Tree-ring oxygen isotope across monsoon Asia: Common signal and local influence

Abstract

Tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotope (δ18O) in monsoon Asia (MA) is affected collectively by local hydroclimate and remote oceanic-atmospheric variations. Variations of tree-ring δ18O have been widely used for quantitative reconstructions of monsoon-season precipitation, relative humidity and drought severity. However, local hydroclimate and remote large-scale circulation's influences on tree-ring δ18O has not been fully resolved. Here, we collected 24 tree-ring δ18O chronologies covering the period of 1884–1999 across a wide range of MA and investigated the common signals of these chronologies using principal component analysis. The first principal component (PC1) of the 24 tree-ring δ18O chronologies explained 25.2% of the total variances and showed significant positive correlations with the observed Asian summer monsoon oxygen isotope index (r = 0.69) during the period of 1978–1999, suggesting that a common signal of precipitation δ18O does exist in MA and that it is highly correlated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) (r = 0.72) and the South Asian summer monsoon precipitation (r = −0.66). South Asian summer monsoon precipitation and ENSO are the main factors controlling this common signal of tree-ring δ18O across MA. PC1 of tree-ring δ18O chronologies in MA also depicted a negative (positive) correlation with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (Pacific Decadal Oscillation), indicating the large-scale circulation influences. After removing the large-scale circulation influences on tree-ring δ18O chronologies, however, the residual tree-ring δ18O chronologies exhibit negative correlations with the regional hydroclimate, highlighting the role local hydroclimate on the individual tree-ring δ18O variations.