Tree-Ring Oxygen Isotope Variations in Subalpine Firs from the Western Himalaya Capture Spring Season Temperature Signals

We analyzed the tree-rings δ 18 O of Abies spectabilis (fir) growing at the subalpine treeline ecotone in the Magguchatti valley. The valley is located in the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) dominated region of western Himalaya and also receives snow precipitation derived by westerly disturbances (WDs)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Forests
Main Authors: Bency David Chinthala, Jussi Grießinger, Parminder Singh Ranhotra, Nidhi Tomar, C. P. Singh, Achim Bräuning
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022
Subjects:
Abies spectabilis
Indian summer monsoon
spring temperature
soil-moisture
snowcover
winter westerlies
Plant ecology
QK900-989
Indian
Pacific
North Atlantic
North Atlantic oscillation
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3390/f13030437
https://doaj.org/article/7a9b9f801306444f8495b2e858da41ac
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Summary:We analyzed the tree-rings δ 18 O of Abies spectabilis (fir) growing at the subalpine treeline ecotone in the Magguchatti valley. The valley is located in the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) dominated region of western Himalaya and also receives snow precipitation derived by westerly disturbances (WDs) during the winter months. The 60 year developed (1960–2019 CE) tree-ring δ 18 O chronology revealed a strong positive correlation with the temperature of late winter and spring months (February to April). Strong negative correlations are also apparent for snowcover, soilmoisture, and relative humidity for the same spring season. Our findings partly contrast the significant correlation results of tree-ring δ 18 O with summer precipitation and drought indices recorded from other summer monsoon-dominated regions in the Himalayas. The spatial correlation analyses with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and climate parameters showed subdued signals of tropical Pacific at the site, but with a shift to more moisture influx from the Arabian Sea during the last two decades. Moreover, a significant negative correlation with North Atlantic Oscillation further justifies the strongly captured spring temperature and snowcover signals and the weak effect of summer precipitation in fir trees. A temperature rising trend during the latter half of the 20th century and the elevation effect are taken as important factors controlling the moisture source at the treeline ecotone zones.

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