Summer Temperature Reconstruction Research Articles

A 561-yr (1461-2022 CE) summer temperature reconstruction for Mid-Atlantic-Northeast USA shows connections to volcanic forcing and atmospheric circulation

Contextualizing current increases in Northern Hemisphere temperatures is precluded by the short instrumental record of the past ca. 120 years and the dearth of temperature-sensitive proxy records, particularly at lower latitudes south of <50 °N. We develop a network of 29 blue intensity chronologies derived from tree rings of Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière and Picea rubens Sarg. trees distributed across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast USA (MANE)—a region underrepresented by multi-centennial temperature records. We use this network to reconstruct mean March-September air temperatures back to 1461 CE based on a model that explains 62% of the instrumental temperature variance from 1901−1976 CE. Since 1998 CE, MANE summer temperatures are consistently the warmest within the context of the past 561 years exceeding the 1951−1980 mean of +1.3 °C. Cool summers across MANE were frequently volcanically forced, with significant (p<0.05) temperature departures associated with 80% of the largest tropical (n=13) and extratropical (n=15) eruptions since 1461 CE. Yet, we find that more of the identified cool events in the record were likely unforced by volcanism and either related to stochastic variability or atmospheric circulation via significant associations (p<0.05) to regional, coastal sea-surface temperatures, 500-hpa geopotential height, and 300-hpa meridional and zonal wind vectors. Expanding the MANE network to the west and south and combining it with existing temperature-sensitive proxies across North America is an important next step toward producing a gridded temperature reconstruction field for North America.

Pollen-based seasonal temperature reconstruction in Northeast China over the past 10,000 years, and its implications for understanding the Holocene Temperature Conundrum

The Holocene Temperature Conundrum refers to the mismatch between proxy-based temperature records and those based on climate model simulations. A possible reason for this mismatch is a putative proxy-based bias in reconstructed summer temperatures, and therefore, regional reconstructions of seasonal temperature are crucial for resolving the conundrum. In this paper, we reconstruct vegetation and climate changes over the last ∼10,000 years BP based on a high-resolution pollen record from Gushantun peatland, Changbai Mountains, Northeast China. Multiple quantitative reconstruction approaches were used and weighted averaging partial least squares regression (WAPLS) was found to be the most appropriate method for reconstructing Holocene temperature and precipitation. The reconstructed climate record shows that the Holocene Climate Optimum occurred between 8 ka and 6 ka and exhibited a cold month mean temperature that was 3 °C warmer than modern temperatures. Climate gradually cooled during late Holocene with a minimum cold month temperature of −19.6 °C. Four prominent cold events occurred around 8.7 ka BP, 7.8 ka BP, 5.7 ka BP, and 2.5 ka BP with an amplitude variation up to 3 °C. The synthesized seasonal temperature time series and a comparison with other proxies show that the decreasing trend in mean annual temperature is not a seasonal bias caused by summer temperature change. This study provides evidence of a Holocene seasonal temperature change at a regional scale and insights for further understanding of the Holocene Temperature Conundrum.

Holocene Paleoclimate Changes around Qinghai Lake in the Northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: Insights from Isotope Geochemistry of Aeolian Sediment

The stable carbon isotope composition of total organic matter (δ13Corg) has been utilized in aeolian sediments, serving as an indicator for reconstructing terrestrial paleoenvironments. The Qinghai Lake (QHL) Basin is a climate-sensitive region of significant importance in paleoclimatic reconstruction. However, the reconstructed climatic variations based on δ13Corg in aeolian sediments in the QHL Basin in the northeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) are lacking, and their paleoclimatic significance remains poorly understood. By conducting δ13Corg measurements on the Niaodao (ND) aeolian profile near QHL, we reconstructed the paleoclimate changes of 11 ka–present. The variation range of the δ13Corg values in the ND profile indicated the terrestrial ecosystems were not the sole contributor to lacustrine organic matter. The δ13Corg values are an indicator of historical temperature changes in the study area, exhibiting similar trends with the reconstruction of Chinese summer temperatures, East Asian air temperature, global temperature, and Northern Hemisphere summer insolation at 37° N. The temperature increased with high frequency and amplitude oscillations, with strong aeolian activity and low total organic carbon accumulation during the Early Holocene. The temperature was maintained at a high and stable level, with the weakest aeolian activity and intensified pedogenesis during the Middle Holocene. The temperature decreased at a high rate, with renewed aeolian activity and weak pedogenesis during the Late Holocene.

Temperature and palaeolake evolution during a Middle Pleistocene interglacial–glacial transition at the Palaeolithic locality of Schöningen, Germany

The Middle Pleistocene Reinsdorf sequence at the Lower Palaeolithic sites of Schöningen offers the opportunity to reconstruct a rarely well‐preserved post‐Holsteinian environmental transition from an interglacial into a glacial phase along with its highly dynamic interjacent climatic oscillations. Combining biological proxies, element composition and stable isotope ratios of two lakeshore sequences at excavation site 13 II, we demonstrate repeated variations in climate, hydrology and catchment vegetation cover. New ostracod‐based quantitative mean summer and winter air temperature reconstructions with the Mutual Ostracod Temperature Range (MOTR) method provide the first detailed information about the temperature evolution. The interglacial temperature maximum, probably corresponding to Marine Isotope Stage 9e, is followed by a first dry phase and, during the younger part of the Reinsdorf sequence, by a second dry period. Both were marked by lower precipitation/evaporation ratios, reduced vegetation cover in the catchment and increased surface inflows from springs. Temperature reconstructions of these two steppe (open woodland) phases yield very narrow ranges for mean January (−4–0 °C) and July (+17–19 or +17–21 °C) air temperatures, demonstrating that, while summers were similar to those of today, winters were at least 1 °C colder, hinting at a more pronounced continental climate. Precise temperature estimates for the interjacent woodland and steppe (woodland) phase are hindered by generally wider ranges produced by the MOTR method (January mean −4–3 °C, July mean +15–21 °C). The development of a more extensive vegetation cover, reducing surface runoff and erosion in favour of increased river and groundwater discharge, as indicated by a shift in microfossil and stable isotope records, suggests generally more humid climates with higher precipitation/evaporation ratios as well as reduced seasonal temperature variations.

Assessment of branched glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraether (brGMGT)-based paleothermometry in the 250,000-year sediment record of Lake Chala, equatorial East Africa

Branched glycerol monoalkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGMGTs), a relatively understudied group of bacterial membrane lipids structurally similar to branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), appear to be strongly influenced by temperature in terrestrial settings. In surficial bottom sediments of East African lakes, the abundance of brGMGTs relative to the sum of brGMGTs and brGDGTs (%brGMGT) and brGMGT distribution are strongly related to local mean annual air temperature (MAAT), stimulating development of new paleothermometers. However, applications of these methods to lake-sediment records are currently lacking. Here we investigate brGMGT concentrations and distributions in 916 samples throughout the 250,000-year (250-kyr) sediment sequence from Lake Chala, a presently fresh and permanently stratified (meromictic) tropical crater lake. All seven previously identified brGMGTs occur abundantly, reflected in a relatively high average %brGMGT of 19%. BrGMGTs and brGDGTs concentrations throughout the sequence are strongly correlated (R = 0.83, p < 0.001), suggesting that their producers and/or associated ecological niches substantially overlap. Clear distinction can be made between brGMGTs produced predominantly in the bottom sediments (H1034a and H1034c) versus the anoxic lower water column (H1020a-c and H1034b). Although a 17-month monitoring study of Lake Chala suggested brGMGTs are primarily produced in the sediments, down-core data assign greater importance to aquatic production than previously estimated. Instead of reflecting temperature, %brGMGT variations showed greatest similarity to GDGT proxies reflecting lake depth and/or mixing regime. BrGMGT-based temperature models produce ambiguous reconstructions, showing little similarity to known global temperature trends or the brGDGT-based mean summer temperature (MST) reconstruction from the same sediments.

Quantification of Holocene temperatures in the eastern Hunshandake Sandy Land using δ13C of loess organic matter

The soil organic carbon isotope indicator (δ13Corg) is widely used in paleoecology and paleoclimate reconstruction due to its ability to record the history of paleovegetation change. Although it has been used as a proxy for precipitation reconstruction, increasing evidence suggests that temperature has played a crucial role in influencing the relative abundance of C3/C4 plants in the mid-latitudes during the interglacial period. This opens up the possibility of reconstructing Holocene temperature using δ13Corg. In this study, the variation of δ13Corg values in a Holocene loess profile (GLH profile), located in the eastern Hunshandake Sandy Land, China, was investigated. And we analyzed the correlation between δ13Corg values and modern temperatures for a total of 792 surface soil samples from mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere, which had thermal conditions comparable to the GLH profile. Strong positive correlations were found between δ13Corg values of surface soil samples and both summer temperatures (r = 0.672, p < 0.001) and growing season temperatures (r = 0.669, p < 0.001). Additionally, δ13Corg values showed significant positive correlations with accumulated temperatures above 10 °C (r = 0.641, p < 0.001) and above 0 °C (r = 0.527, p < 0.001). However, the correlation with mean annual temperature was weak (r = 0.280, p < 0.001). The δ13Corg variation in the GLH profile recorded a mixed C3/C4 vegetation composition, with C4 plants comprising between 23.40% and 1.70% of the total abundance during the Holocene. The combined evidence from modern processes and profile variations confirms that warm-season temperature was the main factor driving variations in the δ13Corg values in the GLH profile. Therefore, we used δ13Corg–temperature conversion equations to quantify Holocene seasonal and accumulated temperatures based on the GLH profile. The reconstructed summer temperatures peaked at 9.3 ka, followed by a fluctuating downward trend during the mid- and late-Holocene, which is consistent with variations in summer solar insolation. Mean summer temperatures were relatively high at 23.3 °C and 22.5 °C in the early and mid-Holocene, respectively, while the lowest mean summer temperature of 20.5 °C occurred in the late Holocene. Accumulated temperatures above 10 °C and above 0 °C in the early Holocene were 3722 °C·d and 4641 °C·d, respectively, similar to modern observations in the Beijing area, indicating a southward shift of the temperature zone by nearly three degrees of latitude since the early Holocene. These reconstruction results are supported by modern observations, TraCE21 simulations, and other studies. This study is significant for extending the application of the δ13Corg indicator for quantitative paleoclimate reconstructions. It verifies its effectiveness in quantifying Holocene temperatures in the marginal zone of the East Asian summer monsoon.

Tree-ring based summer temperature variability since 1790 CE in the Hindu Kush region of northern Pakistan.

The Hindu Kush high-altitude regions of Pakistan are currently experiencing severe consequences as a result of global warming. In this sense, increasing soil erosion and the quick melting of glaciers are two particularly evident effects. In such a scenario, understanding long-term temperature changes is crucial for making accurate forecasts about how the Hindu Kush region may experience regional temperature changes in the future. In this study, the climate tree-ring width (TRW) analysis designated a positive and significant correlation (r = 0.622, p < 0.001) between the TRW chronology and the June to September (summer) mean maximum temperature (MMT). Using the tree-ring width of Pinus wallichiana A. B. Jackson, we reconstructed summer temperatures in the Hindu Kush region from 1790 CE. Statistical analysis showed that the reconstruction model has explained 38.7% of the climate variance during the instrumental period of 1967 to 2018 CE. Five extremely warm summer periods (≥ 4 years; before the instrumental period 1967-2018 CE) of 1804-1830, 1839-1862, 1876-1879, 1905-1910, 1923-1935 CE, and six cold summer periods of 1790-1803, 1832-1838, 1863-1875, 1880-1904, 1911-1922, and 1936-1945 CE have been observed during the past 229 years. Individually, the year 1856 CE experienced severe warmth (31.85°C), whereas 1794 CE was relatively cooler (29.60°C). The spectral multi-taper method (MTM) shows significant (p < 0.05) cycles, which take place about every 9.3, 5.7, 4.2, and 3.6 years. In particular, the 9.3-year cycle, which closely aligns with the 11-year solar activity cycle, suggests a potential correlation between solar activity and local temperature fluctuations. Moreover, our reconstruction demonstrates a significant degree of consistency when compared to actual climate data and regional temperature reconstruction series, reporting a strong logic of trust in the reliability and accuracy of our findings. This evidence reaffirms that our reconstruction shows significant and dependable regional temperature signals, notably being representative for the Hindu Kush region.

Summer warming during Heinrich Stadial 1 in Northeast China

Abstract The last deglaciation is considered a key period for exploring the underlying dynamics of temperature changes because it was characterized by multiple millennial-scale abrupt climatic events. However, the limited number of quantitative temperature records in Northeast (NE) China covering the last deglaciation hampers a complete understanding of the mechanisms and processes behind the temperature changes that occurred in that region. Here, we present a quantitative reconstruction of summer temperature over the last deglaciation based on bacterial branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs) analyzed from the sediment sequence of Lake Kielguo, a small volcanic lake in NE China. The results show that summer temperature was lowest during the interval ca. 20–18.2 calibrated (cal.) k.y. B.P. with a value of ~11.1 °C and increased by ~1.9 °C during Heinrich Stadial 1 (HS1) and by ~2.7 °C during the transition to the Bølling-Allerød (B-A). The summer temperatures during the B-A warm interval and Younger Dryas cold interval were ~14.1 °C and ~12.0 °C, respectively. The summer temperature record from the Lake Kielguo sediment sequence indicates that summer warming dominated the climate change state during HS1 in East Asia, which is different from the cooling pattern controlled by winter temperatures in the North Atlantic and Greenland realms. This distinction can be explained by weakened winter cooling signals triggered by the collapse of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation when these signals propagated to East Asia, and increased summer temperature warming controlled by orbital and greenhouse gases during HS1 in East Asia.

A low-frequency summer temperature reconstruction for the United States Southwest, 3000 BC–AD 2000

Temperature variability likely played an important role in determining the spread and productive potential of North America’s key prehispanic agricultural staple, maize. The United States Southwest (SWUS) also served as the gateway for maize to reach portions of North America to the north and east. Existing temperature reconstructions for the SWUS are typically low in spatial or temporal resolution, shallow in time depth, or subject to unknown degrees of insensitivity to low-frequency variability, hindering accurate determination of temperature’s role in agricultural productivity and variability in distribution and success of prehispanic farmers. Here, we develop a model-based modern analog technique (MAT) approach applied to 29 SWUS fossil pollen sites to reconstruct July temperatures from 3000 BC to AD 2000. Temperatures were generally warmer than or similar to those of the modern (1961–1990) period until the first century AD. Our reconstruction also notes rapid warming beginning in the AD 1800s; modern conditions are unprecedented in at least the last five millennia in the SWUS. Temperature minima were reached around 1800 BC, 1000 BC, AD 400 (the global minimum in this series), the mid-to-late AD 900s, and the AD 1500s. Summer temperatures were generally depressed relative to northern hemisphere norms by a dominance of El Niño-like conditions during much of the second millenium BC and the first millenium AD, but somewhat elevated relative to those same norms in other periods, including from about AD 1300 to the present, due to the dominance of La Niña-like conditions.

Reconstruction of temperature and monsoon precipitation in southwestern China since the last deglaciation

Monsoon precipitation and temperature are the crucial components of the Indian monsoon climate, yet their spatial-temporal relationship remains unclear. In this study, we reconstruct the changes in monsoon precipitation and mean annual temperature simultaneously over the past 16,000 years using multiple proxies, including isoprenoid glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (isoGDGTs) and n-alkanes, from an alpine lake in southwestern China. On the one hand, the reconstructed monsoon precipitation shows a long-term increasing trend during the last deglaciation and a gradual decrease during the Holocene, with the highest-humidity period occurring in the early Holocene. Our result displays good consistency with the changes in regional mean annual precipitation, summer precipitation, and monsoon intensity during the last deglaciation and the Holocene. On the other hand, the reconstructed mean annual temperature inferred from the n-alkane proxy shows a long-term warm trend since the last deglaciation. Our result is consistent with the regional reconstruction of both mean annual and summer temperatures during the last deglaciation, while evident seasonal differences were observed for Holocene records with a cooling trend of summer temperature and a warm trend of mean annual temperature. Comprehensive comparison reveals that monsoon precipitation in the Indian monsoon region is mainly related to changes in the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) and land-sea thermal contrast controlled by boreal summer insolation. In addition, the increase in temperature during deglaciation is primarily attributed to the escalation of greenhouse gases (GHGs), while the divergent trend of seasonal temperature during the Holocene is mainly attributed to the changes in local seasonal insolation. Our research emphasizes that monsoon precipitation is a summer signature in the Indian monsoon region, which is consistent with the changes in summer temperature, while contrasting with the changes in mean annual temperature. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the seasonal difference in temperature changes when investigating the hydrothermal combination in Indian monsoon regions.

Recent summer warming over the western Mediterranean region is unprecedented since medieval times

Contextualising anthropogenic warming and investigating linkages between past climate variability and human history require high-resolution temperature reconstructions that extend before the period of instrumental measurements. Here, we present maximum latewood density (MXD) measurements of 534 living and relict Pinus uncinata trees from undisturbed upper treeline ecotones in the Spanish central Pyrenees. Spanning the period 1119–2020 CE continuously, our new MXD composite chronology correlates significantly with gridded May–September mean temperatures over the western Mediterranean region (r = 0.76; p ≤ 0.001; 1950–2020 CE). Based on an integrative ensemble approach, our reconstruction reveals unprecedented summer warming since 2003 CE. The coldest and warmest reconstructed temperature anomalies are −3.4 (±1.4) °C in 1258 and 2.6 (±2.2) °C in 2017 (relative to 1961–90). Abrupt summer cooling of −1.5 (±1.0) °C was found after 20 large volcanic eruptions since medieval times. Comparison of our summer temperature reconstruction with newly compiled historical evidence from the Iberian Peninsula suggests a lack of military conflict during or following exceptionally hot or cold summers, as well as a general tendency towards less warfare and more stable wheat prices during warmer periods. Our study demonstrates the importance of updating and refining annually resolved and absolutely dated climate reconstructions to place recent trends and extremes of anthropogenic warming in a long-term context of natural temperature variability, and to better understand how past climate and environmental changes affected ecological and societal systems.

Impacts of Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation and Volcanic Forcing on the Late Summer Temperature of the Southern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract In this paper, we present a late summer (August–September) temperature reconstruction over the period 1792–2020 based on a tree-ring maximum latewood density (MXD) chronology for the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP). The reconstruction explained 66.2% of the variance in the instrumental temperature records during the calibration period 1960–2020 and captured the warming trend since the 1960s, which would support the current warming on the TP. In addition, a warming hiatus existed during 2001–12 and the last 20 years (2000–20) were the warmest period in the past two centuries. The reconstruction matched other MXD- and mean latewood density (LWD)-based late summer temperature reconstructions from neighboring regions, and fluctuated in synchrony with the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) Northern Hemisphere land surface temperature during 1850–2020. Multitaper method analysis and wavelet analysis revealed significant periodicities of 2–3, 20–30, and 40–60 years in the reconstructed series. Our reconstructed series was very consistent and highly correlated with the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO). During the warm phase of the AMO, higher pressure and divergent horizontal winds over the TP contribute to warmer summers in the region. In addition, we found that the southern TP experienced the lowest temperature and downward solar radiation in the second year following large volcanic eruptions. The decrease in downward solar radiation may be directly responsible for the occurrence of the lowest temperatures. The results indicate that the AMO and large volcanic eruptions were impacting factors on temperature in our study area.

Holocene summer temperature record based on branched tetraethers in Northeast China

The temperature evolution during the Holocene shows conflicting patterns and yields the controversy regarding whether the Holocene followed a warming or cooling trend. Resolving this controversy is critical for understanding the underlying mechanisms of climate change and evaluating global warming on a longer timescale. Here we present a quantitative summer temperature reconstruction based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers analyzed from a sedimentary sequence retrieved from the volcanic lake Kielguo crater lake in Northeast (NE) China. Our record revealed that the summer temperature in NE China followed a rough cooling trend during ~10–2.2 cal ka BP and increased after ~2.2 cal ka BP. The warmest period appeared at ~10–8.8 cal ka BP with ~15.8°C, and the coldest time occurred at ~2.3 cal ka BP with ~13.4°C. Compared with other temperature records from NE China, we conclude that the summer and winter temperature change trends in NE China were probably controlled by the summer and winter insolation respectively, and the ice volume. The mean annual temperature changes in NE China resulted from the superposition of summer cooling and winter warming during the Holocene, and the decrease in ice volume forcing the increase in mean annual temperatures before ~7–6 cal ka BP. The switch in mean annual temperature changes was probably linked with the collapse of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets.

Holocene summer temperature reconstruction based on a chironomid record from Sierra Nevada, southern Spain

Obtaining accurate temperature reconstructions from the past is crucial in understanding the consequences of changes in external climate forcings, such as orbital-scale insolation or multidecadal to centennial-scale variability on the climate system and the environment. In addition, these reconstructions help in comprehending the amplitude of natural temperature changes in the past, which can assist in evaluating the amplitude and rate of recent anthropogenic global warming. Here we present the first detailed Holocene mean July air temperature reconstruction based on chironomid assemblages from sediments retrieved from Laguna de Río Seco, an alpine lake in Sierra Nevada, southern Spain. Coldest climate conditions are recorded during the last glacial maximum and the last deglaciation. Warming occurred in the Early Holocene and warmest summer temperature conditions and the Holocene thermal maximum (HTM) occurred in the interval roughly between 9000 and 7200 cal yr BP, concurrent with summer insolation maxima. Rapid cooling of ∼1.5 °C occurred after the warmest maximum and between ∼7200 and 6500 cal yr BP, and temperatures stabilized between ∼6500 and 3000 cal yr BP. A further cooling began ∼3000 cal yr BP and culminated with coldest summer conditions during the Dark Ages (DA) and Little Ice Age (LIA) at ∼1550 cal yr BP (∼400 CE) and ∼200 cal yr BP (∼1750 CE), respectively. This cooling temperature trend was interrupted by warmer conditions during the Iberian-Roman Humid Period (IRHP) ∼2000 cal yr BP and during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) at ∼1000 cal yr BP. Our reconstruction shows a greater than two-degree cooling during the Middle and Late Holocene, agreeing with global mean surface temperature (GMST) reconstructions. Modern climate warming (MCW) during summer exceeds the two-degree Celsius forecasted for the future due to anthropogenic greenhouse gases, suggesting that recent warming is amplified at high elevations. Alpine environments and the biodiversity contained there are thus in danger if the observed temperature trend continues in the next decades.

Constraining the Nineteenth-Century Temperature Baseline for Global Warming

Abstract Since the Paris Agreement, climate policy has focused on 1.5° and 2°C maximum global warming targets. However, the agreement lacks a formal definition of the nineteenth-century “pre-industrial” temperature baseline for these targets. If global warming is estimated with respect to the 1850–1900 mean, as in the latest IPCC reports, uncertainty in early instrumental temperatures affects the quantification of total warming. Here, we analyze gridded datasets of instrumental observations together with large-scale climate reconstructions from tree rings to evaluate nineteenth-century baseline temperatures. From 1851 to 1900 warm season temperatures of the Northern Hemisphere extratropical landmasses were 0.20°C cooler than the twentieth-century mean, with a range of 0.14°–0.26°C among three instrumental datasets. At the same time, proxy-based temperature reconstructions show on average 0.39°C colder conditions with a range of 0.19°–0.55°C among six records. We show that anomalously low reconstructed temperatures at high latitudes are underrepresented in the instrumental fields, likely due to the lack of station records in these remote regions. The nineteenth-century offset between warmer instrumental and colder reconstructed temperatures is reduced by one-third if spatial coverage is reduced to those grid cells that overlap between the different temperature fields. The instrumental dataset from Berkeley Earth shows the smallest offset to the reconstructions indicating that additional stations included in this product, due to more liberal data selection, lead to cooler baseline temperatures. The limited early instrumental records and comparison with reconstructions suggest an overestimation of nineteenth-century temperatures, which in turn further reduces the probability of achieving the Paris targets. Significance Statement The warming targets formulated in the Paris Agreement use a “pre-industrial” temperature baseline that is affected by significant uncertainty in the instrumental temperature record. During the second half of the nineteenth century, much of the continental landmasses were not yet covered by the observational station network and existing records were often subject to inhomogeneities and biases, thus resulting in uncertainty regarding the large-scale mean temperature estimate. By analyzing summer temperature reconstructions from tree-rings for the Northern Hemisphere extratropical land areas, we examine an independent climate archive with a typically broader and more continuous spatial extent during the “pre-industrial” period. Despite the additional uncertainty when using climate reconstructions instead of direct observations, there is evidence for an overestimation of land temperature during the summer season in early instrumental data. Colder early instrumental temperatures would reduce the probability of reaching the Paris targets.

Pine Maximum Latewood Density in Semi‐Arid Northern China Records Hydroclimate Rather Than Temperature

AbstractLong records of tree‐ring maximum latewood density (MXD) measurements in conifers have been successfully employed to reconstruct summer temperature changes globally. Yet, the potential of MXD as a proxy in semi‐arid, low‐latitude regions for reconstructing either temperature or hydroclimate variability remains largely unexplored. Here, we developed a MXD data set of Chinese pine from semi‐arid northern China, and investigated its sensitivity to different climate variables. We found that the annual self‐calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index from previous August to current July displays the strongest influence on the MXD variation. The entire MXD chronology (covering 1736–2020) is highly consistent with nearby tree‐ring‐based annual precipitation and drought reconstructions at decadal timescales, confirming a temporally stable hydroclimate signal in our MXD record. In particular, the rapid wetting trend during the 2010–2020 period is well captured by the MXD data. This novel study has wide implications for future use of tree‐ring density data to reconstruct past climate changes globally.

Changes in habitat conditions in a Late Glacial fluviogenic lake in response to climatic fluctuations (Warta River valley, central Poland)

The Warta River valley was greatly influenced by the ice sheet of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). A small peatland located in the Warta drainage system is here used as a palaeoarchive of climatic and habitat changes during the Late Glacial (Weichselian). The Ługi sediment profile was investigated using multi-proxy (pollen, Chironomidae, Cladocera and geochemistry) analyses that recorded changes in a fluviogenic sedimentary depression. After the Poznań Phase (LGM), Ługi functioned as an oxbow lake that was cut off from the active river channel as a result of fluvial erosion. Since that time, the Warta River has flowed only along the section now occupied by the Jeziorsko Reservoir. Sedimentation of lacustrine deposits started at the beginning of the Late Glacial. Summer temperature reconstructions indicate cool Oldest and Younger Dryas, but no clear cooling in the Older Dryas. During the Younger Dryas the palaeolake was completely occupied by a peatland (fen), which periodically dried out during the Holocene. Investigation of this site has tracked the reaction of the habitat to climatic, hydrological and geomorphological changes throughout the Late Weichselian.

July Mean Temperature Reconstruction for the Southern Tibetan Plateau Based on Tree-Ring Width Data during 1763–2020

Long-term climate records are essential for understanding past climate change and its driving forces, which could provide insights for adapting to future climate change. This paper presents a reconstruction of the July mean temperature based on the Smith fir tree-ring width data over 1763–2020 for the southern Tibetan Plateau (TP). The reconstruction explained 50.1% of the variance in the instrumental temperature records during the calibration period 1979–2020. The reconstruction matched well with other summer temperature reconstructions from neighboring regions and Northern Hemisphere temperatures. A significant warming trend was found from the 1960s, and the warming accelerated since the 1990s. In the reconstructed series, multiple-taper method analysis and wavelet analysis revealed significant periodicities of 2–4-year, 20–30-year, and 70–80-year. Moreover, the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) significantly influenced the July mean temperature in our study area. Our reconstruction can provide valuable data for climate change studies.

Dendroclimatic Reconstruction of Mean Annual Temperatures over Treeline Regions of Northern Bhutan Himalayas

The Himalayan region is likely particularly exposed to climate change indicated by the high regional rate of change. The number of high-resolution, well-calibrated, and long-term paleoclimate reconstructions are however regrettably few, to set this change in a longer-term context. The dendroclimatic reconstructions over Himalaya that do exist have only reconstructed summer season temperatures, and rarely or never attempted to reconstruct mean annual temperatures. The paucity of long meteorological records is a matter of concern when developing chronologies of climate sensitive tree-ring data in Bhutan, but the chronologies would theoretically be of high potential for extending short meteorological records back in time using trees in high-elevation ecotones. The objectives of this study were to explore dendroclimatic signals in tree-ring width chronologies of Abies densa growing in these extreme ecotones and to reconstruct, if possible, annual temperatures over Northern Bhutan. A point-by-point regression analysis revealed that the regional composite chronology was significantly and positively correlated with temperatures of all months of the current year, i.e., January to December. The chronology was highly correlated with annual temperatures (calibration period R = 0.67 and validation period R = 0.50; p &lt; 0.001) allowing a reconstruction of temperature over Northern Bhutan (NB-TEMR). The NB-TEMR reveals some common variations with summer temperature reconstructions of the Northern Hemisphere as well as the Himalayan region, particularly w.r.t to the recent warming trend. The reconstruction covers the period of 1765 to 2017. This reconstruction reveals a warming trend since 1850 with higher rates of warming 1935 to 2017, but with a pause around 1940–1970. The warming is consistent with reduced volcanic activity and increase of greenhouse gases. We anticipate that our new reconstruction of annual mean temperature could be an important contribution for future climate change studies and assessments of climate models.

Possible Role of the Regional NDVI in the Expansion of the Chiefdom of Lijiang during the Ming Dynasty as Reflected by Historical Documents and Tree Rings

Abstract Although many studies have linked complex social processes with climate change, few have examined the connections between changes in environmental factors, resources, or energy and the evolution of civilizations on the Tibetan Plateau. The Chiefdom of Lijiang was a powerful chiefdom located on the eastern Tibetan Plateau during the Ming Dynasty; it began expanding after the 1460s. Although many studies have analyzed the political and economic motivations responsible for this expansion, no high-resolution climate records representing this period of the Chiefdom of Lijiang were available until now. Here, we obtain a 621-yr reconstruction of the April–July normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values derived from moisture-sensitive tree rings from the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Our NDVI reconstruction accounts for 40.4% of the variability in instrumentally measured NDVI values and can effectively represent the historical changes in regional vegetation productivity that occurred on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. In combination with a reconstruction of summer temperatures on the eastern Tibetan Plateau, these results reveal that the regional climate was relatively warm and persistently wet during the period 1466–1630. This period was characterized by long periods of above-mean vegetation productivity on the eastern Tibetan Plateau that coincided with the expansion of the Chiefdom of Lijiang. We therefore propose that the NDVI anomaly and associated favorable political environment may have affected the expansion of the Chiefdom of Lijiang. Instrumental climate data and tree rings also reveal that the early twenty-first-century drought on the eastern Tibetan Plateau was the hottest drought recorded over the past six centuries, in accordance with projections of warming over the Tibetan Plateau. Future climate warming may lead to the occurrence of similar droughts, with potentially severe consequences for modern Asia.