Tree‐ring‐based reconstruction of the precipitation variability in the middle Taihang Mountains (1608–2021)

Abstract

Understanding historical droughts in northern China is challenging due to the limited time records of meteorological stations. In this study, we reconstructed the precipitation variability in the middle Taihang Mountains over 414 years by using the tree‐ring width of Pinus tabulaeformis. Based on our climate response analysis, Pinus tabulaeformis growth at the sampling sites was mainly restricted by the total precipitation from August of the previous year to June of the current year (P8‐C6), which was used as the dependent variable for precipitation reconstruction. Spatial analysis demonstrated that the reconstructed precipitation contained obvious spatial representativeness in the Taihang Mountains. We compared the precipitation sequence with other dryness/wetness sequences around the study area, revealing common drought events in most of northern China. Furthermore, the multi‐taper method (MTM) demonstrated a significant period of 2–4 years of the reconstructed precipitation. The precipitation variability in the Taihang Mountains may be influenced by the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) and has exhibited a negative correlation in recent decades. This study has reconstructed the historical changes in wet and dry conditions to offer a reference for the utilization of modern water resources, especially by linking the decrease in precipitation in the study area with the downfall of the Ming Dynasty.