The similarities in trends of the Zajsan chronology (LWD) and the Qinghe chronology (LWD) in Altai Mountain show that there are common large‐scale climatic forcings in Central Asian. The low‐frequency change of temperature reconstruction is correlated positively with Northern Hemisphere temperatures. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society