I

The Fourth International Asian Dendrochronological Conference

On Climate Change and Tree Rings 9-12 March 2015 Kathmandu, Nepal

Jointly Organized by;

Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University (CDHM-TU)

Asian Dendrochronological Association (ADA)

Government of Nepal Ministry of forest and Soil Conservation

Background

Climate change is one of the pressing issues among the scientists and policy makers, thus the widely discussed maters

in the medias. The direct and indirect effects of climate change have been observed in many parts of the globe. The

climate change is equally hitting the developed as well as developing countries; however the case is more critical in

those in the developing countries, which are also behind in the data quality, quantity as well as longevity. Therefore,

paleoclimatic study is essential for the climatic study particularly to study the climate change, its impact, variability

and the trend. Meteorological records of course are the best source of information to study the climate change,

however; they extend back only a relatively short period and may not adequately represent the range of natural climatic

states that have existed in the geologically recent past. For this reason, a variety of natural and cultural phenomenon

linked in some fashion to climate has been investigated in attempts to better characterize past climatic states.

As nature achieves of environmental records, tree rings have been play an important role in understanding past climatic

changes and ecological processes. A great progress has been made in dendrochronology in the recent decades. With

the aim of development of dendrochronology in Asia, Asian dendrochronological Association (ADA) was formed in

2006. Since its establishment, for the wider dissemination of tree-ring research in various field of environment, ADA is

regularly organizing different seminars and workshops in every two years with collaboration of different partners in

the various Asian countries.

The following table summarizes the series of ADA conferences.

Table: The Asian dendrochronological Conferences Series

Series Where When Participant Countries

First Bangkok, Thailand 9-15 Sept, 2007 80 20

Second Xi‟an, China 20-23 Aug, 2011 180 16

Third Iran, Teharan 11-14 April, 2013 125 12

Fourth Kathmandu, Nepal 9-12 March 2015 150 >24

II

Objectives;

The objective of the conference is;

To provide a platform for climate scientists to present their research progresses, findings and innovative ideas.

To promote the climate and tree ring research world widely and in Asia particularly.

To provide the common forum for early career scientists and experienced researchers to exchange their

experiences and ideas and set up their possible future collaborations.

Promote the institutional research network across the geographical boundaries.

Conference themes

The conference includes various aspect of dendrochronology and climate as the conference theme.

Glaciology

Climatology

Ecology

Archeology

Isotope

Geomorphology

Wood Anatomy

Methodological Challenges in dendrochronology

And so on.

Field Week

As nature achieves of environmental records, tree rings have been playing an important role in understanding past

climatic changes and ecological processes. A great progress has been made in dendrochronology in the recent decades.

Since its establishment, for the wider dissemination of tree-ring research in various field of environment, ADA is

regularly organizing a training workshop (Field week) for interested participants especially students and young/early

career scientists prior to the each of the conference.

Every field week focuses on different issues of climate change. Forest and protected areas help conserve ecosystems

that provide habitat, shelter, food, raw materials, genetic materials, a barrier against disasters, a stable source of

resources and many other ecosystem goods and services and thus can have an important role in helping species, people

and whole nature. The impacts of climatic change directly reflect on forest and from forest to the nature. Therefore,

The Fourth Asian dendrochronological Association (ADA) field week prioritize its theme as “Forest, Climate

Change and Nature Conservation”.

Tree Ring Society of Nepal (TRSN) collaborated this field week training.

III

Instructors/mentors for the field week

1- Prof Dr Achim Bräuning, University of Erlangen, Germany/ President of Association of Tree Ring Research

(ATR).

2- Prof Dr Qi-Bin Zhang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China/ Founder President of Asian

Dendrochronological Association (ADA).

3- Prof Dr Jim H. Speer, Tree Ring Laboratory, Indiana State University, USA/Director of the North American

Dendroecological Field week (NADEF).

4- Prof Dr Kmbiz Pourtahmasi, University of Teharan, Iran// President Asian Dendrochronological

Association (ADA).

IV

Organizing Committee

Conference Chair; Dr Binod Dawadi, Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University

Nepal.

Co Chair: Dr Kambiz Pourtamashi, University of Teharan/ President Asian Dendrochronological Association

Member: Mr Yub Raj Dhakal, Secretary, Tree Ring Society of Nepal

Member: Ms Prabina Rana, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)

Member: Mr Narayan Prasad Gaire, Central Department of Environmental Scxience Tribhuvan University

Member: Mr Damodar Bagale, Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Tribhuvan University

Member: Mr Udaya Kuwar Thapa, Golden Gate International College, Kathmandu

V

Advisory Committee

Prof Dr Hira Bahadur Maharjan, Vice Chancellor, Tribhuvan University

Prof Dr Jib Raj Pokhrel, Vice Chancellor, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)

Prof Dr. Thandong Yao, Third Pole Environment (TPE) Program/ Chinese Academy of Science(CAS), Beijing

Prof Dr Lochan Prasad Devkota, Head, Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology Tribhuvan University.

Mr Deepak Kumar Kharal, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Forests and Soil Conservation, Department of Forest

Research and Survey

Dr David J Molden, Director General, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Lalitpur.

Dr Dinesh Bhuju, Academician Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)/ President Tree Ring Society of

Nepal.

VI

Scientific Committee Members

Prof Dr Kambiz Pourtahmasi, University of Tehran , Iran

Prof. Dr. Yu Liu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Prof. Dr. Nathsuda Pumijumnong, Mahidol University, Thailand

Prof. Dr. Qi-Bin Zhang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Prof. Dr. Achim Bräuning, University of Erlangen, Germany

Prof. Dr. Baatarbileg Nachin, National University of Mongolia, Mongolia

Prof. Dr. Bao Yang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Dr. Binod Dawadi, Tribhuvan University

Prof. Dr. Dieter Eckstein, University of Hamburg

Prof. Dr. Edward Cook, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory

Prof. Dr. Eryuan Liang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Prof. Dr. H P Borganokar, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, India

Prof. Dr. Hongyang Liu, Peking University

Dr. Jayendra Singh, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology

Prof. Dr. Jeong-Wook Seo, Chungbuk National University South Korea

Prof. Dr. Jim Speer, Indiana State University USA

Prof. Dr. Lili Wang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

Prof. Dr. Nestor T. Baguinon University of the Philippines Los Baños, Philippines

Dr. Nyi Nyi Kyaw Ministry of Environmental Conservation and Forestry, Myanmar

Dr Masaki Sano Instutute of Humanity and Nature, Japan

Dr. Marco Career University of Padua, Italy

Prof. Dr. Moinuddin Ahmed, Federal Urdu University Pakistan

Mr Pradeep k Mool, International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD)

Prof. Dr. Olga Solomina, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

Dr. Paolo Cherubini, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Swizerland

Prof. Dr. Patrick Baker University of Melbourne, Australia

Prof. Dr. Ram Ratan Yadav, Birbal Shahni Institute of Paleobotnay, India

Dr. Santosh Kumar Shah, Birbal Shahni Institute of Paleobotnay, India

Dr. Scot St George, University of Minnesota, USA

Prof. Dr.Xiaohong Liu, Chinese Academy of Sciences,China

Prof. Dr. Xiaohua Gou, Lanzhou University, China

Prof. Dr. Xuemei Shao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

VII

Key Note

VIII

TREE RING STUDIES IN HIMALAYAN REGION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

R. R. Yadav

Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 Univ. Road, Lucknow

rryadav2000@gmail.com

Tree ring studies in the Himalayan region started with the modest beginning in India in early 1980s aiming to

supplement weather records back to past few centuries. The record of ~1200 rings in a disc sample of Juniper

(Juniperus macropoda) from Hunza Valley in Karakoram provided great impetus to develop long tree ring

chronologies from the Hindu-Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan mountain regions. Over times in successive years

ring-width chronologies of various species from this region of Himalaya have been developed, and some of

these span over the past 2000 years. Most of the long-living conifers are found growing over moisture

stressed sites in the western Himalaya. The chronologies developed from semi-arid to arid sites in the

western Himalaya have revealed strong signatures of winter and spring season precipitation, helping in

development of long-term records. As weather records patchy for the high-mountain regions, tree-ring

proxies have provided important clue to understand natural variability in climate in long-term perspective.

The tree-ring studies have gradually extended to eastern regions of the Himalaya in Nepal and north-east

India. From north-east India tree-ring chronologies of Abies densa, Larix griffithiana, Juniperus recurva,

Tsuga dumosa have been prepared. However, the climatic studies from tree-rings are few, largely due to poor

replication in chronologies. A close network of tree-ring derived climate parameters from the Himalayan

region spanning east to west should help in improving our understanding on climate teleconnections.

However, there are some tree-ring studies from the Himalayan region showing conflicting spatial signatures

in climate. The spatial heterogeneity in climate is due to predominant orographic foricing or else need to

undergo rigorous verification with multi-proxy records. The prospects of tree ring studies in light of

available data from the Himalayan region and challenges there-in have been elaborated here.

IX

Dendrochronology in Nepal: Progression with Prospects

Dinesh Raj Bhuju

Academician, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology

President, Tree Ring Society of Nepal

drbhuju@cdes.edu.np

Dendrochronology is rapidly evolving in Nepal. The first headway of sample collection for tree ring research

in the country was in late1970s. For the next two decades, the progress was disappointing with only seven

studies so far carried out by few enthusiastic researchers when the subject itself was dwindling in academia.

The beginning of 21st century along with warning reports of global warming found dendrochronology as a

trustworthy tool in revealing the evidences which the climate scientists were looking for desperately. In

2009, a Dendro-Lab was established at Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) with the support

of Ev-K2-CNR and Padova University of Italy. This initiative also trained 20 young researchers, who

became the forerunners in promoting the tree ring science in Nepal. In six years of its establishment, the

NAST Dendro-Lab has supported over 40 projects, except three of them are entailed in MSc/PhD thesis.

This has significantly added tree ring knowledge of Nepal Himalaya.

Since the first attempt, over 70 research studies dealing dendrochronology have been carried out using tree

species of Nepal Himalaya. Some 30 research papers have also been published in journals and proceedings.

These studies have covered some 20 tree species in which the most favored tree has been Abies spectabilis

and the most widely used parameter for analysis has been the ring width. The longest chronology for Nepal

was built from Tsuga dumosa with 1,141 years that extended from 856 AD to 1996 AD. The climate

reconstruction studies have covered temperature from 1546 AD to 1991 AD. By geographic coverage, 25

districts out of 75 in the country have been covered, and they are mostly from the high altitudes. Recent

dendroecological studies have revealed an upward shift of A. spectabilis with the range between 1.5 m and

3.6 m per annum. A huge potential of dendro-study in wider aspects including dendrohydrology,

dendroentomology, geomorphology and glaciology with large spatial coverage of the country is seen.

Key Words: 1 Abies spectabilis, Dendro-Lab, Past climate reconstruction, Tree ring

X

Third Pole Environment (TPE) Program

Tandong Yao, Yaoming Ma

E mail: ymma@itpcas.ac.cn

The Tibetan Plateau and surrounding mountains represent one of the largest ice masses of the Earth. The

region, referred to by scientists as the Third Pole, covering 5 million km2with an average elevation of

>4000m and including more than 100,000km2

of glaciers, is the most sensitive and readily visible indicator

of climate change. The area also demonstrates considerable feedbacks to global environmental changes. The

unique interactions among the atmosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere on the Third Pole ensure

permanent flow of Asia's major rivers, thus significantly influencing social and economic development of

China, India, Nepal, Tajikistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bhutan where a fifth of the world's population

lives. Like Antarctica and the Arctic, a series of observations and monitoring activities in the Third Pole

region have been widely implemented. Yet for a comprehensive understanding of the Third Pole, current

observational resources need to be integrated and perfected, and research goals and approaches need to be

updated and identified. The Third Pole Environment (TPE) program aims to attract relevant research

institutions and academic talents to focus on a theme of „water–ice–air–ecosystem–human‟ interactions, to

reveal environmental change processes and mechanisms on the Third Pole and their influences on and

responses to global changes, and thus to serve for enhancement of human adaptation to the changing

environment and realization of human–nature harmony. In this talk, we will focus on the recent progresses of

Third Pole Environment (TPE) Program, such as holding TPE workshops and young scientist summer

school, estalishing TPE Kathmandu center, organizing jointscientificexpeditions, setting

upintegratedobservationandresearchstations, etc.

XI

Understanding the Connection of Structural Components and Functional Traits of Stress

Responses of Trees

Achim Bräuning

Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany)

Abstract

Tree ring data are widely used as climate archives and indicators of landscape and ecosystem changes.

Although statistical multi-parameter approaches have been undertaken to make use of different seasonal

responses of various wood parameters, profound knowledge of interrelationships between different trigger-

response systems of how external stressors are transformed into tree-ring signals is not always developed.

Especially, adaptive traits of trees working on different scales, namely tree architecture, wood tissue, cells, or

biochemical activity may respond in a coordinated way or independently from each other. Differences in

local climate, site conditions, studied species, and even age-related or genetically caused different responses

between individuals of one population or forest stand cause uncertainties and high variances in tree-ring

based climate reconstructions.

The EU-funded COST Action FP1106 “STREeSS - Studying Tree Responses to extreme Events: a

SynthesiS" is a joint effort of European dendrochronologists, foresters and plant ecologists to improve the

understanding how wood-based indicator systems respond to environmental stress. Special emphasis is laid

on the relationship between anatomically detectable structural modifications and their functional value in

terms of stress-adaptation. Newly developed preparation techniques and image-analyses software allow

quantitative measurements of wood anatomical properties that can be related to specific environmental

conditions. A prominent example are intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) that frequently occur in

Mediterranean climates, but also under drought conditions in temperate zones or in the monsoon climate.

Models on cambial dynamics and ecophysiological properties of wood structural elements provide insight on

quantitative effects of structural changes. Finally, integration of large datasets and areas enable estimations

of ecosystem response to changing environments on the landscape level, including effects of tree mortality or

genetic variability. The presentation will highlight first results of these joint efforts and give instructive

examples of coordinated efforts that may contribute to improve the ecological foundations of tree-ring

research.

Key Words: 2 climatic extremes, wood anatomy, tree-ring parameters, cambial activity, tree mortality

Oral Session

XIII

Table of Content of Oral Session

1. Achim Bräuning, Jakob Wernicke1, Philipp Hochreuther

1, Jussi Grießinger

1, Haifeng Zhu

2, Eryuan Liang

2, Lily Wang

3,

Yang Bao4, Chin Qun

4 : Applicability of backward trajectory modelling to disentangle the influence of different water source

signals of the Asian monsoon in δ18O of tree-ring cellulose 1

2. Achyut Tiwari1, 2, 3& Zhou Zhe- Kun1 : Dendrochronology as an Effective Tool on Studying Treeline Shifting 2

3. Alamdar Hussain, Moinuddin Ahmed, Muhammad Akbar and Muhammad Usama Zafar : Growth-Climate response of Picea

smithiana from Stak Valley of Central Karakoram National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan: A Dendrochronological

Approach 3

4. Alexey Retejum, Kirill Diakonov, Nikolai Lovelus, Sergei Palchikov: Large-scale droughts of Asia: from dendrochronology to

prediction 4

5. Aliénor Lavergne, Valérie Daux, Ricardo Villalba and Jonathan Barichivich : Changing growth responses of Patagonian trees

along an environmental gradient 5

6. Aliénor Lavergne, Valérie Daux and Ricardo: Potential of the isotopic composition of tree cellulose for past climate

reconstructions in Northern Patagonia, South America 6

7. Arbindra Shrestha1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

1, 2 and Narayan Prasad Gaire

1, 2 : Upward Shifting and Regeneration of Abies

Spectabilis in the Tree Line Limit of Manaslu Conservation Area , Central Himalaya of Nepal. 7

8. Aster Gebrekirstos and Achim Bräuning: Methodological challenges and opportunities dendrochronology in Africa and Asia 8

9. Badar-Uugan Khasbaatar, Baatarbileg Nachin, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren and Byambagerel Suran :

Dendrochronological study on structural changes of conifer stands in northeast Mongolia 9

10. Chenxi Xu, Huaizhou Zheng, Takeshi Nakatsuka, Masaki Sano, Zhen Li, Junyi Ge :

Inter- and intra-annual tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotope variability in response to precipitation in Southeast China 10

11. Cheryl D. Nath 1, Raphaël Pélissier 2, 1, David F.R.P. Burslem 3, François Munoz 1, 4, N. Barathan 1

Intrinsic and extrinsic influences on tropical tree growth ring formation 11

12. Chongyang Xu,Hongyan Liu*, Oleg Anenkhonov, Andrey Korolyuk, Denis Sandanov, Zhaohuan Qi

Forest mortality and regeneration under drought stress in Inner Asia 12

13. Deepak Kumar Kharal

14. Assessing the growth characteristics and climate response of Abies spectabilis using tree ring analysis along the elevation

gradient in Manang, central Nepal Himalaya 13

15. Dharmveer

Effects of altered river flow and climatic variability on riparian ecosystem in upper Himalayas 14

16. Eryuan Liang1, Binod Dawadi2, Neil Pederson3, Dieter Eckstein4

Is the growth of birch at the upper timberline in the Himalayas limited by moisture or by temperature? 15

17. Feng Chen, Yujiang Yuan, Tongwen Zhang, Huaming Shang

Dendroclimatic reconstruction of annual precipitation for the northwestern Altay region (China), indicates large-scale

drought signals of the southern forest limit of northern Asia 16

18. Guoju Wu 1, 2, Xiaohong Liu 1 *, Tuo Chen 1, Guobao Xu 1, 2, Wenzhi Wang 1, 2, Xiaomin Zeng 1, 2, Xuanwen Zhang 1, 2, Dahe Qin 1

Elevation-dependent variations of tree growth and iWUE in Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) in the western Tianshan

Mountains, China 17

19. H. P. Borgaonkar and Somaru Ram

Centennial tree-ring records of Teak (Tectona grandis L. F.) over Indian region in the context of long-term climate change 18

20. Hong Yin, Hong Bin Liu

The natural external forcing recorded in tree ring based annual temperature reconstruction in Northeast China 19

21. Hongyan Liu, Zhaohuan Qi, Xiuchen Wu

Responses of forest growth and recruitment to recent climate change in Central Asian Mountains 20

22. Huiming Song, Yu Liu

Dendroclimatological study on the western Loess Plateau 21

23. Hyun-min Jeong, Won-Kyu Park, Yeong-seok Lee, Yojung Kim, Jeong-Wook Seo

Tree-ring dating of Palsangjeon (five story wooden pagoda) at Beopjusa Temple in Boeun, Korea 22

XIV

24. Jakob Wernicke1, Philipp Hochreuther1, Jussi Grießinger1, Haifeng Zhu2, Lily Wang3, Achim Bräuning1

Applicability of backward trajectory modelling to disentangle the influence of different water source signals of the Asian

monsoon in δ18O of tree-ring cellulose 23

25. James H. Speer

Geographic Frontiers in Dendrochronology 24

26. Jeong-Wook Seo, Dieter Eckstein, Allan Buras, Andrea Olbrich, Jörg Fromm

Greenhouse experiment with temperature, CO2 and drought scenario to monitor the change of cellular anatomical

characteristics in saplings (Pinus sylvestris L.) 25

27. Jesper Björklund, Daniel Nievergelt, Kristina Seftigen, David Frank

Blue Intensity, radiodensitometry and anatomical wood density - progress report of an inter-comparison 26

28. Jinjian Li, Xuemei Shao, Yuanyuan Li, Ninsheng Qin

The relationship between early summer temperature and the global sea surface temperature in the north of Western Sichuan

Plateau from 1854 to 2010 27

29. Johann Housset, Francine Tremblay, Martin Girardin, Renzo Motta, Yves Bergeron & Christopher Carcaillet Genetic structure

modulates the growth-climate relationships of boreo-mountain marginal populations 28

30. J. Griessinger, D. Loibl, P. Hochreuther, J. Wernicke, F. Lehmkuhl & A. Bräuning

Late Holocene monsoonal dynamics in SE-Tibet derived from glacial evidence and tree-ring data 29

31. Jayendra Singh

Temperature variations over the western Himalaya, India 30

32. Jiangfeng Shi, Shiyuan Shi, Xinyuan Hou, Lingling Li, Huayu Lu

Sensitivity of Tree Growth to Temperature in The Southeastern China and the Potential for Spatial Temperature

Reconstruction 31

33. Justine Ngoma, James H. Speer, Royd Vinya, Bart Kruijt, Eddy Moors & Rik Leemans

Dendroclimatological Potential of Baikiaea plurijuga in Zambia 32

34. K.N.Diakonov, T.I. Kharitonova

Dendrochronology and Landscape Ecology 33

35. Kristina Seftigen1, Jesper Björklund1, David Frank1,

Exploring the relationship between tree-ring growth, satellite observations of vegetation productivity and NPP estimates

derived from multiple DGVMsacross the Northern Hemisphere 34

36. Kwang-Hee Lee, Yojung Kim, Byung-Hwa Son, Hyun-Min Jeong, Kyu-Sung Han, Jeong-Wook Seo

Dendroecological Analysis to explore what induced falling down Red Pines (Pinus densiflora) in Yeojukam Valley of Songri

Mountain, Korea 35

37. Leonid Agafonov

Hydro-climatic conditions of the lower Ob River (western Siberia, Russia) and their dendrochronologicsal interpretation 36

38. Liangjun Zhu1, Yuandong Zhang2, Zongshan Li3, Xiaochun Wang1*

Variability of the East Asian summer monsoon intensity based on tree-ring re-construction over the past five centuries 37

39. Luna Khadka1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju2, Prabina Rana2

Age Structure and Regeneration of Rhododendron arboreum Sm. along an Altitudinal Gradient of Manaslu Conservation

Area, Nepal Himalaya 38

40. Liangcheng Tan 1*, Yanjun Cai1, Hai Cheng2, Haiwei Zhang2, Jianghu Lan1, Shijiang Qin1, Zhisheng An1

High -resolution monsoon precipitation variations in southwest China during the last 2300 years 39

41. Li-Feng Hu

Stem radial growth in response to microclimate of co-occurring evergreen and deciduous tree species in an Asian tropical dry

karst forest 40

42. Li-Xin Lv1, Susanne Suvanto2, Harri Mäkinen2, Helena M. Henttonen2, Pekka Nöjd2, Qi-Bin Zhang1

Tree growth responses to extreme climate events along temperature gradients 41

43. L. Lambs1, V. Trichon1, E. Mougin2 and F. Hajj1,2

Dendrochronology of Sahelian trees: Relationships between climate variability and tree growth over the last 50years in

Northern- Mali, West-Africa 42

44. Ming–Yong Li and Lili Wang

Tree-ring density inferred late summer temperature variability over the past three centuries in the Gaoligong Mountains,

southeastern Tibetan Plateau 43

45. Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 2 Madan Koirala2, Dinesh Raj Bhuju1, 2, 3 Marco Carrer4

Treeline Dynamics with Environmental Change in Sagarmatha National Park, eastern Nepal Himalaya 44

XV

46. N. Dhirendra Singh1, N. Venugopal2, Th. Binoy Singh3& R. R. Yadav3

Dendroclimatic evaluation of climate growth relationship of Cedrusdeodara from subtropical forest of North east India 45

47. M., Opała, Niedźwiedź T., Rahmonov O., Małarzewski Ł., Owczarek P.

Towards improving the Central Asian dendrochronological network – new data from Tajikistan 46

48. M. Mukhanova, M. Syromyatina, K. Chistyakov

Tree-ring reconstruction of hydrometeorological parameters in the Tuva mountains (Russia) and Mongolian Altai 47

49. M. Gurskaya1, M. Wilmking 2

Effect of slope exposure on frost ring formation in Picea obovata in the southern Urals – Not matched title 48

50. Masaki Sano1, Koh Yasue2, Katsuhiko Kimura 3, and Takeshi Nakatsuka 1

A 1500-year hydroclimate record in southwestern Japan inferred from tree-ring δ18O 49

51. Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury1,2*, Maaike De Ridder1, Claire Delvaux1,Hans Beeckman1

Exploring Bangladesh mangroves - ordinary glitches but new opportunities for dendrochronology 50

52. Mingqi Li1, Xuemei Shao1, 2*, Zhi-Yong Yin1, 3, Xinguo Xu4

300-yr drought variability in North China inferred from tree rings and the possible driving mechanism 51

53. Laboratory of Dendrochronology and Plant Ecology,

The Status of Tree Ring Analysis in Pakistan 52

54. Naveen Gandhi and H. P. Borgaonkar

Climatic influence on tree ring variations in Abies spectabilis (Silver Fir) from Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya India since past

few centuries 53

55. O.N. Solomina Matskovsky V.V., Dolgova E.A., Rumyantsev D.E, Khasanov B., Kuznetsova V.V., Lazukova L.I., Zhukov R.S.

Drought signatures in the tree-ring records of European Russia: comparison with instrumental records 54

56. Ouya Fang

NPP variation of broad-leaved Korean pine forest and the relationship with climate factors over the last 50 years 55

57. Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, Baatarbileg Nachin , Neil Pederson and Johann G. Goldammer

Climatic Sensitivity of Trees in Khentii Mountain Forests of Mongolia 56

58. Ping Ren1-3, Sergio Rossi4, Jozica Gricar5, Eryuan Liang1, 2, Katarina Cufar6

Is precipitation a trigger for the onset of xylogenesis in Juniperus przewalskii on the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau? 57

59. Philipp Hochreuther1, Jakob Wernicke1, Jussi Grießinger1, Haifeng Zhu2, Achim Bräuning1

Different species as indicators for climate change? Missing long-term trends in tree-ring cellulose δ18O

series in humid southeast Tibet 58

60. Piotr Owczarek

Paraglacial environments under modern climate change – a dendrochronological case of study from the High Arctic 59

61. Prabina Rana1,2, Madan Koirala2 and Dinesh R. Bhuju1,2

Climatic and Altitudinal Impacts on Rhododendron campanulatum D.Don at Treeline Ecotone of Sagarmatha National Park,

Nepal Himalaya 60

62. Qi-Bin Zhang and Pei Xing

No warming trend in late-summer temperature at treelines on the eastern Tibetan Plateau 61

63. Qiufang Cai and Yu Liu

300-yr drought variability in North China inferred from tree rings and a possible driving mechanism 62

64. Qiang Li a*, Yu Liu a,b, Takeshi Nakatsuka c , Huiming Song a , Danny McCarrolld, Yinke Yange, Jun Qif

A 225-year precipitation record from tree rings in Shanxi Province, North China, and its teleconnection with

Indian precipitation 63

65. R. J. Kaczka, B. Czajka, K. Janecka

Blue Reflectance – a new dendrochronological proxy 64

66. R.K. Nepop 1, A.R. Agatova 1, V.S Myglan. 2, A.A. Nazarov 2, V.V. Barinov 2

Using tree ring analysis in paleoseismogeological investigations-case study from Russian Altai 65

67. Ricardo Zapata; Pedro Esteban Guerra; Stella Marys Bogino

Wood anatomy and dendrochronological potential of Ramorinoa girolae: an endemic threatened species of arid

environments in Argentina 68

68. Sangita Pant1, Narayan Prasad Gaire1,2 and Dinesh Raj Bhuju1,2

Ecological and Dendroclimatological Response of Pinus wallichiana In Different Aspect of the Forest of Manaslu

Conservation Area (MCA), Western Nepal 69

XVI

69. Sanjaya Bhandari1, Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 2, Dinesh Raj Bhuju1, 2, Santosh Kumar Shah3, Uday Thapa4

Treering based temperature and precipitation reconstruction in western Nepal Himalaya 70

70. Shankar Panthi1, ZeXin Fan1

Growth-climate responses of Abies spectabilis along elevation gradients in the Central Himalaya, Nepal 71

71. Santosh K. Shah and Amalava Bhattacharyya

Tree-ring analysis of Toona ciliata from sub-tropical wet forests of eastern Himalaya 72

72. Shengchun Xiao, Xiaomei Peng

Evidence of human influence on the growth of Populus euphratica riparian forests in the Ejina Oasis, China,

using tree-ring analysis 73

73. Shiba Raj Ghimire1, Bharat Babu Shrestha1, Narayan Prasad Gaire2, 3,and Uttam Babu Shrestha1

Dendroclimatological study of subalpine Abies spectabilis forests in Dolpa of Northwestern Nepal 74

74. Somaru Ram and H.P. Borgaonkar

Ring-width analysis of conifer trees over western Himalaya and its long-term association with various climatic

parameters 75

75. Sudip Pandey, Elena Pellizzari and Marco Carrer

Relationship between climate and wood-anatomy parameters on Pinus sylvestris L. from Northern Finland 76

76. Supaporn Buajana, Nathsuda Pumijumnongb, Qiang Lic, Yu Liu

PDSI inferred from Oxygen Isotope (δ18O) of Teak Tree-Ring 77

77. Suran Byambagerel, Nachin Baatarbileg

Reconstruction of defoliating insects outbreak frequency in Bogd Khan Mountain, Mongolia by dendroecological

method 78

78. Tasveer Zahra Bokhari1, Moinuddin Ahmed2

Dendrochronological Approach to Assess Past Landslides Events in Some Conifer Forests of Azad Jammu and

Kashmir, Pakistan – A Preliminary Study 79

79. T Z Bokhari*1, M Ahmed2, Zaheer U Khan3, Saeed A Malik1

Phytosociology of Disturbed Conifer Forested Areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan - Present and

Future Trends 80

80. Thida Swe1, Nyi Nyi Kyaw2

Growth-ring anaysis of teak in Myanmar: dendroclimatic potential 81

81. Tong-wen Zhang, Yu-jiang Yuan, Yu Liu, Wen-shou Wei, Rui-bo Zhang, Feng Chen, Shu-long Yu, Hua-ming Shang, Li Qin

A tree-ring based temperature reconstruction for the Kaiduhe River watershed, northwestern China, since A.D.

1680: Linkages to the North Atlantic Oscillation 82

82. Udya Kuwar Thapa1, 2, Santosh K. Shah3, Narayan Prasad Gair 4, 5, Dinesh Raj Bhuju4, 5

Spring temperatures in the far-western Nepal Himalaya since A.D. 1640 reconstructed from Picea smithiana tree-

ring widths 83

83. V. Daux, H. Marah, M. Stievenard, M. Pierre, M. Ed Dabdouby, V. Masson-Delmotte

The carbon isotopic composition of Atlas Cedar: a record of the increase of aridity in North-Western Morocco

over the last 40 years 84

84. V. Matskovsky, S. Helama

Surmounting the standardization: quantifying millennium-scale dendroclimatic variability with no need to

detrend traditional tree-ring data 85

85. Wenling An , Xiaohong Liu, Weizhen Sun, Wenzhi Wang, Yu Wang, Guobao Xu, Xiaomin Zeng, Jiawen Ren

Stronger impacts of central Pacific (CP) El Niño events on the hydroclimate of southwestern China: insights from

a tree-ring d18O series 86

86. Wenwen Liu, Haifeng Zhu, Eryuan Liang, Fayaz Asad

Little Ice Age fluctuations of Mimei glacier in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau reconstructed by tree rings 87

87. Xiaoming Lu1, Julio J Camarero2, Yafeng Wang1, Eryuan Liang1, Dieter Eckstein3.

How old Rhododendron shrubs respond to climate on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau: prospects for shrub-

based dendrochronology 88

88. A specific intra-seasonal δ18O pattern in tree rings on southeastern Tibetan Plateau: implications for inferring seasonal incursion of

Indian monsoon moisture 89

XVII

89. Xuemei Shao1, 2*, Zhi-Yong Yin1, 3, Mingqi Li1, Hua Tian1, Yong Zhang1

Effects of slope gradient on growth-climate relationship at a semi-arid site in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau 90

90. Yeshey Khandu, Om N. Katel and D. B. Gurung

Influence of Temperature Variability on Tree Rings of Abies Densa in Bhutan Himalaya 91

91. Yong Zhang, Xuemei Shao, Zhi-Yong Yin

Millennial minimum temperature variations in the Qilian Mountains, China: evidence from tree rings 92

92. Yuan JIANG, Mu-yi KANG, Wentao-ZHANG

Relationship between the Radial Growth of Picea meyeri and Climate along Elevations of the Luyashan Mountain

in North-Central China 93

93. Yub Raj Dhakal1, 2, Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 3, Dinesh Raj Bhuju1, 2, Santosh Kumar Shah4 and Kabita Karki1

Treeline dynamics in the Langtang National Park, Central Himalaya 94

94. Ze-Xin Fan, Achim Bräuning

Climate drivers of day-to-day stem radius variations of Pinus kesiya in the Ailao Mountains, southwestern China 95

1

Applicability of Backward Trajectory Modelling to Disentangle the Influence of

Different Water Source Signals of the Asian Monsoon in Δ18o Of Tree-Ring

Cellulose

Achim Bräuning, Jakob Wernicke1, Philipp Hochreuther

1, Jussi Grießinger

1, Haifeng Zhu

2, Eryuan

Liang2, Lily Wang

3, Yang Bao

4, Chin Qun

4

1Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany)

2Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

3Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resource Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

4 CAREE Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail: achim.braeuning@geographie.uni-erlangen.de

Tree-ring derived climate reconstructions utilize different wood parameters, like ring width, maximum

latewood density, wood anatomical variables or stable isotope variations. Chronologies derived from

these parameters may have different time-series characteristics, like mean correlation between single

series, first-order autocorrelation or mean sensitivity. This can partly be explained by differences in the

influence of previous year‟s growing condition on each of these parameters and hence differences in

their “physiological memory”. On the other hand, each wood parameter responds to other seasonal

climate factors, and thus various wood parameters may be meaningful combined to explain more of the

climatic character of former times than each parameter alone. First attempts on such “multi-parameter”

approaches have been carried out in different regions of Europe.We investigate a tree-ring dataset from

the Tibetan plateau comprising ca. 60 ring width chronologies, 24 maximum latewood density

chronologies, and five stable oxygen chronologies. In addition, a short-term dataset of 23 stable oxygen

study sites is analyzed. First, we compare different time series characteristics of these parameters and

examine their spatial representativity. This affects dating quality and spatial validity of derived climate

reconstructions. Then we examine the seasonal climate response and the temporal stability and site-

specific and species-specific robustness of each parameter and discuss consequences for climate field

reconstructions. Concerning stable oxygen isotope signal, we show that their spatial patterns are largely

independent from the source water signal of summer monsoon influenced δ18O patterns in precipitation.

Finally, we make a new attempt for multi-parameter climate reconstructions by combining various tree-

ring proxies from the eastern Tibetan plateau

Key Words: 3 Asian monsoon, backward trajectory, tree-ring

2

Dendrochronology as an Effective Tool on Studying Treeline Shifting

Achyut Tiwari1, 2, 3

& Zhou Zhe- Kun1

1Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun Mengla Yunnan

666603, China 2Himalayan Research and Development Centre–Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

3Department of Botany, Tri-Chandra College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

E-mail: achyut@xtbg.ac.cn

The shifting of treeline in higher elevation and latitude is one of the responses of vegetation to global

warming. Majority of climatic treelines of Himalayas are scaling up as the mountain tops are getting

warmer. In the absence of historical vegetation boundary, the tree rings of the upper limit are the

important proxies to understand tree recruitment pattern and past climate in the ecotone. The stand

evolution in the climatic ecotone helps us to find the treeline position of few centuries back. Further, the

climate warming trend could be observed in the form or ring width of trees of upper limit. In the present

study (ongoing research), we have mapped the tree individuals in vertical transects of 20 m X 150 m and

have collected more than four hundred tree cores from five treeline ecotones; four from Nepal Himalaya

and a single from North West Yunnan. The maximum number of younger trees above timberline is the

clear indication of range shift of alpine treeline. The Betula utilis treeline and Abies spectabilis treeline

in Nepal Himalaya are advancing more rapidly over almost stagnant Abies delavai treeline in North

West Yunnan.

Key Words: 4 Treeline, crossdating, ecotone, stand evolution

3

Growth-Climate Response of Picea Smithiana from Stak Valley of Central

Karakoram National Park, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan:

A Dendrochronological Approach

Alamdar Hussain, Moinuddin Ahmed, Muhammad Akbar and Muhammad Usama Zafar

Department of Earth Sciences, KIU Gilgit, Pakistan

E-mail: alamdar.hussain@kiu.edu.pk

A total number of 22 wood samples were investigated to explore the growth-climate response of Picea

smithiana from Stak valley of Central Karakoram National Park. Some cores were rejected due to the

complacent rings. The master series was attained highest age of 330 years (1680-2009 A.D).The sample

depth was 20 cores up to 1900 A.D, 10 cores up to 1870 A.D while only a few cores sample attained up

to 1780 A.D. The expressed population signal (EPS) value was 0.94 while signal to noise ratio (SNR)

was 18.06. The running RBAR value was 0.47 while RBAR within the trees was 0.68 and between the

trees was 0.46. Total variance explained was 66.25% in residual ring width data and local climate data

while 29.36% attained in residual chronology and grid data. Standard chronology and Skardu local

climate showed strong correlation with 83.62% variance while low variance (R= 43.83%) was observed

in standard chronology and grid data. In case of temperature, July was significantly positively correlated

with tree growth. Previous November and previous December were also positive and significantly

correlated in 3 different responses and correlation analysis. It is also observed that April was negative

significantly correlated with tree growth in both correlation and response function analysis. In case of

precipitation, tree ring indices showed significant positive relationship with April and negative response

in October. This indicates that the more than average rainfall in April and low rainfall in the month of

October dropped the temperature and reduced sunlight which decreased the photosynthesis and

harmonic activity hence plant growth was affected. June and July temperature are strongly significantly

correlated and suitable for the growth of trees. Although June and July are the warm months but the

conifer tree species situated at high elevation near snow where temperature favored. In addition, present

study agreed that April precipitation support the growth of trees.Our study gives additional information

about growth-climate response of Picea smithiana from Stak valley of Skardu region. In addition it will

include a new site in a tree-ring network of Northern areas of Pakistan. This tree ring chronology may be

extended in time if larger and older trees are targeted in future

Key Words: 5 CKNP, Growth-Climate, Picea smithiana, Dendrochronology

4

Large-scale Droughts of Asia: from dendrochronology to prediction

Alexey Retejum, Kirill Diakonov, Nikolai Lovelus, Sergei Palchikov

Lomonosov Moscow State University

E-mail: aretejum@yandex.ru

Millions of people in Asia are suffering from regular severe droughts. The urgent scientific task is to

find a way to reduce the impact of unexpected hazardous events. The solution we propose includes three

stages. The first stage begins with gathering tree ring information. The present study is based on

multiyear data obtained from Siberia, Central Asia, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, China and Mongolia.

The second stage involves chronological survey. It was found that widespread droughts have happened

simultaneously in 1899-1900, 1920-1921, 1946-1947, 1954-1955, 1976-1978, 1989-1990 and 2000-

2003. The final stage focuses on the analysis of relationship between the Asia‟s climate and positions of

outer planets which impart significant impact on the Earth rotation, solar activity and cosmic ray. The

standard deviation of planet‟s geocentric longitudes in times of drought as a rule is smaller than normal

one. Keeping in mind this important observation we came to the conclusion that the drought risk would

be relatively high in 2015/2017 and relatively low in 2018/2020.

Key Words: 6 Droughts, space-time regularities, planets impact on climate

5

Changing Growth Responses of Patagonian Trees Along an

Environmental Gradient

Aliénor Lavergne, Valérie Daux, Ricardo Villalba and Jonathan Barichivich

France LSCE, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

E-mail: alienor.lavergne@gmail.com

Currently, the mid-latitudes of the Southern Hemisphere are undergoing unprecedented environmental

changes due to global warming and a readjustment of the regional atmospheric circulation. In the

Argentine Patagonia, South America, the Westerlies bringing humidity from the Pacific have weakened

since 1965 with the positive phase of the Southern Annular Mode (SAM). This lessening of the

precipitation has altered tree-growth patterns in the temperate forests. No mechanistic representation of

tree-growth has been already produced to study the changing responses of trees. Nothofagus pumilio, a

native species of North Patagonia, was sampled along the precipitation gradient at around 41°10‟S -

71°50‟W. The tree-ring chronologies were studied to identify the climatic drivers which have influenced

tree-growth along the gradient. A combined approach involving simple and partial correlation analyses

and process-based modelling with the Vaganov-Shashkin-lite (VS-lite) model of tree-ring formation is

used to infer climate controls on tree-growth. The longest and nearest instrumental series of temperature

and precipitation from Bariloche, which cover 1931-2006, are used as input and correlation data. At

mesic treelines, Nothofagus-growth conditions are optimal during warm years whereas at xeric treelines,

growth is promoted during cool and wet years, suggesting a difference in the limiting factors between

the two environments. The VS-lite model shows that, as expected, the beginning and the end of the

growing season is conditioned by temperature. Soil moisture takes control over tree-growth during the

mid-growing season (from December to March). The moisture limitation has increased since the late

1970‟s. The mechanistic model simulates well the growth over 1931- late 1970‟s. The correspondence

between observed and simulated tree-ring width deteriorates since then for the two driest sites

suggesting a change in climate response (threshold effect?) on the eastern limit of the distribution of this

species.

Key Words: 7 North Patagonia, tree-ring, Nothofagus pumilio, Vaganov-Shashkin-lite model,

precipitation gradient, climate change

6

Potential of the Isotopic Composition of Tree Cellulose for Past Climate

Reconstructions in Northern Patagonia, South America

Aliénor Lavergne, Valérie Daux and Ricardo Villalba

LSCE, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

E-mail: alienor.lavergne@lsce.ipsl.fr

Tree-rings parameters are valuable natural archives for past environment reconstructions. The patterns

and climate drivers of growth for native species of North Patagonia (South America) have been widely

documented and used for paleoclimate reconstructions in the region. At the contrary, the isotopic

composition of the cellulose, which has been shown to be a very valuable tool for climate

reconstruction, has never been used as a proxy in this area (41°10‟S-71°50‟W). Here, we explore the

potential of the isotopic composition of the oxygen of the cellulose (δ18Ocell and δ13Ccell) of Fitzroya

cupressoides and Nothofagus pumulio to reconstruct past climate variability. Five sites (2 for cypress, 3

for beech) along the regional West-East precipitation gradient were sampled during the austral summer

of 2013. The portion of the cores corresponding to the instrumental period (last 60 years) were analysed

at the inter-annual scale. We found inter-sites and -species consistencies of the δ18Ocell pointing to a

common climatic signal. δ18Ocell has increased during the last 60 years in pace with global warming.

The first principal component (FPC) explains 65% of the variance of the five isotopic chronologies and

is strongly correlated to Feb-May temperature (R=0.56, p<0.05). δ18Ocell is also well related to the

Antarctic Oscillation (AAO) index signal. The analyses of δ13Ccell are currently in progress. Our

results demonstrate the suitability of cypress and beech tree ring cellulose δ18O for reconstructing past

summer climate variability in North Patagonia and estimating changes in the AAO through time.

Key Words: 8 North Patagonia, tree-rings, cellulose, δ18O, climate change

7

Upward Shifting and Regeneration of Abies Spectabilis in the Tree Line Limit of

Manaslu Conservation Area, Central Himalaya of Nepal.

Arbindra Shrestha1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

1, 2 and Narayan Prasad Gaire

1, 2

1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

2Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal

E-mail: stha.arbin@gmail.com

Climate change has diverse impacts on ecosystems and their components. There are substantial changes

in the growth and regeneration capacity of many tree species even with a slight increase in average

annual temperature of 1 °C. The present study on upward shifting and regeneration of Abies spectabilis

was carried out in Betula-Abies mixed forest around Kaal Taal, Prok VDC of Manaslu Conservation

Area (MCA) in Gorkha district of Nepal. Two belt transects (Transect I & Transect II) were established

in the North-facing aspect in topographically uniform parts of the tree ecotone starting from the upper

species limit of Abies spectabilis and reaching at the treeline towards Kaal Taal. Every seedling, sapling

and tree within the plots was recorded through detailed exploration. DBH, height, and age were recorded

for every individual and internode height was recorded for seedlings and saplings. In total 252

individuals of Abies spectabilis (180 individuals from Transect I and 72 individuals from Transect II)

including 136 seedlings, 56 saplings and 60 trees were recorded. The species was found upto 3984 masl

in Transect I and 3955 masl in Transect II. The individuals at the uppermost limit established in 2000

AD for Transect I and 2003 for Transect II. We found that the species had expanded towards higher

elevation with total shifts of 220 m in 149 years at an average rate of 14.8 m per decade for the whole

area. The age-class distribution curve for all individuals combined showed a reverse J-shaped structure,

indicating sustainable regeneration. This result was also supported by DBH and height class distribution

curve. However, in Transect II, the curve was found slightly deviated from reverse J-shaped to bell

shaped indicating lack of recent regeneration. This might be due to the influence of the water body of

Kaal Taal while dispersing the seeds from downhill seed sources. A significant correlation (r=0.585,

p=0.01) was found between precipitation of the study area and average height of internodes of Abies

spectabilis. A change in climate might have influenced distribution of the vegetation at treeline ecotone

and treeline dynamics in the study area in recent decades. Long-term monitoring of both population

parameters and other variables are necessary to understand the regeneration rate of Abies spectabilis in

MCA and the status of the forest in future.

Key Words: 9 Abies spectabilis, regeneration, species limit expansion, vertical height growth, climate

change

8

Methodological Challenges and Opportunities Dendrochronology in Africa and Asia

Aster Gebrekirstos and Achim Bräuning

World Agroforestry Research Centre

E-mail: A.Gebrekirstos@cgiar.org

The prospects and applications of dendrochronology and stable isotope techniques is growing sharply in

recent years. Among others, dendrochronology has been used to reconstruct climate variability, trends

and atmospheric circulation patterns, to fill the knowledge gap in ecosystem productivity and

hydrological cycle in different climatic zones. However, in the tropics there are challenges. To advance

dendrochronology, cross continental collaborative efforts and sharing experiences are needed. In this

presentation we will elucidate the opportunities and challenges of dendrochronology in Africa and Asia

and examine climatic teleconnections (for instance ENSO related climatic signals) in East Africa and

monsoon Asia.

Key Words: Tropical dendrochronology, ENSO, teleconnection, Africa and Asia

9

Dendrochronological Study on Structural Changes of Conifer Stands In Northeast

Mongolia

Badar-Uugan Khasbaatar, Baatarbileg Nachin, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren and Byambagerel Suran

E-mail: morgen_bdr@yahoo.de

Recruitment and succession stages were reconstructed in two plots, Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica Du

Tour.) and Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) stands derived from age – height of mature trees,

saplings and seedlings and cross sections of snags and stumps. Study plots are located in Khentii

Mountain ranges, northeastern Mongolia. Sampling was included collection of all trees in twenty meters

of radius plot, and measurement of each trees position in the plot. Cores were collected at DBH while

heights of trees were measured by Vertex measuring system. Results showed that Siberian pine in first

plot is gradually replaced by Siberian larch and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) while Siberian

larch stand has slowly taken over by birches (Betula spp.). This succession change can be explained by

the climate change, while site condition favors not shade tolerant species like Siberian pine, but shade

intolerant species like larches and birches. Based on this findings, possible management strategies for

forest management should be suggested.

Key Words: 10 forest structure, forest growth, annual tree ring, dendrochronological methods

10

Inter- And Intra-Annual Tree-Ring Cellulose Oxygen Isotope Variability in

Response to Precipitation in Southeast China

Chenxi Xu, Huaizhou Zheng, Takeshi Nakatsuka, Masaki Sano, Zhen Li, Junyi Ge

Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN), 457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto,

Japan

E-mail: xuchenxi@gmail.com

Annual tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotope values (δ18O) of Fokienia hodginsii provide a promising

proxy of monsoon-season precipitation in Southeast China. Understanding the response of intra-annual

cellulose δ18O values to precipitation enables insight into climatic implication of inter-annual tree-ring

δ18O values. Here, we examine intra-annual variation of cellulose δ18O values in Fokienia hodginsii

and Cryptomeria fortune from Fujian Province, Southeast China. Both species exhibit intra-annual

cellulose δ18O values (~6‰) with a consistent pattern of enriched values near the annual ring boundary

and depleted values in the central portion of the ring. Seasonal patterns in the tree-ring δ18O values are

correlated with changes in both precipitation δ18O values and relative humidity.Cellulose δ18O values

in the early portion of the ring respond positively to those of the pre-growing season (February–March)

rainfall; whereby increased rainfall (18O-enriched) results in higher soil water δ18O values in the early

growing season, and therefore elevated cellulose δ18O values. In the middle portion of the ring,

cellulose δ18O values respond negatively to April–July rainfall, caused by the more intense rainfall

during the rainy season, which leads to more depleted δ18O of the precipitation, and subsequently those

of the cellulose.In addition, cellulose δ18O values in the middle portion of the ring during El Niño years

are higher than in La Niña years, and April to July rainfall is lower in El Niño years than in La Niña

years. Combining the significant correlations between inter-annual cellulose δ18O values and sea-

surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific, our results support the theory that the El

Niño Southern Oscillation affects tree-ring cellulose δ18O in Southeast China by modulating seasonal

precipitation.

Key Words: 11 tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotope, Fokienia hodginsii, Cryptomeria fortune,

precipitation, El Niño Southern Oscillation

11

Intrinsic and Extrinsic Influences on Tropical Tree Growth Ring Formation

Cheryll D. Nath

1, Raphaël Pélissier

2, 1, David F.R.P. Burslem

3, François Munoz

1, 4, N. Barathan

1

1 French Institute of Pondicherry, India

2 UMR AMAP, France

3 University of Aberdeen, UK

4 CIRAD, France

E-mail:cheryl.nath@ifpindia.org

A large proportion of tropical tree species do not produce distinctly identifiable growth rings, which

limits dendrochronological research in this region as compared to temperate areas. However, given the

larger number of tropical than temperate species, there is still scope for many species to be used in

tropical dendrochronology if we could easily identify which ones are most likely to produce distinct and

reliable growth rings. With the aim of understanding what makes certain species more likely than others

to produce growth rings in the tropics, we assess intrinsic and extrinsic factors in relation to growth-ring

formation in southern India. The peninsular region of southern India experiences climatic extremes

associated with alternating rainy and dry seasons. As climatic extremes generally are associated with

growth-ring formation, this should result in distinct ring formation in many or most trees. However, it is

clear that not all species respond by producing growth rings. Only a few species have been consistently

considered as more reliable for dendroclimatological investigations than others (e.g., Tectona grandis),

but the causes of differences in growth-ring formation across different tropical species of this region

have not been clearly established. In order to gain an understanding of what factors may be associated

with distinct versus less distinct or absence of growth rings, we examined the influence of various

factors, including species‟ functional traits and climatic variations, to assess whether intrinsic or

extrinsic factors play a more important role in determining growth rings. The results are expected to be

generalizable and testable across the tropics.

Key Words: 12 Wood anatomy, growth ring distinctness, drought, South India

12

Forest Mortality and Regeneration under Drought Stress in Inner Asia

Chongyang Xu,Hongyan Liu*, Oleg Anenkhonov, Andrey Korolyuk, Denis Sandanov, Zhaohuan Qi

Peking University, Beijing, China

E-mail: xchongyang1008@126.com

Forest mortality occurred in forest-steppe ecotone has been reported frequently and globally. Effect of

drought stress seems to be a critical factor of increased forest growth decline accompanied by forest

mortality, also affecting forest regeneration. Besides, the effect of forest edge, patch size, and tree

species can‟t be ignored. We investigated the patches of forest from forest edge to interior at forest

patches with different sizes in southern Siberia of Russia and northern China through total stand

sampling of tree-ring and systematical counts of seeds, sprouted branches of broadleaf forest species

(like Betula platyphylla), seeding, sapling, dead trees and living trees for each stand. Our results show

that high ratio of forest mortality concentrated in driest sites of the forest-steppe ecotone, across

different tree species, e.g. Pinus sylvestris, Ulmus pumila, Larix sibirica, Larix gmelinii, Populus

davidiana, and Betula platyphylla. At site level, however, no edge effect was found. Result of 1416 tree

cores of 9 sites suggest that forest growth are threatened by drought stress, especially the water deficit in

winter and early spring. Besides, tree growth more sensitive to climate change in smaller patches than

inlarger ones, implying a weak collective resistance to drought stress induced by climate change. Our

investigation indicate an ability that forest can generate more seeds (for conifer trees) or change to

sprout (for broadleaf trees) to maintain forest community continuing along dry climate gradient, except

the small forest patches. High forest mortality and sensitivity to dry climate, and lack of seeds on the

soilwhich indicate a weak potential ability of regeneration, imply a worsen future of small forest patches

if dry climate conditions in this regions will continue.

Key Words: 13 forest mortality, forest regeneration, patch size, water deficit

13

Assessing the Growth Characteristics and Climate Response of Abies Spectabilis

Using Tree Ring Analysis along the Elevation Gradient in Manang, Central Nepal

Himalaya

Deepak Kumar Kharal

Institute of Forestry, Tribhuvan University

E-mail: deepak_kharal@yahoo.com

This study assessed the tree-ring growth pattern of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) and its relation with

climate phenomena (temperture and precipitatin) in different altitude of central Nepal Himalaya. Radial

growth of the trees were measured from the increment cores collected from three different elevation

gradients: lower (E1, alt. 3175m), middle (E2, alt. 3375m) and upper (E3, alt. 3575m) of similar climatic

condition and same aspects in Manang valley of Annapurna region. A total of 208 tree cores from 108

sampled trees were collected out of which 40 tree core series of each elevation site were successfully

cross-dated with 144, 168 and 212 years of ring width chronologies for E1, E2 and E3 respectively. The

highest radial growth (1.75 mm) was observed at the middle elevation (E2) and lowest (1.07 mm) at the

upper elevation (E3) with significant different (p<0.05). The ring width chronologies revealed that the

mean sensitivity of the species was a function of elevation in the study area. Similarly, percentage of

missing rings, standard deviation, correlation among all series and variance explained all decreased with

elevation. However, chronologiesof two close sites were highly correlated with each other (p<0.01).The

ring width of A. spectabilis in lower elevation site (E1) was negatively correlated with the January

precipitation and also indirectly correlated with the spring (March-May) temperature (p<0.05). In the

middle elevation site (E2), same response was shown by the chronology, but May-July temperature

played a greater role in controlling the growth negatively there (p<0.05). In the upper elevation site (E3)

the tree growth was limited indirectly by both monsoon (July-September) precipitation and spring

temperature (p<0.05). In overall, trees growing in this elevation gradient were limited negatively by

winter and monsoon precipitation as well as indirectly by spring and early summer temperature.

Key Words: 14 Abies spectabilis, Central Himalaya, Climate response, Elevation gradient, Tree-ring

characteristics

14

Effects of Altered River Flow and Climatic Variability on Riparian Ecosystem in

Upper Himalayas

Dharmveer

Department of Forestry and NR HNB Garhwal University, India

E-mail: dharmveer.kaintura2@gmail.com

The hydrological alterations to ensure water for agriculture, industrial and domestic purposes, for

hydroelectricity and for flood protection have changed ecosystem structure and processes in running

water and associated environments in Uttarakhand. This alteration of flow occurs mainly due to the

construction of dams both in upstream and downstream of the river. The alteration in natural flow of

river is affecting the aquatic as well as terrestrial ecosystem butmainly riparian ecosystem which occupy

the ecotone between upland and aquatic ecosystem.The regular alteration in flow regimes influence the

habitat of riparian species which also leads in composition shift from native to invasive (exotic) plant

species and deforestation. A quantitative evaluation of the growth-climate relationship based on a

correlation and response function analysis reveals association of tree rings growth with the stream flow,

precipitation and temperature. The aim was to assess the impacts of intra- and inter- annual climatic

variability and stream flow, on the annual tree ring growth and on the performance of native and

invasive tree species in a riparian ecosystem along the river in Uttarakhand.

Key Words: 15 Hydrological alteration, Riparian ecosystem, Dendrochronology, Invasive plants

15

Is the Growth of Birch at the Upper Timberline in the Himalayas Limited by

Moisture or by Temperature?

Eryuan Liang1, Binod Dawadi

2, Neil Pederson

3, Dieter Eckstein

4

1 Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes and Key Laboratory of

Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Beijing 100101 China 2Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

E-mail: liangey@itpcas.ac.cn

Birch (Betula) trees and forests are found across much of the temperate and boreal zones of the Northern

Hemisphere. Yet, despite being an ecologically significant genus, it is not well studied compared to

other genera like Pinus, Picea, Larix, Juniperus, Quercus, or Fagus. In the Himalayas, Himalayan birch

(Betula utilis) is a widespread broadleaf timberline species that survives in mountain rain shadows via

access to water from snowmelt. Because precipitation in the Nepalese Himalayas decreases with

increasing elevation, we hypothesized that the growth of birch at the upper timberlines between 3900

and 4150 m above sea level is primarily limited by moisture availability rather than by low temperature.

To examine this assumption, a total of 292 increment cores from 211 birch trees at nine timberline sites

were taken for dendroecological analysis. The synchronous occurrence of narrow rings and the high

interseries correlations within and among sites evidenced a reliable cross-dating and a common climatic

signal in the tree-ring width variations. From March to May, all nine treering-width site chronologies

showed a strong positive response to total precipitation and a less-strong negative response to

temperature. During the instrumental meteorological record (from 1960 to the present), years with a high

percentage of locally missing rings coincided with dry and warm pre-monsoon seasons. Moreover,

periods of below-average growth are in phase with well-known drought events all over monsoon Asia,

showing additional evidence that Himalayan birch growth at the upper timberlines is persistently limited

by moisture availability. Our study describes the rare case of a drought-induced alpine timberline that is

comprised of a broadleaf tree species.

Key Words: 16 alpine timberline; Betula utilis; central Himalayas; climate sensitivity; dendroecology;

drought; missing ring; Nepal; precipitation; pre-monsoon season; tree-ring width;

warming

16

Dendroclimatic Reconstruction of Annual Precipitation for the Northwestern Altay

Region (China), Indicates Large-Scale

Drought Signals of the Southern Forest Limit of

Northern Asia

Feng Chen, Yujiang Yuan, Tongwen Zhang, Huaming Shang

Key Laboratory of Tree-ring Physical and Chemical Research of China Meteorological

Administration/Xinjiang Laboratory of Tree Ring Ecology, Institute of Desert Meteorology, China

Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China

E-mail: feng653@163.com

Based on the significant positive correlations between the regional chronology and local climate data,

July–June precipitation for the northwestern Altay region (China) was reconstructed for the period AD

1760–2013. The reconstruction model accounts for 40.7% of the actual precipitation variance during the

calibration period from 1959 to 2013. Wet conditions prevailed during the periods 1764–1777, 1784–

1791, 1795–1805, 1829–1835, 1838–1846, 1850–1862, 1867–1872, 1907–1916, 1926–1931, 1935–

1943, 1956–1961, 1968–1973, 1984–1997 and 2002–2006. Dry episodes occurred during 1760–1763,

1778–1783, 1792–1794, 1806–1828, 1836–1837, 1847–1849, 1863–1866, 1873–1906, 1917–1925,

1932–1934, 1944–1955, 1962–1967, 1974–1983 and 1998–2001 and 2007–2012. The spectral analysis

shows the existence of some cycles (15.3, 4.5, 3.1, 2.7 and 2.1 years). The significant correlations with

the gridded precipitation dataset revealed that the precipitation reconstruction represents the

precipitation variation for a large area of the southern forest limit of northern Asia. Comparison with the

precipitation reconstruction from the southern Altay Mountains shows the high level of confidence for

the precipitation reconstruction for the northwestern Altay region. Precipitation variation of the

northwestern Altay region is positively correlated with sea surface temperatures in tropical oceans,

suggesting a possible linkage of the precipitation variation of the northwestern Altay region to the El

Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The Synoptic climatology analysis reveals that there is the

relationship between anomalous atmospheric circulation and extreme climate events in northwestern

Altay region.

Key Words: 17 northwestern Altay region; Tree rings; Precipitation reconstruction; Synoptic

climatology analysis

17

Elevation-Dependent Variations of Tree Growth and Iwue in Schrenk Spruce (Picea

Schrenkiana) In the Western

Tianshan Mountains, China

Guoju Wu 1, 2

, Xiaohong Liu 1

*, Tuo Chen 1, Guobao Xu

1, 2, Wenzhi Wang

1, 2, Xiaomin Zeng

1, 2,

Xuanwen Zhang 1, 2

, Dahe Qin 1

1 State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering

Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China 2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China

E-mail: guojuwu@163.com

We investigated elevation-dependent variations of tree growth and physiological responses related to

intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) in northwestern China‟s Wusun Mountains based on the basal

area increment (BAI) and tree-ring δ13C chronologies from 1960 to 2010. The maximum temperature in

April to August was significantly positively correlated with δ13C at the highest-elevation site, whereas

δ13C was significantly positively correlated with temperature and negatively correlated with relative

humidity from April to August at the middle-elevation and low-elevation sites. However, weak climate

control on BAI was found at the highest-elevation site. The temperature parameters were more strongly

negatively correlated with BAI and moisture conditions were more positively correlated with BAI at

lower elevations. Trees at the highest-elevation site initially maintained a constant intercellular CO2

concentration (Ci), with improved iWUE, then switched to a passive response around 1980, whereas

trees at the middle-elevation and low-elevation sites maintained constant Ci/Ca (atmospheric CO2) and

above-constant Ci/Ca, respectively. Ca influenced tree growth most strongly at the highest-elevation

site, but the dominant control became drought at the middle-elevation and low-elevation sites. Drought

during the 1970s significantly decreased growth at the middle- and low-elevation sites but not at the

highest-elevation site, whereas drought in the 2000s decreased growth at all elevations. The positive

relationship between BAI and iWUE in the 1970s at the highest-elevation site suggests a CO2

stimulation effect. However, improved iWUE at the low-elevation site was accompanied by decreased

growth, and may have been insufficient to counteract the negative influence of drought.

Key Words: 18 Basal area increment, intrinsic water-use efficiency, drought, elevation gradient,

physiological response, northwestern China

18

Centennial Tree-Ring Records of Teak (Tectona Grandis l. F.) Over Indian Region

in the Context of Long-Term Climate Change

H. P. Borgaonkar and Somaru Ram

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pashan, Pune 411008, India

E-mail: hemant@tropmet.res.in

The tree-ring chronologies, though shorter in palaeoclimatic time frame, are accurate and their time

resolution can provide information to a specific season and year. Studies based on teak (Tectona grandis

L.F.) samples collected from tropical forest of central and peninsular India indicate long tree-ring data

beyond 500 years in age with high sensitivity to environmental changes. Well-dated tree-ring

chronologies covering a wide geographical area provide yearly proxy data for studies of climatic and

hydrologic variations over both space and time. Tree-ring analysis of teak from tropical forest indicates

high dendroclimatic potential of the species and can be used to reconstruct pre-monsoon and monsoon

climate variability in the past.We present dendroclimatic analysis of a tree-ring width network of teak

from central and peninsular India. Significant positive relationship of tree-ring chronologies with All

India Monsoon Rainfall (AIMR), corresponding Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) and Palmer Drought

Severity Index (PDSI) indicates the importance of moisture in tree growth-climate relationship.

Frequency of occurrence of low tree growth index was significantly higher during the deficient monsoon

rainfall years, associated with El Nino events since the late 18th century. Prior to that, most of the low

tree growth years occurred in the known El Nino years, probably because of associated deficient

monsoon rainfall. A good agreement between our tree-ring series and long solar activity records as well

as speleothem-based monsoon rainfall reconstruction lends credence to the usefulness of tropical teak

chronologies for drought reconstruction. We also try to look for the Asian monsoon multi-decadal mode

of variability integrated with such long tree-ring data.

Key Words: 19 Tectona grandis, Central India, Southern India, Dendroclimatology, Indian Summer

Monsoon, PDSI

19

The Natural External Forcing Recorded In Tree Ring Based Annual Temperature

Reconstruction in Northeast China

Hong Yin, Hong Bin Liu

National Climate Center, China Meteorological Administration, China

E-mail: yinh@cma.gov.cn

The ring-width chronology of Pinuskoraiensis from the Northeast China was used to estimate the annual

temperature since AD 1765. The reconstruction accounts for 45.8% of the annual temperature variation

in the instrumental period. Six cold periods and five warm periods were identified based on the 11-year

moving average of reconstructed annual temperature series.Comparisons with other paleoclimatic

proxies showed that several cold and warm periods coincide with previous studies. Some cold periods

was found to be related to the influence of the eruption of five strong volcanic activities with volcanic

explosive index (VEI) intensity beyond six since the 19th Century.A method based on the ensemble

empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) was proposed for accurately detecting the multi-scale variation

of reconstruction temperature. Seven Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs) were extracted based on

themethod.The 3.8-5.6 yr major period of the IMF1 reflected the characteristics of inter-annual

temperature variability which was associated with atmosphere circulations and the El Niño-Southern

Oscillation.The 10-12yr, 22yr, 39.5-52.7yr, and 79yrscale ofIMF2-IMF5 represented a possible

influence of solar activity on climate change.Temperature seriesin our study had a time lag of about

3year with sunspot number in 10-12yr scale.

Key Words: 20 Northeast China, Tree-ring reconstruction, Ensemble empirical mode decomposition,

multi-scale variability

20

Responses of Forest Growth and Recruitment to Recent Climate Change in Central

Asian Mountains

Hongyan Liu, Zhaohuan Qi, Xiuchen Wu

College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, China

E-mail:lhy@urban.pku.edu.cn

Forest growth is sensitive to interannual climatic change in the alpine treeline ecotone (ATE). Based on

a network of stand-total tree ring samplings and forest inventory data from 26 stands in Tianshan

Mountains and Altai Mountains, we reconstructed tree growth and forest recruitment dynamics during

the past decades and investigated the linkages of forest dynamics to climate variations in the Central

Asian drylands. We answered two scientific questions: (1) whether does the alpine treeline ecotone

share a similar pattern of forest growth with lower elevational closed forest belt (CFB) under changing

climate? and (2) how is forest recruitment coupled with climate-driven tree-growth?We founded an

unprecedented acceleration of Picea schrenkiana forest growth since 1960s in the ATE of Tianshan

Mountains, northwestern China by a stand-total sampling along six altitudinal transects with three plots

in each transect: one from the ATE between the treeline and the forest line, and the other two from the

CFB. All the sampled P. schrenkiana forest patches show a higher growth speed after 1960 and,

comparatively, forest growth in the CFB has sped up much slower than that in the ATE. The speedup of

forest growth at the ATE is mainly accounted for by climate factors, with increasing temperature

suggested to be the primary driver. Stronger water deficit as well as more competition within CFB might

have restricted forest growth there more than that within ATE, implying biotic factors were also

significant for the accelerated forest growth in the ATE, which should be excluded from simulations and

predictions of warming-induced treeline dynamics.We revealed a strong coupling between tree growth,

forest recruitment and climate variations. A favorable climate generally increases tree growth and

triggers growth release and forest recruitments in these semi-arid forests. Differences in local

environmental conditions, disturbance regimes and forest histories could possibly modify the forest

recruitment dynamics among these forests. Tree radial growth and forest recruitments in both low and

high altitudinal Altai Mountain show divergent responses to climate, especially to the spring

temperature. A warmer spring will benefit forest recruitment but tends to limit larch radial growth at

lower altitudinal mountains.

Key Words: 21 Forest growth, recruitment, stand-total sampling, tree line, Central Asia

21

Dendroclimatological Study on the Western Loess Plateau

Huiming Song, Yu Liu

The State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese

Academy of Sciences, Xi‟an 710075, China

E-mail: songhm@iee.cas.cn

The great Loess Plateau in central China, is a fragile area in which ecosystem deterioration and serious

soil erosion has occurred. It is important and urgent to be aware of climate conditions in the past and,

furthermore, to predict expected climatic variation trends in the future. Although some tree-ring studies

are available on the Plateau, more research on this topic is needed, particularly a systematic study of

climatic characteristics in the whole of the Loess Plateau.

Tree ring samples were collected from Mt. Shimen and Mt. Kongtong. The ring-width STD

chronologies of both sites were negatively correlated with temperature for most months. In contrast, the

correlations between precipitation and tree growth were positive and slightly lower than those for

temperature. Warm conditions during May-July limit the radial growth of trees because high

temperatures lead to high evaporation and reduced soil moisture. Negative correlations between tree-

ring widths and temperature and positive correlations with precipitation were reported in other tree-ring

studies on Loess Plateau. Basing on this result, the past temperatures were reconstructed for both sites.

The Chinese pines from Mt. Shimen (MSM), Nanwutai (NWT) (Liu et al., 2009) and Funiu Mountain

(FNM) (Tian et al., 2009) synchronously respond to May-July temperature variations, indicating that

growth patterns throughout the region capture large-scale variations in the growing season due to the

barrier function of the Qinling Moutains.

Kongtong and Hokkaido temperature reconstructions show similar variation patterns, along with high

correlations between Kongtong and CRU temperatures of northern China, indicating that Kongtong tree-

ring records could be representative of large-scale temperature variations. The PDO affected

temperature variations in northern China and even Hokkaido to a certain extent.

22

Tree-Ring Dating Of Palsangjeon (Five Story Wooden Pagoda) At Beopjusa Temple

in Boeun, Korea

Hyun-min Jeong, Won-Kyu Park, Yeong-seok Lee, Yojung Kim, Jeong-Wook Seo

Chungbuk National University, Department of Wood and Paper Science, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

E-mail: itree@chungbuk.ac.kr

Palsangjeon is a five-story wooden pagoda and worship at the Beopjusa temple in the national park in

Chungcheongbuk-do, Korea. According to historical records, it was reconstructed in either A.D. 1604 or

A.D. 1626. To render the reconstruction year more precisely, we applied tree-ring analysis. In total, 41

wood samples, 34 from red pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) and 7 from oak (Quercus, subgenus

Lepidobalanus), were collected during repair actions in 2013. By smoothing their cross-sectional

surface, the tree-ring boundaries became clearly visible and the tree-ring widths were measured under a

stereo microscope. All tree-ring series were compared with each other and also with a master

chronology, made from red pine. As a result, the red pines were felled in A.D. 1624 and in A.D. 1851,

but also the oaks cross-dated well and were felled in A.D. 1624. We concluded that the Palsangjeon was

reconstructed in A.D. 1626, as mentioned in the historical record, using oak and red pine and repaired in

A.D. 1851 using red pine.

Key Words: 22 Palsangjeon, wooden pagoda, dating, red pine, oak

23

Applicability of Backward Trajectory Modelling To Disentangle the Influence of

Different Water Source Signals of the Asian

Monsoon in Δ18o of Tree-Ring Cellulose

Jakob Wernicke1, Philipp Hochreuther

1, Jussi Grießinger

1, Haifeng Zhu

2, Lily Wang

3, Achim Bräuning

1

1Institute of Geography, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (Germany)

2Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing (China)

3Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resource Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences,

Beijing (China)

Numerous studies have demonstrated a significant response of stable oxygen isotopes in tree-ring

cellulose with local climate conditions. In particular, the variability of moisture conditions is often

recorded in the δ18O values of tree-ring cellulose. However, species-specific biochemical fractionation

processes as well as source water δ18O variability are still a big obstacle to better understanding plant-

atmosphere dynamics. Here we address the question: “What determines the stable oxygen isotope

content of the trees source water?”We will compare annually resolved δ18O chronologies from several

sites along the southern Himalayas, with a regional focus on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. In that

particular region, two summer monsoon branches (Indian and East Asian Summer Monsoon) merge and

can produce a mixed signal within the δ18O values of tree-ring cellulose. Depending on the temperature

driven fractionation of different heated waters, the δ18O values differ among them. For instance, a 2.5‰

variance between the waters of the Indian Ocean (Bay of Bengal) and the South China Sea has been

documented (Araguás-Araguás et al., 1998). Additionally, due to variations in the flow directions and

continuing 18O discrimination during the water vapor transport (e.g. continental effect), water from

several source regions might vary respectively. Therefore, dissimilar δ18O source water signatures

represent a plausible reason for high/ low δ18O values in the tree-ring cellulose. In order to distinguish

predominating flow directions, we applied the “Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory

Model” (HYSPLIT) and related the trajectory directions and velocities to the δ18O values of our tree-

ring cellulose. The approach might be very promising in the field of dendroclimatology for the

development of palaeowind reconstructions.

Key Words: 23 KW summer monsoon, stable oxygen isotope, trajectory modeling

24

Geographic Frontiers in Dendrochronology

James H. Speer

Indiana State University, USA

E-mail:jim.speer@indstate.edu

Dendrochronology is a young science with the first publications in the field just over 100 years ago and

the first tree-ring lab founded in 1937. We can watch the progression of the field as it expands

geographically from that first lab to early work in Europe and finally the spread to the other continents.

It is possible to track the geographic spread of dendrochronology into new frontiers through early work

by individual researchers, followed by an increase in activity in those regions, and finally tree-ring labs

being developed in the region which increases local capacity for research. This progression has occurred

in South America, Asia, and is now going on in Africa. This work examines the development and

geographic spread of dendrochronology to each continent with a focus on the current expansion of the

field into Asia and Africa. Part of this expansion has been the exploration of tree species that had not

previously been examined with dendrochronology and currently much of the expansion is occurring in

tandem with technological advances such as the examination of stable isotopes, wood anatomy, and blue

intensity.

Key Words: 24 Asia, Africa, stable isotopes, frontiers, dendrochronology, wood anatomy

25

Greenhouse Experiment with Temperature, Co2 and Drought Scenario to Monitor

the Change of Cellular Anatomical Characteristics

in Saplings (Pinus Sylvestris L.)

Jeong-Wook Seo, Dieter Eckstein, Allan Buras, Andrea Olbrich, Jörg Fromm

Chungbuk National University, Department of Wood and Paper Science, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

E-mail:jwseo@chungbuk.ac.kr

Cell-anatomical variables such as cell diameter, lumen area and/or diameter and cell-wall thickness can

be „archives‟ for environmental information other than found in the tree-ring widths. To test this widely

unexplored potential, we monitored the influences of an expected climate change on cell-anatomical

variables and on tree-rings widths and then compared them to each other using Scots pine saplings

(Pinus sylvestris L.) in a greenhouse. This study was performed under six scenarios, i.e. warming by 5

°C alone (ET) and in combination with drought stress in June (ETD6) or in August (ETD8), and CO2

enrichment alone (770 ppm) and in combination with drought stress in June (ECD6) or in August (TD8).

The control group for the warming experiment was adjusted to 20°C during day time and 15°C during

night time and the control group for CO2 enrichment was adjusted to 380 ppm CO2. An ANOVA and a

Tukey HSD test were employed to identify any influence of these treatments on cell-anatomical

variables. We found that the cell wall of the saplings under most scenarios was thinner than of the

saplings being kept under the control conditions, but there was no difference between the tree-ring

widths of the saplings under the six scenarios as compared to the control conditions. This might indicate

that the cell-anatomical variables reflect environmental information other than tree ring width.

Key Words: 25 cell-anatomical variables, warming effect, CO2 enrichment, and drought stress

26

Blue Intensity, Radiodensitometry and Anatomical Wood Density - Progress Report

of an Inter-Comparison

Jesper Björklund, Daniel Nievergelt, Kristina Seftigen, David Frank

Swiss Federal Research Institute (WSL), Zürcherstrasse 111, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland

E-mail: jesper.bjoerklund@wsl.ch

Maximum latewood density has dominated growing season temperature reconstructions during the

recent decades both on local to global scales, and its skill in climate reconstructions has on numerous

occasions been shown to be superior to the more commonly used ring-width parameter. However, the

standard procedure of using radiodensitometric (X-Ray density) analyses of wood material is expensive

and may have systematic biases. In this study we explore two alternatives to radiodensitometry: 1) the

Blue Intensity methodology (BI), which instead of x-ray instrumentation utilizes commercial optical

flatbed scanners and is a means for decreasing costs and increasing potential sample counts; and 2) the

wood anatomical density (WA density) from thin micro sections that is opposite to BI a pathway to

increase accuracy in the methodology, but more time-consuming and perhaps more expensive than X-

Ray density. In this work in progress, X-Ray, WA and BI analyses will be carried out on 32

destructively sampled living P. sylvestris from a tree-line site in northernmost Finland. For each

methodology we aim to analyze three radii from every tree with regard to the corresponding maximum

latewood parameter, and results are expected to give information about the different methodologies in

terms of climate calibration signals, mid to low frequency trends, as well as signal to noise ratios. As an

extension of this study, an International comparison of radiodensitometric measurements performed by

different laboratories with available instrumentation of measuring density will be proposed by the Swiss

Federal Institute of Forest, Snow and Landscape research (WSL). The material and measurement

protocol is kept identical to the study on BI, X-ray and WA density . Asian laboratories are an integral

part of the international tree-ring community and are invited to join the proposed measurement protocol.

Key Words: 26 Blue Intensity, Wood anatomical density, X-ray density, Maximum latewood density

27

The Relationship between Early Summer Temperature and the Global Sea Surface

Temperature in the North of Western Sichuan Plateau

from 1854 To 2010

Jinjian Li, Xuemei Shao, Yuanyuan Li, Ninsheng Qin

Chengdu Institute of Plateau Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration

E-mail: lijinjian_1116@163.com

We analysed five tree-ring chronologies from the northwest of Sichuan Plateau using the principal

component analysis (PCA) method to identify regional patterns in climate variability. The variance

contribution of the first principal component (PC1) was 59.5%, which represented the most common

features of tree-ring variations of the northwestern part of the Sichuan Plateau. Spatial correlations

between meteorological records, PC1 chronology,and CRU data were calculated for the periods 1961-

2010. The results suggested the PC1 represented temperature variation at a large scale, and was

positively correlated with that in northwest China, the Tibet Plateau and Eastern Siberia(r>0.443,

P<0.001). The PC1 and meteorological records were used to investigate the influence of global SST on

the regional temperature variability during the modern instrumental observation period(1961-2010),

Significant positive correlations were observed for the Western Pacific, the Equatorial Indian Ocean, the

South Subtropical Indian Ocean, the Equatorial Atlantic and the North Atlantic. This suggests that

changes of sea surface temperatures in multiple ocean basins could effect regional climate across the

study area. However, using the PC1 chronology in the longer time scale (1854-2010) and phased

analysis, we found that obvious differences of different stages on the temperature leading regional sea,

and even opposite distribution patterns exist in different stages in larger space. The correlation

coefficient of the intensity of the air-sea interaction has significant difference. When the temperatures

fluctuation was more severe, the air-sea interaction was more intense. The results of abnormal analysis

suggest that the influence of the northwestern Pacific and northern Atlantic SST are stable and sustained.

Key Words: 27 Western Sichuan Plateau, tree-ring, temperature, global SST

28

Genetic Structure Modulates the Growth-Climate Relationships of

Boreo-Mountain Marginal Populations

Johann Housset, Francine Tremblay, Martin Girardin, Renzo Motta, Yves Bergeron & Christopher

Carcaillet

Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada

E-mail: johann.housset@gmail.com

Climate change effects are expected to be most visible at species area margins, where populations are far

from their climatic optimum. Due to their marginal situation isolation, peripheral populations would

have theoretically a reduced genetic diversity and higher inbreeding rates, resulting in a higher

homozygosity. Those characteristics could hinder their response capacity to the new environmental

conditions. Here we use the growth-climate relationships to assess the response capacity of boreo-

mountain marginal populations of Thuja occidentalis in the eastern Canada and of Pinus cembra in the

west European Alps. We focused on the traits of radial growth and, tested the hypothesis that the

between site variability of the tree-ring sensitivity to climate in boreo-mountain areas was linked to the

species genetic structure. The link between the radial growth intrapopulation variability and the

intrapopulation genetic diversity was also tested. Results suggest that the genetic structure significantly

modulated the correlation coefficients between radial growth and both spring temperature and

precipitation during the previous summer in cold regions. This finding suggests that there might be a

genetic control of the temperature sensitivity to resume dormancy and of the water use efficiency.

Intrapopulation growth variability was explained by the local climate and, in a minor extent, by the

diversity of alleles in the population. Our result suggest that there is an acclimation potential of marginal

populations to climate warming, but this acclimation depends on their intrapopulation genetic diversity.

Key Words: 28 Acclimation, boreal forest, climate change, dendroclimatology, genetic structure,

peripheral population, tree growth

29

Late Holocene Monsoonal Dynamics in Se-Tibet Derived From

Glacial Evidence and Tree-Ring Data

J. Griessinger, D. Loibl, P. Hochreuther, J. Wernicke, F. Lehmkuhl & A. Bräuning

University of Erlangen, Institute of Geography, Wetterkreuz 15, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany

E-mail:jussi.griessinger@fau.de

The Tibetan plateau (TP) plays a key role within the global circulation system. Known as the Third Pole

Environment, climate change in the last 50 years severly affects its environments and ecosystems. The

key role within the mechanistical understanding and quantification of this change lies within climate

records which can give important information of the climate history on the TP. Since only few station

data is available, the need of proxy datasets is evident to quantify actual changes within a time period

that lies beyond severe human influence e.g. the beginning of the industrialization. Within this study we

present multi-parameter based analysis of the climate and landscape history from SE-Tibet. As a novel

tool, we bring together results from geomorphologists working on glacier dynamics and its reaction

towards global warming and the results of paleoclimatologists working on a quantification of the climate

history on this climatically sensitive region at the roof of the world. We present results indicating the

effect of climate induced glacier retreats and the possibility to cross-validate results from

geomorphological findings as well as results from proxy based oxygen isotope series with annual

resolution. In doing so, phases of glacier advances and retreats can be dated and additionally be inter-

linked to climatically important phases like the Little Ice Age (LIA) or the Medieval Warming Period

(MWP).

Key Words: 29 Tibetan plateau, stable oxygen isotopes, glacier dynamics, Little Ice Age

30

Temperature Variations over the Western Himalaya, India

Jayendra Singh

Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, 33 General Mahadeo Singh Road, Dehra Dun-248001, India

E-mail: jayendrasingh@wihg.res.in

Weather records show that most regions in the world experienced a warming trend in the late 20th

century. However, change in global mean temperature associated with anthropogenic activities is not

uniform across the globe. Understanding this heterogeneity in geographic response to climate change

and future climate trends requires a close network of data across the globe. However, available

instrumental climate records hamper such studies due to their shorter span especially for orographically

dissected Himalayan region. Climate records from the Himalayan region are also important as

temperature variations over the Himalayan region controls differential heating of land and ocean which

triggers south Asian summer monsoon rainfall (June-September). Proxy climate records such as tree-

rings with precise annual dating control provide valuable data to reconstruct the climate of the last

millennium or more. Several tree ring based temperature records were developed for the western

Himalayan region. Spring season climate records developed from Gangotri and Alaknanda valley,

western Himalaya show no such evidence of mean temperature warming and even show cooling during

the late 20th

century, which is associated with rapid decrease in minimum temperatures as compared to

the increasing rate in maximum temperature. Large scale deforestation and land degradation in the

region appears to be responsible for the increase in diurnal temperature range and ultimately the

decrease in mean temperature.

Key Words: 30 Tree ring, western Himalaya, India

31

Sensitivity of Tree Growth to Temperature in the Southeastern China and the

Potential for Spatial Temperature Reconstruction

Jiangfeng Shi, Shiyuan Shi, Xinyuan Hou, Lingling Li, Huayu Lu

School of Geographic and Oceanographic Sciences, Nanjing University

E-mail: shijf@nju.edu.cn

Tree-rings play an important role in reconstructing past temperature in high-latitude and high-elevation

regions where they are stressed by the growing season temperature. However, little tree-ring research

has been done in subtropical southeastern China, an East Asian monsoon region with high temperature

and precipitation in the growing season. Recent studies show that coniferous tree growth in the region is

limited by temperatures in the prior winter and the current growing season (i.e., prior November to

current July) at high elevation sites. Higher temperature in the dormant season means less damage to

leaves and roots, and less consumption of previously stored carbohydrates and starches that can be used

for tree growth in the coming year. The mechanism of positive relationships with the growing season is

the same as that in high-latitude and high-elevation regions. The new temperature reconstructions match

each other very well at decadal to multi-decadal scales during the past 150 years at a large spatial scale,

that is, of 700 km, even though there are some discrepancies in the early part of the comparisons.

Possible reasons for the discrepancies include local temperature differences, small sample depth in the

early part of the reconstructions, and/or juvenile effects. Regardless, the agreements among

reconstructions indicate the potential to develop a large tree-ring network to reconstruct temperature

over the southeastern China. However, generally weak temperature signals in tree-ring chronologies at

small spatial scales mean that special data analyses methods might be needed.

Key Words: 31 Tree-Rings, Temperature, Southeast China

32

Dendroclimatological Potential of Baikiaea Plurijuga in Zambia

Justine Ngoma, James H. Speer, Royd Vinya, Bart Kruijt, Eddy Moors & Rik Leemans

Copperbelt University

Wageningan University, Alterra

Indiana State University

E-mail: justinangoma@yahoo.com

The dendroclimatological potential of Baikiaea plurijuga in Zambia tree-ring records can provide

valuable information to advance our understanding on how climate change can affect tree growth. The

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has projected future temperature increase and less

rainfall for southern Africa. We examined Zambezi Teak (Baikiaea plurijuga), which is new to

dendrochronology, and which dominates the teak forests in Southern Africa, to understand the potential

impacts of climate change on the growth of these forests. The relationship between tree ring width and

climatic variables was determined. Stem disks were collected at stump height (i.e. 30cm above the

ground) from three sites in different climatic zones in Zambia (i.e. Sesheke with 23 disks, Namwala with

15 disks and Kabompo with 16 disks). Eight discs from Sesheke had known planting dates. The samples

were first leveled with a grinder and then sanded with progressively finer sand paper starting with 40

and ending with 1200 grits. Additional hand sanding was conducted in the laboratory when observation

under the microscope indicated that this was needed. Skeleton plotting of two radii per cross section

started the analsysis while magnifying and examining under the microscopes. The radii were then

measured using a LinTab 6 measuring system with TSAP software. The dating quality was checked

using the COFECHA software. The ARSTAN software helped standardizing the resulting dating series

with either a 20 year cubic smoothing spline, negative exponential or linear trend. The analysis resulted

in the development of three strong tree-ring chronologies. The dated chronologies were correlated with

climate data from local weather stations and the chronologies of Zambezi Teak correlated best to

evaporation data. Evaporation in November and March explained 40% of the radii‟s variance at the

Kabompo site; annual evaporation explained 29% of their variance at the Namwala site; and March

evaporation explained 19% of their variance at the Sesheke site. Evaporation always correlated best,

followed by precipitation and then maximum temperature. Zambezi Teak thus clearly responds to

changes in temperature and precipitation. We conclude that future temperature increases, which

increases evaporation, and less rainfall, as projected by IPCC for Southern Africa, Zambezi Teak forests

are likely to reduce their annual amount of wood volume increment.

Key Words: 32 Baikiaea plurijuga, Zambia, Africa, tree ring, Dendrochronology, Dendroclimatology

33

Dendrochronology and Landscape Ecology

K.N.Diakonov, T.I. Kharitonova

Moscow Lomonosov State University, Russia

E-mail: kharito2010@gmail.com

Principles and methods of dendrochronology are essential for indicating long-term landscape dynamics.

Dendrochronology provides new knowledge about landscape functioning, evolution trends, role of

natural and anthropogenic factors in biological production. Present research is based on field-work

conducted in several locations within Russian taiga zone, including Eastern European plain, Western

Siberia lowland and Caucasus mountains. The main objective of the study was to reconstruct

chronoorganization of biological productivity on different spatial scales. At the same time the

contribution of climatic, geophysical, astrophysical and cenosis factors to productivity fluctuations has

been evaluated. The study proves high level of synchrony of radial increment of trees on local scale

within northern, middle and southern taiga and Caucasus coniferous forests. The synchrony of

productivity on regional scale (Eastern European plain vs Western Siberia lowland) depends on long-

term fluctuations of “strong” geophysical and astrophysical factors such as geomagnetic index AA and

Solar position in relation to Solar system barycenter. Another goal of the research was to find indicators

of anthropogenic disturbance of ecosystems. The model landscape was drained and cultivated in 60's

and abandoned in 90's of 20 century. Dendrochronological analysis of middle frequency fluctuations of

radial increments revealed strong negative response to the drainage. Nevertheless, in 12 years all stands

have adapted to new hydrological conditions and radial increment was re-established. The process of

secondary swamping, which started after land abandonment, haven't affected biological productivity of

the trees.

Key Words: 33 landscape ecology, geomagnetic index AA, Solar system barycenter, drainage

34

Exploring the Relationship between Tree-Ring Growth, Satellite Observations of

Vegetation Productivity and Npp Estimates

Derived from Multiple Dgvmsacross the

Northern Hemisphere

Kristina Seftigen1, Jesper Björklund

1, David Frank

1,

1Dendroclimatology Group,

Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland

Abstract: Rising global temperatures have already led to alterations in phenology and productivity of terrestrial

biosphere across the globe. Since these changes are most likely to continue in the coming century there is a

pressing need to understand and predict the influence of a global change on the vegetation ecological systems.

The recent development of Dynamic Global Vegetation Models (DGVMs) has enabled simulations of the

distribution, physiology, and biogeochemistry of forests on global scales under present, historical, and future

modelled climate scenarios. Unfortunately, there is still a considerable spread among these models in the

predictions of future trajectory of terrestrial biosphere carbon balance when forced with identical output fields

from climate models. Validation of these models against field measurements will help to identify the sensitivities

and possible biases inherent in the models, which is an important stepping-stone towards reducing its uncertainty

and understanding why the different models still predict different effects of future climate change on terrestrial

ecosystems. Two proxies of vegetation productivity that previously have been used to evaluate the performance of

the DGVMs are satellite-borne observations of Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI) and, albeit to a lesser

extent,annual tree-ring records. In this study, we compare an extensive network of tree-ring data across the

Northern Hemisphere to NDVI and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates from multiple Dynamic Global

Vegetation models across the Northern Hemisphere. We explore the consistency in the spatial behavior of the

three records, and its sensitivity to spatial variations in the main meteorological variables across the hemisphere.

Key Words: 34

35

Dendroecological Analysis to Explore What Induced Falling Down Red Pines (Pinus

Densiflora) in Yeojukam Valley of

Songri Mountain, Korea

Kwang-Hee Lee, Yojung Kim, Byung-Hwa Son, Hyun-Min Jeong, Kyu-Sung Han, Jeong-Wook Seo

Chungbuk National University, Department of Wood and Paper Science, Cheongju, Republic of Korea

E-mail: bluesea044@hanmail.net

In Yeojukam valley there are many fallen down red pines (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) and most of them

have scar for resin collection. In order to explore what induced falling down trees we investigated tree-

ring pattern for 51 trees, i.e. 18 fallen trees and 33 living trees, based on traditional dendrochronological

technique. It was found 11 of 18 fallen trees were fallen down in 2002 and 2003 when Typhoon Lusa

and Maemi came to Korea. Their scars for resin collection were obtained between 1954 and 1964.

According to comparisons of tree-ring growth between living trees and fallen trees after resin collection,

the tree-ring growth of fallen trees was much restricted than living trees. It might be resin collection

restricted tree growth and then two big Typhoons induced falling down the trees.

Key Words: 35 red pines, resin collection, fallen trees, living trees, Typhoon, tree-ring growth

36

Hydro-Climatic Conditions of the Lower Ob River (Western Siberia, Russia) and

Their Dendrochronologicsal Interpretation

Leonid Agafonov

Institute of plant and animal ecology, Ural Division of Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia

Email:lagafonov@ipae.uran.ru

Much attention has been paid to research on river runoff in the context of global climate change. Such

attention is deserved because river runoff is an important component of hydrological cycle, a main

constituent of the climate system. The terrestrial hydrological cycle is especially important for the Arctic

Ocean. Accumulation of freshwater in the Arctic Ocean plays a crucial role in convective processes of

the North Atlantic. As more fresh water is delivered to the Arctic, water salinity is reduced; in areas of

deep-water formation, the corresponding reduction in water density might produce a decrease in the

meridional overturning circulation in the North Atlantic. The Ob River is one of the world‟s greatest

rivers and annual discharge from the Ob Basin is ~400 km3, and amounts to ~12% of the annual

freshwater inflow to the Arctic Ocean. Using tree-ring chronologies we have investigated relationships

between tree growth of different species (willow, larch, Scots pine and Siberian pine) and hydroclimatic

conditions of the Lower Ob River floodplain for 60ºN – 65ºN. Anatomical structure of tree-rings and

tree-ring chronologies from the Ob floodplain can be used to interpret both the hydrological and climate

(air temperature) changes. Using this approach we can reconstruct past hydrological extremes,

stremflow and discharge–air temperature interactions. The main results of the research will be presented.

Key Words: 36 tree-rings, hydrology, air temperature, climate change, the Ob River, Western Siberia

37

Variability of the East Asian Summer Monsoon Intensity Based On Tree-Ring Re-

Construction over the Past Five Centuries

Liangjun Zhu1, Yuandong Zhang

2, Zongshan Li

3, Xiaochun Wang

1*

1Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China

2Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Key Lab of

Forest Ecology and Environment, State Forestry Administration, Beijing 100091, China 3State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental

Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100085, China

E-mail: wangxc-cf@nefu.edu.cn

The East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) is an important part of the global atmospheric system, which

greatly influences the weather over the western Pacific region and affects nearly a quarter of the global

human population. However, its pre-instrumental variability is poorly understood due to the scarcity of

long-term instrumental data. Here, we present a 500-year EASM intensity index (EASMI)

reconstruction based on 15 ring-width chronologies from the marginal areas affected by monsoon

circulation. The reconstruction explains 43.2% of the EASMI variance during the calibration period

from 1899 to 2005. Eight strong monsoon periods including 1585-1592, 1602-1607, 1622-1648, 1698-

1720, 1813-1828, 1835-1845, 1852-1873 and 1922-1924, and six weak monsoon periods of 1514-1531,

1533-1534, 1730-1734, 1801-1808, 1893-1901, and 1934-2005 were identified in our reconstruction.

Among them, the longest strong and weak periods appeared in 1622-1648 and 1934-2005, respectively.

The full -reconstruction indicated anomalous strong summer monsoon intensity during the 17th and 19th

century. An apparent prolonged weaker phase was estimated for the 15th and 20th centuries, especially

since 1980, whilst EASMI fluctuated between stronger and weaker phases at near centennial timescales

throughout the 18th centuries. Multi-taper spectral analysis revealed significant cycles at the inter-

annual (2–3 and 5 yrs), inter-decadal (46.5-48.8 and 53.8 yrs) and centennial (147 yr) scales. In addition,

the variability of EASM intensity could be modulated by the difference of thermal properties between

marine and terrestrial resulting from solar activity, volcanic eruptions, etc.

Key Words: 37 East Asian summer monsoon; tree rings; intensity; reconstruction; drought; temperature

38

Age Structure and Regeneration of Rhododendron Arboreum sm. along an

Altitudinal Gradient of Manaslu Conservation Area,

Nepal Himalaya

Luna Khadka1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

2, Prabina Rana

2

1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal

E-mail: khadkaluna@gmail.com

The age structure and regeneration of Rhododendron arboreum Smith.was studied along an altitudinal

gradient of Manaslu Conservation Area, Nepal Himalaya ranging from 2180m to 3180m. Generally,

conifers trees have been selected for the dendrochronological studies in Nepal and the broad leaved tree

species are less studied. R. arboreum as a representative of broad leaved tree species has been selected

for the study of age structure and regeneration. Vegetation sampling was done by using quadrate

method. Five plots of 10mX10m were located in each transect with vertical distance of 200m and

horizontal distance of 100m. Altogether six tree species were recorded in the study area. R. arboreum

was dominant followed by Pinus wallichiana. Altogether 46 cores from 27 trees and 10 stumps of R.

arboreum were collected. The regeneration status of R. arboreum was good at 2380m, fair at 2180m,

2580m and 2780m and poor regeneration at upper limit i.e. 3180m. The oldest tree recorded was 127

years old. A reverse J-shaped distribution was found in DBH class, age class and height class. The

height of tallest Rhododendron arboreum recorded in the study area was 7m. The correlation between

age and DBH of R. arboreum was statistically significant(r=0.763, p<0.00001). The mean annual radial

growth of R. arboreum was 1.65mm.

Key Words: 38 DBH, Dendro-ecology, Growth pattern, Tree Ring

39

High -Resolution Monsoon Precipitation Variations in Southwest China During The

Last 2300 Years

Liangcheng Tan 1*, Yanjun Cai

1, Hai Cheng

2, Haiwei Zhang

2, Jianghu Lan

1, Shijiang Qin

1, Zhisheng

An1

1 State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese

Academy of Sciences, Xi‟an 710061, China; 2Institute of Global Environmental Change, Xi‟an Jiaotong University, Xi‟an 710054, China

E-mail: tanlch@ieecas.cn

To fully understand the trends of regional precipitation variations under the scenario of global warming, it is

necessary to study the characteristics, periodicities and mechanisms of precipitation variations in different regions

during the last 2000 years, a period covering several cold and warm periods.Here we developed a 2300-years

(317BCE-2000 CE) oxygen isotopic record of cave calcite based on two high-resolution, absolute-dated

stalagmites from the Shenqi Cave in southern Sichuan Province, southwest China. The two stalagmite records

replicate each other during the common period in the last 1200 years, indicating their reliabilities. Comparison

suggested the stalagmite δ18O record is similar with the record of pollen percentage of Tsuga, which was

considered as a moisture proxy, in the Tiancai Lake in this area during the last 2300 years. The stalagmite record

also showed broad similarities with two tree ring δ18O records, which were considered as reflection of summer

moisture conditions in this area, over the last 400 years. The coherences with other moisture records suggested

that our stalagmite δ18O variations are representative of monsoon precipitation variations in southwest China

during the last 2300 years.Our record indicates that monsoon precipitation in southwest China has decreased

during the last 2300 years, with significant centennial- and decadal- timescales fluctuations. At the centennial

timescale, there is no obvious correlationship between precipitation in southwest China and the average

temperature of Northern Hemisphere and China. For example, it was dry in north central China during the “Little

Ice Age” (LIA), but wet during the “Medieval Climatic Anomaly” (MCA). However, there are no significant

phase changes of precipitation during the LIA and MCA periods in southwest China. In contrast, our

reconstructed monsoon precipitation records exhibits significant centennial and decadal timescales variations.

Significant periodicities of 366-, 59- and 18- years were observed in our record. We suggest that the Indian

summer monsoon intensity was the major factor controlling precipitation variations in southwest China. The

precipitation increased in southwest China when the Indian summer monsoon was strong. However, when the

Indian summer monsoon was very weak, such as in the LIA and Dark Ages Cold Period (DACP), the moisture

convergence caused by the westward movement of West Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) might bring

supplementary precipitation to southwest China.

Key Words: 39 Stalagmite, Monsoons precipitation, Southwest China, Indian summer monsoon

40

Stem Radial Growth in Response to Microclimate of Co-Occurring Evergreen and

Deciduous Tree Species in an Asian Tropical

Dry Karst Forest

Li-Feng Hu

Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

E-mail: hulifeng@xtbg.org.cn

In the present context of global climate change, it is important to develop a better understanding of the

effects of forest meteorological factors on the growth of tropical limestone monsoon forest. In this study,

we use automatic point dendrometers to investigate day-to-day stem radius variations of of mature

deciduous and evergreen broadleaf species (Lagerstroemia villosa, Garuga floribunda var. gamblei,

Alphonsea monogyna and Celtis philippensis Blanco var. philippensis) growing in Xishuangbanna,

Yunnan, southwest China, under a typical tropical monsoon climate. Radial stem growth was

continuously recorded by point dendrometers and modeled using Weibull functions to determine time of

cumulative maximum growth. Daily fluctuations in stem radius and radial stem increments were

extracted from dendrometer traces, and correlation with environmental variables were performed. Mean

stem increment of all tree individuals correlated negatively with maximum temperatures, photosynthetic

active radiation (PAR) and vapor pressure deficit (VPD). Moist atmospheric conditions, i.e. high relative

air humidity, low vapor pressure deficit and low air temperature during the main growing period,

favored radial stem increment of both deciduous and evergreen species. While a shift in temporal

dynamics of radial stem growth onset and cessation was detected among co-occurring species, intra-

annual radial growth peaked synchronously in the end of August. Deciduous tree species in the karst dry

forest were found to be more sensitive to soil moisture availability. Our data indicate that due to the

complex influences of radial growth and water dynamics on stem size, classic methodology may

overestimates the effect of water-related meteorological factors (i.e. precipitation and air relative

humidity) on daily tree growth. We suggest combine histological analyses and dendrometer

measurement to investigate radial stem growth in the future.

Key Words: 40 Point dendrometer, stem radius increment, climate response, tropical dry forest

41

Tree Growth Responses to Extreme Climate Events along

Temperature Gradients

Li-Xin Lv1, Susanne Suvanto

2, Harri Mäkinen

2, Helena M. Henttonen

2, Pekka Nöjd

2, Qi-Bin Zhang

1

1 State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy

of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China 2 Finnish Forest Research Institute, P.O. Box 18, 01301 Vantaa, Finland

E-mail: lixinlv@ibcas.ac.cn

Both latitudinal and altitudinal gradients are natural laboratories to infer species' responses to climate change. The

aim of this study was to test which facet of climate (temperature or precipitation) is most closely associated with

tree growth along an altitudinal and a latitudinal gradient. Specifically, we want to investigate the tree growth

response to extreme events along both latitudinal and altitudinal gradients. A total of 820 cores were extracted

from a latitudinal transect in Finland, and 391 cores extracted from two altitudinal transects on the south central

(SC) and south eastern (SE) Tibetan Plateau of China, respectively. Standard dendrochonological procedures were

employed to process all the tree ring samples systematically. Generalized extreme value distributions (GEVs)

have been used to estimate rare events during the periods covered by climatic records in the study regions.

Correlation functions and multivariate linear models were used to qualify the relative importance of the climate

variables in tree growth–climate relationships. Singular epoch analysis (SEA) was used to characterize the

response patterns of trees to the extreme events as identified by GEVs.Warm summer promoted radial growth in

the latitudinal transect, but the relative importance of temperatures decreased northward. In addition, a significant

negative correlation of February temperature with tree radial increment was detected in the north part. While

temperature dominates tree growth at the upper altitudes both in the SC and SE Tibetan Plateau, moisture

variations affect tree radial increment most significantly and positively in the lower part of the south-central

Tibetan Plateau transect. Relative importance of temperature increased and relative importance of precipitation

decreased as altitude goes up in both SC and SE altitudinal transects. Extreme event years caused greater growth

reductions of trees in the higher latitude regions compared with central and southern parts of latitudinal transects.

No clear spatial patterns could be detected in the altitudinal transects on the Tibetan Plateau.

Key Words: 41 Altitudinal transects, latitudinal transect, extreme event, Finland, Tibetan Plateau, Picea

abies (L.) Karst.,Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach, Abies georgei Orr var. smithii (Viguie

et Gaussen) Cheng et L., tree rings, treeline.

42

Dendrochronology of Sahelian Trees: Relationships between Climate Variability

and Tree Growth Over the Last 50years in

Northern- Mali, West-Africa

L. Lambs1, V. Trichon

1, E. Mougin

2 and F. Hajj

1,2

1 ECOLAB, Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 118 route de Narbonne, 31068 Toulouse, France

2 Géosciences Environnement Toulouse (GET), Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 14 avenue Edouard Belin,

31400 Toulouse, France

E-mail: luc.lambs@univ-tlse3.fr

The Sahel is a semi-arid region located between the Sahara Desert to the north and the Soudanian

savannas to the south. Apart from temporary flooded depressions where open forests can develop, its

vegetation is composed of scattered trees, mainly Acacia species and annual grasses. The rainfall regime

is controlled by the West African monsoon, characterized by a short rainy season of 1 to 4 months with

yearly amounts from 100 to 600 mm. The rest of the year that is 8 to 11 months correspond to the long

dry season. The vegetation has to face this long dry season, as well as the high inter-annual variation of

precipitation amounts. The Sahel has undergone drastic climatic change since the seventies

characterized by a long rainfall deficit, with records of extreme droughts in 1973 and 1984, which lead

to an important bush and trees mortality. From the 90‟s, amount of rainfall has increased but does not

reach values observed before the drought period.. The present study aims to investigate the response and

adaptation of trees to such a climatic variability. We report here our first results based on the analysis of

13 species (n=40 sampled trees) collected within the AMMA-CATCH Observatory near the village of

Hombori, North-East of Mali. We focus on the Acacia trees which are the dominant species. Acacia

trees display the particularity of not having distinct annual ring but thin marginal bands of parenchyma,

which need a very fine sanding to be detected and count. Results show that the annual radial growth

ranges from 1.99 mm (A. senegal) to 3.12 (A.seyal) with a high inter-annual variability. However, from

the last 50 years, the radial growths show a positive trend which can be correlated to annual rainfall

amounts (R2= 0.73). The overall correlation is slightly improved when taking into account the current

and the previous years. Extraction of wood cellulose have also been performed and d13C and d18O

were measured. Results are species dependent and show either a negative or a positive relationships with

annual rainfall.

Key Words: 42 Acacia trees, Sahel, drought effect, Mali

43

Tree-Ring Density Inferred Late Summer Temperature Variability over the Past

Three Centuries in the Gaoligong Mountains, Southeastern

Tibetan Plateau

Ming–Yong Li and Lili Wang

Institute of Geography and Natural Resource Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

E-mail: wangll@igsnrr.ac.cn

Long and high-resolution proxy records are still sparse in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP),

hampering our understanding of past climatic variability from a long-term perspective. In this study, we

developed a regional maximum latewood density (MXD) chronology of Larix speciosa stretching up to

523 years based on 72 tree-ring cores (44 trees) collected from three treeline sites in the Gaoligong

Mountains, southeastern TP. This chronology responded well to temperatures during August through

September and was thus used to reconstruct late summer (August-September) temperature over the

period A.D. 1690-2008. The reconstruction explains 40.9% of the total temperature variance during the

calibration phase. Cold conditions prevailed during the period 1695-1702, 1806-1821, 1850s, 1882-

1889, 1900s and 1960s. Warm phases occurred in 1734-1745, 1770s, 1824-1840, 1890s, 1927-1936,

1940s-1950s and 2002-2008. Spatial correlation with the gridded temperature data set showed that our

reconstruction captures large-scale regional temperature variations for the southeastern and southern TP.

Comparison with other tree-ring inferred temperature time series in the surrounding areas, glacier

fluctuations and historical documental records imply a high degree of confidence for our reconstruction.

Key Words: 43 Tree rings, Maximum latewood density, Larix speciosa, August-September temperature,

Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

44

Treeline Dynamics with Environmental Change in Sagarmatha National Park,

Eastern Nepal Himalaya

Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 2

Madan Koirala2, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

1, 2, 3 Marco Carrer

4

1 Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

2 Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

3Treering Society of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

4Univerity of Padova, Italy

E-mail: npgaire2007@gmail.com

The climatic treelines are sensitive biomonitors and bioindicators of past and recent climate change

impacts on high altitude vegetation. We carried out dendroecological study at the three treeline sites of

Sagarmatha National Park with an aim to assess the impact of climate change in the treeline ecotones

and reconstruct the past climate history of the regions. Two to three vertical belt transects plots (20m

wide and >100m length) were laid down in each treeline site. Using the ecological and

dendrochronological tools, climatic response on radial growth and regeneration, recruitment and

dynamics ofAbies spectabilis D. Don and Betula utilis D. Don were analyzed. The size parameters

namely tree density, basal area, DBH, height, and age decreased with increasing elevation though with

spatial heterogeneity. High regeneration of Abies as compare to Betula was observed in most of the

sites. The tree core analysis showed that B. utilis was established earlier than A. spectabilis in Phortse

site while almost similar history was found in Pangboche area. Elevationwise age distribution shows the

upward migration of the studied species in the past,though not uniform.Correlation function between site

chronologies of Abies showed a positive relationship indicating some common factors limiting the

growth of the tree. Population demography and climate growth response indicated that both of the

species had species specific response to climate change. Hence, much wider differences are anticipated

in the population status of the species as climate continues to change in the future. This study has an

important implication for forest management and biodiversity conservation in context of climate change.

Key Words: 44 Climate change, Age, dendroecology, species limit, Abies spectabilis, Betula utilis

45

Dendroclimatic Evaluation of Climate Growth Relationship of Cedrusdeodara from

Subtropical Forest Of

North East India

N. Dhirendra Singh1, N. Venugopal

2, Th. Binoy Singh

3& R. R. Yadav

3

1Center of Advanced Study in Life Sciences, Manipur University, Imphal, Canchipur-795 003, Manipur,

India 2Centre for Advanced Study in Botany, School of Life Sciences, North Eastern Hill University,

Shillong-793 022, Meghalaya, India 3 Birbal Sahani Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow, India

E-mail: singnd@gmail.com

The study aimed at finding climatic relationship to annual growth ring formation of Cedrusdeodarafrom

subtropical moist forest of northeast, India. Tree ring samples were collected from the study sites by

using an increment borer during the month of February 2012. The cores were sanded with progressively

finer sandpaper to distinguish individual tree rings for analysis. Exact calendar year of formation of each

rings were assigned. The mean sensitivity statistics value of 0.22 among cores suggested a common

signal of the growth rings. Correlation among all radii with 0.61 indicates the strength of the climate

signal is common to all the trees. The response function analysis of the standard chronology revealed its

relationship with climate of the region. It was revealed that rainfall from June to September has a good

correlation with the growth of the tree. But temperature factor played synergistic effect with rainfall to

the growth of the tree at the study site. It is further concluded that tree-ring indices of Cedrusdeodaracan

be a promising source of dendroclimatic studies.

Key Words: 45 Seasonal cambial activity, subtropical moist, Cedrusdeodara, partial regression,

dendroclimatic

46

Towards Improving the Central Asian Dendrochronological

Network – New Data from Tajikistan

M., Opała, Niedźwiedź T., Rahmonov O., Małarzewski Ł., Owczarek P.

University of Silesia, Faculty of Earth Sciences, Poland

E-mail: magdalena.opala@us.edu.pl

The studies of climate variability over centuries requires long and reliable measurement series, which

for most mountain areas in the region of Central Asia are few and rarely extend beyond the last century.

Tree rings provide one of the best sources of paleoclimatological information. However, the mountain

ranges of Tajikistan remains a significant gap in the Central Asian dendrochronological network.

Therefore, the objective of our study was to explore the possibility of climate reconstruction using tree

rings from the western Pamir-Alay Mountains (north western Tajikistan).The research sites considered

are located at 68°10‟E longitude and 39°15‟N latitude. The research was carried out in the Urycz River

catchment, between 2000 to 3200 m a.s.l. A set of samples from different species (Juniperus

seravschanica Komarov, Juniperus turkestanica Komarov, Juniperus semiglobosa Regel and Ephedra

equisetina Bunge) and altitudes (near timberline sites) were collected and evaluated in terms of their

potential for dendroclimatic studies. The best prospects for this appear to be Juniperus seravschanica,

for which the oldest sampled specimens was 1200 years old. Junipers varied in size and shape from 2-3

m tall trees with twisted trunks to low spreading shrubs with long trailing branches. Maximum diameter

of sampled trees was 1 m. Tree cores of Juniperus sp. from nine sites from the Pamir-Alay Mountains

were developed into a tree-ring width chronology spanning AD 900-2014. The dendroclimatic analyses

showed that the tree-ring width indices highly correlate with mean May-June precipitation recorded in

the Iskanderkul meteorological station (2300 m a.s.l.). It was also found that the autumn-winter mean

average and mean maximum temperatures were the factors that limited the radial growth of junipers at

some sites. The obtained material allows the reconstruction of the hydroclimatic conditions, which will

shed new light on temperature and precipitation variability in the region where the climate history for

the last millennium is poorly understood.Field campaigns conducted in this region were also aimed to

locate and sample relict material from old wooden houses, temples and sacred trees, which will

hopefully extend the time span of the existing chronology.

Key Words: 46 dendroclimatology, precipitation, millennium, juniper, Pamir-Alay Mountains, Tajikistan

47

Tree-Ring Reconstruction of Hydrometeorological Parameters in the Tuva

Mountains (Russia) and Mongolian Altai

M. Mukhanova, M. Syromyatina, K. Chistyakov

Saint-Petersburg State University

E-mail: miriam1212@mail.ru

The study area is located in the Tuva Mountains - the Mongun-Taiga mountain massif, the Western

Tanno-Ola mountain range, and Mongolian Altai - adjacent areas to the Tavan Bogd mountain massif.

This region is characterized by continental and extra-continental climates, the existence of modern

glaciation centers and sparse growth of forest cover. Dendrochronological investigations provide an

opportunity to extend climatic records by revealing relations between tree-ring growth and climatic

parameters and reconstruct historical variability in climates. Instrumental measurements in this region

are generally limited to no more than last 50 years. In 2012–2014 during the expeditions of Saint-

Petersburg State University the dendrochronological data from 479 living trees of Larix sibirica in the

38 sites using basic dendrochronological techniques was collected. In addition four tree-ring

chronologies from NOAA‟s National Climatic Data Center were included. Two regional chronologies

were obtained: the first reflects growth conditions on the upper tree line (UTL) and the second reflects

growth conditions on the lower tree line (LTL). Strong statistical signal allowed forreconstruction of

June-July air temperature (R=0,73, R2=0,53, F(1,42)=46,96, DW=1,67) since 1715. The reconstruction

showed temperature depression in the 19th century (the end of the Little Ice Age) with subsequent

temperature increase of about 2°C with statistically significant positive trend. The LTL chronology did

notshow any correlations with temperature or precipitation data, but it has strong connection with

hydrological records. A May-June streamflow reconstruction (R=0,65, R2=0,43, F(1,35)=26,09,

DW=1,65) of Byyant river, Mongolia, since 1474 year showed aridization during the end of the Little

Ice Age and subsequent moisture rise. We also detected cyclicity (30-35 year Bruckner cycle) in both

tree-ring chronologies and in the near future expect to provide its interpretation.

Key Words: 47 dendroclimatological analysis, upper and lower tree-lines, the Tuva Mountains,

Mongolian Altai, reconstruction of air temperature and streamflow

48

Effect of Slope Exposure on Frost Ring Formation in Picea Obovata

in the Southern Urals – Not Matched Title

M. Gurskaya1, M. Wilmking

2

1 Institute of Plant and Animals Ecology UB of RAS 620144 Ekaterinburg, 8 Marta, 202

2 Institute of Botany and Landscape Ecology, Soldmanstrasse 15, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University

Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany

E-mail: mgurskaya@yandex.ru

Topographic complexity in mountainous ecosystems influences plant growth and as such also wood

formation. As a consequence, patterns of wood formation may offer the possibility of understanding the

topographic variation of important climatic drivers, e.g. by modulating frost events. Here we test the

influence of different slope exposures on the spatio-temporal distribution of frost rings in Siberian

spruce (Picea obovata Ledeb.) in the Southern Urals. We sampled data at the upper tree line ecotone on

two opposite slopes, northeast (NE) and southwest (SW) exposure, from 539 and 244 trees accordingly,

on three elevation levels from the highest single trees to closed canopy forest and analysed frost ring

occurrence and their seasonal timing. Frost ring formation at all exposure-elevation combinations was

common and mainly concentrated in the early part of the growing season. The age until trees record frost

rings was equally similar (until about 35 years) on both slopes and different elevational levels with the

exception of the climatically harshest site, the highest elevation on the NE slope. The prevalence of frost

damage on the NE exposure in some years is probably a consequence of up to 30% less incoming solar

radiation as compared to the SW exposure resulting in more and stronger frost events. We could not

deduce a direct, easily identifiable climatic driver for the formation of frost rings, which might be due to

the quality of the climate record and micro-climatic variations. Some differences we observed were

related to the timing of the frost events, with different trees on the same exposure-elevation combination

recording the same event during different phases of their xylogenesis. Nonetheless, our analysis shows

high potential to disentangle the complex interplay between climate, site condition and tree growth in

mountainous ecosystems. This work is supported by RFBR No 14-04-91356 and 15-04-04933 and by

the Era.net.RUS project TREELINE STProject 207.

Key Words: 48 Slope exposure, Frost rings, Extreme events, Picea obovata, Southern Urals

49

A 1500-Year Hydroclimate Record in Southwestern Japan Inferred

From Tree-Ring Δ18o

Masaki Sano1, Koh Yasue

2, Katsuhiko Kimura

3, and Takeshi Nakatsuka

1

1 Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Japan

2 Shinshu University, Japan

3 Fukushima University, Japan

E-mail: msano@chikyu.ac.jp

An increasing number of studies indicate that tree-ring δ18O is a promising proxy to reconstruct

hydroclimate variability in monsoon Asia. Here we present a 1500-year-long tree-ring δ18O chronology

constructed using living and fallen dead trees (Cryptomeria japonia) that were collected in Yakushima

Island, southwestern Japan. Core or disc samples were cross-dated by visually matching ring-width

patterns. Then, a total of 12 trees were selected for isotopic analysis. We employed the „plate method‟ to

extract cellulose directly from a 1.0-mm thick wood plate, in order to facilitate the processing of

hundreds of rings simultaneously. Each annual ring of cellulose was separated using a razor blade, and

its δ18O value was determined using a continuous flow isotope ratio mass spectrometer coupled to an

elemental analyzer. The resultant δ18O time series were highly correlated with one another (Rbar: 0.66),

indicating that common signals related to regional climate are preserved in all the sampled trees. Since

the δ18O series did not show prominent age-related trends, all the series were simply normalized to have

the same mean for the overlapping segments. The resulting series were then averaged to build the final

chronology. Response analysis with ambient meteorological records for the last 50 years indicates that

tree-ring δ18O is mainly controlled by summer (May–September) relative humidity. We therefore

interpret our record as a proxy of hydroclimate related to East Asian summer monsoon. Overall low-

frequency variations in our chronology are similar to those of a Northern Hemisphere temperature

reconstruction. Specifically our record shows a relatively dry (wet) condition during the Medieval Warm

Period (the Little Ice Age). Centennial-scale fluctuations of sea surface temperatures in the equatorial

Pacific may play a role in modulating long-term hydroclimate changes in southwestern Japan.

Key Words: 49 Oxygen isotope, East Asian summer monsoon, low-frequency variability

50

Exploring Bangladesh Mangroves - Ordinary Glitches but New Opportunities for

Dendrochronology

Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury1,2

*, Maaike De Ridder1, Claire Delvaux

1,Hans Beeckman

1

1Wood Biology Service, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080

Tervuren, Belgium 2Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology,

Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh

*E-mail: qumrul-for@sust.edu

Globally the mangrove biome plays a substantial role in coastal protection, biodiversity conservation and

livelihood supports to the local communities. Sundarbans, the largest (0.60 million ha) single tract mangrove

forest in the world, is situated in the south-western border of Bangladesh along the coast of the Bay of

Bengal.Since 1893, the forest has been managed under consecutive periodic (i.e., every 10-year) management

plans which have been prepared from the inventory data and setting up exploitable girth/diameter guessing their

ages from traditional girth measurements. Apart from anthropogenic disturbances, depletion of the stock has

resulted from over harvesting due to over estimation of growth. Moreover, the ecosystem is threatened due to the

adverse effect of global climate change, i.e., sea level rise. Time series based on dated tree rings offer important

possibilities to contribute to the understanding of growth dynamics of trees and exploring past environmental

changes. However, the assumption on indistinct growth rings in mangrove species mostly hinders the potential

dendrochronological applications. In this study, we investigated the ring structure and growth periodicity

integrating cambial marking experiment and cambium activity analysis inHeritiera fomesBuch.-Ham.This is

widely distributed major tree species in the forest. Distinct growth rings were found which are marked by a

marginal parenchyma band, predominantly one cell wide but up to three and occasionally mixed with fibers.Of

the 13 samples collected from the cambial marking experiment, one growth ring was found in each tree during a

year.The demarcation boundary between xylem and cambium zone was abrupt. The cambial zone was

characterized by 4-7 cambial cells typically with thin tangential and thicker radial walls. Moreover, there was no

enlarging or differentiating cambial derivatives. Crystals were prismatic type often found mostly in the phloem

cells. There was no site-specific variation in cambial zone characteristics among the individuals which indicates

the dormancy of trees.Growth ring anomalies, i.e., wedging and partially missing rings were also found which is

related to the reduced growth rate and asymmetrical stem form. Trees formed distinct ring after the pinning with a

radial increment of more than 0.75 mm. In most of the cases, the opposite part of tension wood had low radial

increment (<0.75 mm) and therefore the ring in that area merged with previous one and produced wedging or

sometime partially missing ring. However, the existence of annual rings suggests its great potentials for future

dendrochronological applications to reveal the dynamics of Bangladesh mangroves.

Key Words: 50 tree ring, cambium activity, dendrochronology, Heritiera fomes, mangroves, Bangladesh

51

300-Yr Drought Variability in North China Inferred From Tree Rings and the

Possible Driving Mechanism

Mingqi Li1, Xuemei Shao

1, 2*, Zhi-Yong Yin

1, 3, Xinguo Xu

4

1 Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural

Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, 2 CAS Center for Excellence and Innovation in Tibetan Plateau Earth System Science

E-mail: limq@igsnrr.ac.cn

With the advantages of accurate dating, annual resolution, wide distribution and good replication, tree-ring data have been

widely employed to determine ages of artifacts of ancient cultures, including historical buildings, violins and oil paintings,

and prehistoric archaeological sites in the past several decades. Ancient tombs and burial sites were also dated using tree

rings in archaeology. The Reshui Tomb Cluster located in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau is an important cultural relic of

the Tuyuhun age (AD 329-663) and Tubo age (early 7th century to the second half of the 9th century) in China. The official

excavation of the tombs in Dulan County, Qinghai Province was regarded as one of the“Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries

of 1996 in China”. However, the ethnicity of the tomb owners remains controversial. The Reshui-1 Tomb is located in the

center of the Reshui Tomb Cluster and is the largest one among the tombs in the area; indeed, it is the largest ancient tomb in

Qinghai Province. Therefore, accurately dating the Reshui-1 Tomb has a crucial role in studying the Tubo and Tuyuhun

histories. In June 2013 and June 2014, we collected seven tree trunks and nine tree-cores from the exposed wood of the roof

of the Reshui-1Tomb. The seven tree discs have diameters ranging from 6.5 cm to 12 cm. All specimens were first sanded

and had the ring widths measured. Based on a previously developed master dating chronology using living trees, standing

snags and archaeological samples from other tombs in the area, the calendar dates of the sixteen trees were determined by the

COFECHA program using the cross-dated and undated tree-ring series function. The record lengths and ages of the 16 trees

sampled (numbered as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O and P) were 111 (AD 605-715), 90 (AD 626-715), 126 (AD

590-715), 149 (AD 567-715), 152 (AD 564-715), 74 (634-707), 79 (629-707), 89 (627-715), 125 (591-715), 72 (593-664),

124 (592-715), 69 (644-712), 121 (595-715), 72 (608-679), 150 (566-715), and 79 (619-697) years, respectively. There are

only four missing rings in the 16 trees, including AD 644 in tree C, AD 652 in tree J, and AD 681 in both trees D and F. The

average correlation of the 16 trees with the mater series was 0.671. The year of the outermost rings is AD 715 for six of the

seven tree discs and four of the nine tree-cores. The tree-rings adjacent to the bark of the remaining tree disc were too narrow

to be dated, and the rest of the tree cores were fragmented near the bark such that their outermost rings could not be dated.

Moreover, the ring-width variations of the 16 trees are consistent with the existing Dulan chronologies. The results indicated

that the Reshui-1 Tomb was completed in 715 AD or 716 AD, which means that the Reshui-1 Tomb was built in the Tubo

age. This date provided direct evidence for archaeologists to determining the ethnicity of the Reshui-1 Tomb and the Reshui

Tomb Cluster.

Key Words: 51 Reshui-1 Tomb; tree-rings; dating; archaeology; northeastern Tibetan Plateau

52

The Status of Tree Ring Analysis in Pakistan

Moinuddin Ahmed

Laboratory of Dendrochronology and Plant Ecology,

Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and Technology, Karachi-Pakistan

E-mail: moin_ahmed2005@yahoo.com

Dendrochronology is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary science. This science was initiated around

1986 in Pakistan, however systematic studies started from 2005, when Tree ring laboratory was

established. Handful results are published using tree-ring techniques in the country during this period.

This paper present a brief review of investigations carried out in Pakistan by national and international

researches. In addition, internal collaboration and possible future cooperation and joint projects are

discussed.

Key Words: 52 Dendrochronology, Pakistan

53

Climatic Influence on Tree Ring Variations in Abies Spectabilis

(Silver Fir) From Sikkim, Eastern Himalaya India

since Past Few Centuries

Naveen Gandhi and H. P. Borgaonkar

Centre for Climate Change Research, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pashan, Pune 411 008,

INDIA

E-mail: naveen@tropmet.res.in

To understand the effect of recent global climate change over Himalayan glaciers and its ecosystem,

knowledge of natural variability of temperature and precipitation (rain, snow) over last couple of

millennium is required. Tree-rings are known excellent proxies to decipher climatic information before

instrumental era (Briffa et al., 1990; Borgaonkar et al., 1999). Over the Sikkim Himalaya, Abies

spectabilis (Silver Fir) is one of the important species showing distinct growth rings witch demonstrated

potential for reconstructing past climatic records in the eastern Himalaya. For the present study, analysis

of about 142 tree-rings cores (71 Trees) collected from north Sikkim in the eastern Himalaya have been

analyzed. More than 250 years ring width chronologies have been developed. COFECHA program has

been used to check the accuracy of the dating. Meteorological data from the Gangtok, Sikkim and CRU

grid point data have been used to model tree growth – climate relationship using correlation and

response function analysis. The preliminary analyses suggest the influence of summer climate over the

growth of tree-rings in the eastern Himalaya. Results also indicate that Abies spectabilis has high

dendroclimatic potential and can be used to reconstruct summer climate variability since last few

centuries. Further, the chronologies will be compared with the established chronologies of the nearby

places and also with the records from other proxies such as ice cores. The results of chronology

statistics, tree growth – climate relationship will be presented in the meeting.

Key Words: 53 Abies spectabilis (Silver Fir) , Eastern Himalaya India, summer climate

54

Drought Signatures in the Tree-Ring Records of European Russia: Comparison

with Instrumental Records

O.N. Solomina Matskovsky V.V., Dolgova E.A., Rumyantsev D.E, Khasanov B., Kuznetsova V.V.,

Lazukova L.I., Zhukov R.S.

Institute of Geography, RAS, Moscow, Russia

E-mail: matskovsky@igras.ru

The aim of the project is to reconstruct droughts on the European territory of Russia based on dendrochronological method.

We study how droughts of the 20-th century, including the heat wave of the year 2010, are reflected in tree-ring chronologies

in order to validate the reliability of reconstructions of the droughts beyond the instrumental period. For this purpose we have

created 17 tree-ring width chronologies for living trees (Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies and Quercus robur) for the central part

of the European territory of Russia that have passed all the necessary quality control tests, span more than 120 years and

comply with major international requirements. Moreover, on the basis of the wood, retrieved from archeological excavations

and old buildings, 24 floating chronologies were created; several of them were combined with the dated chronologies in order

to extend their length. These let us to build up first continuous chronologies of the coniferous species for Kaluga, Kostroma,

Smolensk and Moscow regions spanning up to three-four centuries.

Most of the tree-ring width chronologies reveal positive correlation with drought index (PDSI) and soil moisture (CPC), as

with precipitation of July and August, what confirms the sensitivity of these trees to droughts. However, the analysis of

temporal stability revealed that for most of the chronologies stable relation to PDSI is observed in the second half of the 20-th

century only. Amplified reaction on aridity can be connected with warming and increased transpiration that have been

occurring during the last decades within the European territory of Russia.

We pinpointed the years of maximum depression in growth of pine, oak and spruce on the territory from Yaroslavl region in

the north to Voronezh region in the south and correlated them with the droughts known by meteorological observations

(before 1880) and historical sources (before 1730). Expert evaluation reveals that maximum number of depressions in

chronologies of pine and oak within the period from 2014 till 1731 is registered in the years 2010-2011, 2002-2003, 1964-

1965, 1956, 1921, 1897-1898, 1890-1891, 1888-1889, 1845, 1830, 1797. In a large majority, the years of depression for pine

and oak coincide. The periods of depression with the drought index on the European territory of Russia (Mescherskaya,

Blazhevich, 1997) were correlated with negative growth anomalies in our chronologies; thus we determined that for the

draught index & gt;30% out of 15 registered events only two droughts of 2007 and 1931 are not reflected in growth

anomalies.

Out of 14 chronologies of pine and oak 7 (Yaroslavl, Kaluga, Tver and Moscow regions) reveal depression in growth in the

year 2010. For the most of chronologies decreased growth is registered in a subsequent year, 2011. This can be explained

with the fact that the drought occurred in the second half of vegetative period. The peak value of the anomaly of tree-ring

width of 2010-2011was exceeded in the years 1964, 1956, 1939, 1936, 1921, 1897, 1891, 1845, 1797, 1787, 1767 (anomalies

of 1845 and 1797 also coincide with the data on draughts based on historical sources (Borisenkov, Pasetsky, 2003). Four

chronologies show that the growth of 2010 was smaller than 85% registered values for 20-21 centuries. There are three such

chronologies for the year 2011 and one for the year 2012. This is an indirect evidence of the 2010 anomaly being a very

significant event in the perspective of the last two and a half centuries, even though it is not exceptional in the series of

anomalies during the last 250-300 years.

Key Words: 54 drought, reconstruction, European Russia, Pinus sylvestris, Picea abies, Quercus robur

55

Npp Variation of Broad-Leaved Korean Pine Forest and the Relationship with

Climate Factors over the Last 50 Years

Ouya Fang

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail: fangoy.11s@igsnrr.ac.cn

Forest ecosystem, an important component of terrestrial ecosystems, plays a major role in the process of

global carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. As a base to analyze the tree growth and the dynamic of

the terrestrial carbon cycle, NPP estimation has been one of the essential contents of ecology and global

change study. Here we propose a novel method based on tree ring width to obtain high precision NPP

data over long time scales and analyze the impact of climate change on NPP- long-standing problems in

ecosystem ecology. We analyzed the biomass and NPP of the forest population and community on

Changbai Mountain in northeast China over the past 50 years with tree ring width and sample plot

survey data. Year-to-year diameter at breast height was estimated and applied to the calculation formula

of biomass. The results showed that the biomass had an exponential increase with age. From 1960 to

2012, the biomass of Korean pine nearly doubled, from 107.70 t. ha-1 to 205.29 t. ha-1. The NPP of

Korean pine fluctuated smoothly in some ranges with the average of 1.88 t.ha-1a-1. However, the

biomass and NPP of the broad-leaved Korean pine community showed significant increasing trends

(p<0.005) of 3.0 tha-1 and 0.01 t.ha-1a-1 per year. Therefore, the dominance of Korean pine will

decrease. Research demonstrated that the temperature and growing season‟s moisture condition affected

the growth of Korean pine at the same time. Warm conditions before the growing season and wet

conditions during the growing season were instrumental in the increase of Korean pine growth.

Minimum temperature in April, which explained 22.8% of NPP variance, was one of the main climatic

factors that resulted in the change of NPP. The findings and methods of this study will contribute to

research on forest biomass and NPP dynamics and the succession of forest community in future climate

scenarios.

Key Words: 55 tree ring, NPP, Korean pine, northeast China

56

Climatic Sensitivity of Trees In Khentii Mountain Forests Of Mongolia

Oyunsanaa Byambasuren, Baatarbileg Nachin , Neil Pederson and Johann G. Goldammer

National University of Mongolia, Mongolia

E-mail: oyunsanaa@seas.num.edu.mn

Many climatic factors play a strong role in the growth of trees and dynamics of forest ecosystems.

Among these, temperature, precipitation, and snowpack may be among the most important in mountain

environments. It is important to understand past and future effects of these individual factors on forest

growth and its dynamics. In this study we aim to understand the climatic sensitivity of the most

biodiversity-diverse forests in Mongolia, the Khentii Mountains of northern-central Mongolia. Mongolia

has experienced significant changes in climate over the last few decades, including rapid warming over

the last 30 years and a strong pluvial and two droughts during that same time period. Notably, the most

recent drought episode, lasting from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, might have been exacerbated by

significant warming over Asia. By examining tree ring records of all dominant tree species from a wide

range of sizes and ages in two forest types above 1000 m.a.s.l., we will have significant insight into the

sensitivity of this diverse ecosystem to climatic change. Using tree-ring chronologies of five main tree

species, we found that trees display distinct correlation features with climatic variables, although the

growth of all species are generally correlated with one another. Among the tree species examined here,

Pinus sylvestris was strongly associated with annual stream flow variability, which is a large-scale

indicator of moisture availability. Information obtained from this study can expand knowledge about

forests growing in such extreme conditions. Our findings will also help guide forest management

decisions under changing climate

Key Words: 56 Khentii Mountain, forest ecosystem

57

Is Precipitation a Trigger for the Onset of Xylogenesis in Juniperus Przewalskii on

the North-Eastern Tibetan Plateau?

Ping Ren1-3

, Sergio Rossi4, Jozica Gricar

5, Eryuan Liang

1, 2, Katarina Cufar

6

1Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes,

Key Laboratory of Alpine Ecology and Biodiversity,Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese

Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China, 2CAS Center for Excellence in Tibetan

E-mail:renping@itpcas.ac.cn

A series of studies have shown that temperature triggers the onset of xylogenesis of trees after winter

dormancy. However, little is known about whether and how moisture availability influences xylogenesis

in spring in drought-prone areas.Xylogenesis was monitored in five mature Qilian junipers (Juniperus

przewalskii) by micro-coring from 2009 to 2011 in a semi-arid area of the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau.

A simple physical model of xylem cell production was developed and its sensitivity was analyzed. The

relationship between climate and growth was then evaluated, using weekly wood production data and

climatic data from the study site.Delayed onset of xylogenesis in 2010 corresponded to a negative

standardized precipitation–evapotranspiration index (SPEI) value and a continuous period without

rainfall in early May. The main period of wood formation was in June and July, and drier conditions

from May to July led to a smaller number of xylem cells. Dry conditions in July could cause early

cessation of xylem differentiation. The final number of xylem cells was mainly determined by the

average production rate rather than the duration of new cell production. Xylem growth showed a

positive and significant response to precipitation, but not to temperature.Precipitation in late spring and

summer can play a critical role in the onset of xylogenesis and xylem cell production. The delay in the

initiation of xylogenesis under extremely dry conditions seems to be a stress-avoidance strategy against

hydraulic failure. These findings could thus demonstrate an evolutionary adaptation of Qilian juniper to

the extremely dry conditions of the north-eastern Tibetan Plateau.

Key Words: 57 Semi-arid forest, Juniperus przewalskii, juniper, onset of xylogenesis, drought,

standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index, xylem production rate, wood

formation, xylem differentiation.

58

Different Species as Indicators for Climate Change? Missing Long-Term Trends in

Tree-Ring Cellulose δ18o Series in Humid Southeast Tibet

Philipp Hochreuther1, Jakob Wernicke

1, Jussi Grießinger

1, Haifeng Zhu

2, Achim Bräuning

1

Institute of Geography, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany 2Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

E-mail: philipp.hochreuther@fau.de

Several studies have been conducted on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and the Himalayas during the last years focusing

on stable oxygen isotopes in tree-rings. Δ18O chronologies from arid sites usually show strong correlations with

moisture parameters (like rH, PDSI), while humid site conditions result in weaker relationships but also with

other insolation-related climate elements, e.g. temperatures, sun hours or cloud cover. Thus, in southeast Tibet,

the isotopic ratio‟s response to temperature and moisture (e.g. precipitation, relative humidity, cloudiness) is

offering insights into monsoon dynamics on an annual level. We present a newly developed, annually resolved

δ18O chronology derived from alpha- cellulose of Larix griffithii, and relate it to previously published δ18O

series from southeast Tibet and the southern Himalaya. Our results indicate strong negative correlations with

relative humidity, vapour pressure, diurnal temperature range, and the total amount of rainy days per month. In

contrast, positive correlations were found with temperature, sun hours and potential evapotranspiration in August

of the growth year. The resulting responses are reliable enough for a reconstruction of relative humidity of the

past 328 years. The reconstruction shows no long-term trends or remarkable decline since the mid-19th century,

as has been documented by other studies from the TP (e.g. Grießinger (2011), Wernicke (2014)). Since Larix at

this site shows distinct proxy-climate relationships, correlations with neighboring δ18O-based time series and

reconstructions are expected to be strong and clear, deteriorating with increasing distance. In contrast, we found

varying levels of inter-site correlation for different species within short distances, while between Larix δ18O

chronologies, mean, trend and annual variation stay constant despite large distances. All chronologies from the

moist southeastern TP, regardless of species, show either a slight trend or no trend during the past 100-200 years

as suggested for drier sites. We attribute this missing trend to saturated humidity conditions. The slow increase in

summer temperature over decades due to climate warming may not affect regional relative humidity due to overall

high humidity. We conclude that Larix griffithii, seasonally growing in conditions of near saturated humidity, is a

strong and precise recorder of annual variations of the Indian summer monsoon, while long-term changes cannot

be observed until a threshold of vapour pressure deficit is attained.

Key Words: 58 stable oxygen isotope, interspecies comparison, Indian summer monsoon

59

Paraglacial Environments under Modern Climate Change – A Dendrochronological

Case of Study from the High Arctic

Piotr Owczarek

University of Wroclaw, Pl. Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137 Wroclaw, Poland

E-mail:piotr.owczarek@uni.wroc.pl

Theories that specify how modern climate change affects geomorphic systems in the High Arctic are not

well developed and a large number of different hypotheses exists. According to the traditional concepts

of fluvial and slope geomorphology, aggradation in valley bottom and production of large volumes of

sediment are connected with cold-climate. The archive in the Pleistocene and the Holocene sediments

generally confirms this model, but modern studies in the Arctic regions suggest that geomorphic systems

evolution is more complex. The study aims to investigate the spatial and temporal response of slope and

glacifluvial activity to climateforcing on the basis of tree rings of Arctic dwarf shrubs. The study area is

located in the Norwegian High Arctic archipelago of Svalbard (SE Spitsbergen). The study were

conducted on scree slopes with clearly visible solifluction lobes and debris flows and glacifluvial

terraces in two small partially glaciated basins. Dwarf shrubs are the only wood material, which can be

used for dendrogeomorphology studies in this area. These wooden small plants produce very clearly

visible annual rings. Other wood characteristics as abrupt cell shape changes, scars and reaction wood

helped to date geomorphic forms and to analyze their activity. Dendrochronological research indicate

that in the past 30 years the activity of debris flows has increased. These geomorphic episodes were

connected with the heavy rainfall events especially in the 1990s. The occurrence of reaction wood and

cell shape changes in growth rings in this time, suggests also the increase of solifluction processes

activity. Production of large volumes of sediment on slopes does not correspond with aggradation in

small partially glaciated basins. The main fluvial response to the climate warming is contraction of flow

to a narrower zone, leaving braidplains behind. Dendrochronological data have shown the increased

lateral erosion and rate of down cutting, which occurred in the 1980s and 1990s. This process was

intensified, especially in the 1990s, under flood conditions generated by extreme rainfall events.

Geomorphic processes activity in the High Arctic is increasing, but the sediment flux in geomorphic

systems is variable. The influence of climate change on paraglacial landscape is evident and very rapid.

Key Words: 59 High Arctic, dwarf shrubs, climate change, debris flows, solifluction, glacifluvial

processes

60

Climatic and Altitudinal Impacts on Rhododendron Campanulatum D.Don at

Treeline Ecotone of Sagarmatha National Park,

Nepal Himalaya

Prabina Rana1,2

, Madan Koirala2 and Dinesh R. Bhuju

1,2

1Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal

2Central Department of Environmental Science (CDES), Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu,

Nepal

E-mail: prabinar@hotmail.com

In Nepal, recent studies have shown that the temperature rise is more pronounced at higher elevations. It

has resulted into variety of impacts such as glacial retreat, snowline shift and upward shift of

biodiversity. Treeline ecotones are sensitive to altered temperature regimes and are ideal for climate

change studies. High elevation tree species are generally expected to advance in response to global

warming. Rhododendron campanulatum D. Don which belongs to the Ericaceae family is a smalltree

that grows at the subalpine and tree line ecotone in Nepal, Himalaya. The main aim of the study was to

assess the response of R. campanulatum to climatic and altitudinal variations and to evaluate the

relationship between basal diameter (groundline) and age employing dendroecological methods.

Preliminary findings revealed that the species is migrating upwards at a rate higher than that was

reported for other parts of Himalaya in central Nepal. The upper species limit was observed at 4357

meter above sea level. A strong correlation was found between basal diameter and age. Using basal

diameter age equations the age of R. campanulatum were estimated in 25 quadrates (10m X10m) from

3950m to 4350m. The age structure dynamics along the altitudinal gradient will be presented.

Key Words: 60 basal diameter, dendroecology, age structure, altitudinal gradient, climate change

61

No Warming Trend in Late-Summer Temperature at Treelines on the Eastern

Tibetan Plateau

Qi-Bin Zhang and Pei Xing

Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

E-mail: qbzhang@ibcas.ac.cn

Climate on the Tibetan plateau is often considered sensitive to global changes, yet it is not clear about

the degree of sensitivity in different space and seasons prior to instrumental records. We collected

temperature-sensitive tree-ring samples from Balfour spruce [Picea likiangensis var. balfouriana (Rehd.

et Wils.)] at four high elevation sites on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Tree-ring maximum latewood

density (MXD) was measured and a 245-year (1765-2009) MXD regional chronology was established

from 109 tree-ring samples. We found that the chronology exhibited a high correlation (r=0.82, n=56,

p<0.001) with the mean August-September temperature and therefore the late-summer temperature

variation over the past two and half centuries was reconstructed using the tree-ring data. The

reconstruction accounted for 71.4% of the variance in instrumental temperature in the period 1954-2009.

The reconstructed temperature did not show a warming trend in the past 250 years, suggesting a unique

characteristic of late-summer temperature variability in the study region of the Tibetan Plateau.

Key Words: 61 Tibet, maximum latewood density, warming trend

62

300-Yr Drought Variability in North China Inferred From Tree Rings and a

Possible Driving Mechanism

Qiufang Cai and Yu Liu

The State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese

Academy of Sciences

E-mail: caiqf@ieecas.cn

North China, one of the main industrial and agricultural (mainly wheat and maize) production areas in

China, is facing severe problems of water shortage. Drought is occurring frequently in this area. Tree

cores from two different regions of North China were collected and the relationship between tree rings

and climate were analyzed. The results indicated that the radial growth of trees in both areas was

moisture limited. Therefore, a 306-yr March-August Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) since 1703

and a 246 May-July PDSI were reconstructed, respectively. Though the two studied areasare about

600km apart, 11-yr moving average from the PDSI reconstructions were comparable with each other.

Their decadal-scale variability was almost synchronous with other PDSI or streamflow reconstructions

nearby, which suggest that the drought variation in North China was almost synchronous over the past

300 years. The possible driving mechanism could be attributed to solar activity or large-scale ocean-

land-atmosphere interactions.

Key Words: 62 North China, drought reconstruction, Indian-Pacific Ocean SST, East Asian summer

monsoon, solar activity

63

A 225-Year Precipitation Record from Tree Rings In Shanxi Province, North China,

and Its Teleconnection with Indian Precipitation

Qiang Li a*, Yu Liu

a,b, Takeshi Nakatsuka

c , Huiming Song

a , Danny McCarroll

d, Yinke Yang

e, Jun

Qif

a State Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese

Academy of Sciences, Xi‟an 710075, China b

School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi‟an Jiaotong University, Xi‟an 710049, China c Research Institute of Humanity and Nature, 457-4 Motoyama, Kamigamo, Kita-ku, Kyoto 603-8047, Japan

d Department of Geography, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK

e Environmental Science and Engineering Collage, Chang‟an University, Xi‟an 710054, China

f Nature Reserve Administration of Xinglong Mountain , Lanzhou 730100, China

E-mail: liqiang@ieecas.cn;

Understanding the interactions between the East Asian and Indian monsoons is difficult because only

short-term meteorological measurements are currently available in China. In this study, we reconstructed

a 225-year precipitation record by combining ring widths and stable oxygen isotope ratios from two tree

species in North China (NC).The reconstructed record explained 51.9% of the variance in the observed

precipitation. The precipitation series was significantly correlated with the East Asian Monsoon indices

and could indicate the intensity of the East Asian Monsoon. A spatial field analysis indicated that the

series was strongly correlated with the reconstructed records of the surrounding area anda large part of

the Indian subcontinent. The reconstructed records were significantly and positively correlated with All

India Precipitation records (r=0.32, n=132, p<0.001) and with a proxy of the Indian Monsoon.These

findings suggest that a persistent teleconnection exists between the reconstructed record and the Indian

precipitation records from the past 225 years. The observed interannual synchronisation (r=0.46, n=117,

p<0.001) potentially resulted from the transport of partial water vapour from the Indian Monsoon area to

NC; however, this synchronisation could not be attributed to the El Nino-South Oscillation (ENSO).

When considering an interdecadal time scale, the synchronisation with the North Atlantic Oscillation

(NAO) has varied since 1779, implying that the NAO may serve as an additional atmospheric circulation

that affects this teleconnection.

64

Blue Reflectance – A New Dendrochronological Proxy

R. J. Kaczka, B. Czajka, K. Janecka

Faculty of Earth Science, University of Silesia, Sosnowiec, Poland

E-mail:pretensje@mail.com

One of the recent inventions of proxies related to tree rings is the use of image analyses of the blue

spectrum reflected from wood, known as Blue Reflectance (BR) or Blue Intensity (BI). In this paper we

present several examples of successfully using BR in the following fields: i) dendroclimatology, ii)

dating historical wood, and iii) wood anatomy. i) Employing BR for dendroclimatological purposes

requires testing its ability to capture a climate signal. Thus, the BR analyses of six coniferous species

growing in the Tatra Mountains, Carpathians within subalpine (Larix deciduaMill.,Picea abies (L.)

Karst.,Pinus cembra (L.), Pinus mugo Turra) and montane (Abies alba (L.) Karst.,Pinus sylvestris (L.))

zones were conducted. Then, the BR records were compared with the tree-ring width (TRW) and

maximum wood density (MXD) records. The BR and TRW chronologies show rather consistent

responses to current-year spring-summer (April - August) and high summer (June - July) air

temperature. The BR chronologies of all species show a stronger response to climate than TRW and a

similar response to MXD, considering the values and periods. (ii) A common problem related to dating

wooden objects is the limited number of rings. The visual and statistical cross-dating of short tree-ring

width series create some challenges and using other proxies (e.g. stable isotopes, MXD) is rather

expensive. The combination of TRW and BR dating improves the chances to gather data. These two

relatively easy to obtain measurements can be used for independent verification of the results and, most

important, they provide an opportunity to cross-date short series. (iii) BR was tested to detect anatomical

anomalies as light rings, false rings or reaction wood. The BR measurements of specific rings consisting

of cells of irregular character were compared by standard visual analyses. All anomalies employed in

dendroclimatological and dendrogeomorphological studies leave a distinct imprint on BR. Therefore,

this method could be used to quantify the occurrence of anomalies.

The study was supported by the National Science Centre, project no 2013/11/B/ST10/04764 NN

306070540.

Key Words: 63 Blue Reflectance, Maximum Wood Density, dendroclimatology, historical wood dating

65

Using Tree Ring Analysis in Paleoseismogeological Investigations-Case Study from

Russian Altai

R.K. Nepop 1, A.R. Agatova

1, V.S Myglan.

2, A.A. Nazarov

2, V.V. Barinov

2

1 Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, Novosibirsk, Russia

2 Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, Russia

E-mail:agatr@mail.ru

The presence of forest vegetation in seismically active areas gives an opportunity to utilize tree-ring

analysis for study modern and prehistoric earthquakes. Various seismically induced surface processes,

rupturing, ground shaking and scarp formation can affect vital activity of trees and cause their reaction

on environmental changes. Thus rings of trees - witnesses of seismic events, could be potentially

valuable nature archive containing both the evidence for the earthquake and its age. This form the basis

for precise (annual and sometimes even seasonal resolution) dating seismically induced geomorphic

processes, landforms and sediments produced or deformed by earthquakes.

Tree rings can record evidences of earthquakes associated with tectonic deformations or ruptures

(primary effects), seismogravitational deformations or mass movement processes (secondary effects),

and various other seismically triggered environmental changes (side effects). Some most exploitable in

paleoseismogeological investigations aspects of tree ring analysis are discussed in literature (Jacoby,

1997; McCalpin, 2009 and others). Thus for dating ruptures and tectonic scarps formation tree ring

analysis of splitting tree-trunks and tilting stems could be applied.

Regarding the earthquake induced mass movement processes the minimal recolonization time of the

bare surface is estimated by the age of the eldest tree. The direct dates of landslide events can be

obtained by analyzing buried dead trees and/or reaction wood formation from the living ones as a

response on the stem inclination. Subsequent growth of the tilted tree will aim to restore the trunk‟s

vertical position. Thus eccentric tree-ring growth after a tilting event can be dated. Wood penetrating

injuries and scars are also a common feature in trees affected by earthquake induced slope processes.

Callus tissue formation is commonly regarded as a reliable indicator of past geomorphic process

activity. Partial stem burial with debris leads to a reduced activity of the roots, and to additional

mechanical pressure of slope material. The resulted growth suppression is indicated by reduction in the

annual ring widths and therefore can be dated. Exceptionally the growth increase is possible in case of

rich nutrition and water supply. Roots exposure induced by slope mass movements leads to shortage of

water and nutrient supply and, therefore, to suppressed tree growth and the formation of narrow rings in

the stem. In case of decapitation or the removal of branches trees react with distinct radial growth

suppression.

Various side effects of strong earthquakes such as ground shaking, hydrological changes etc. can also

affect the forest vegetation. The negative impact on their living conditions can stimulate growth

66

suppression, missed rings, and even mortality of trees. But geomorphic processes do not only disturb the

forest vegetation in its growth. Sometimes the elimination of neighboring trees can result in a new less

competitive environment for survivor ones. The survival trees can respond on these favorable changes

with growth increase and wider tree rings.

Besides the seismic reasons, changes in growth rate can be also caused by many environment factors

and nonseismic geomorphic disturbances. As it was suggested by G.C. Jacoby the successful

implementation of tree ring analysis in paleoseismology implies the following requirements: 1) damaged

trees should be confined to the rupture zone; 2) diverse evidences of paleoearthquake must exist; and 3)

muster chronology should be developed from trees unaffected by the paleoearthquake.

Distribution of forest vegetation and the age of trees are the main limitations of applying

dendroseismology in paleoseismogeological investigations. By now most of studies are based on the

analysis of the contemporary forest stand which allows dating relatively young seismic events (about

300 years). At the same time the great potential of dendroseismology is determined by the length of the

regional absolute tree-ring chronologies (TRC) which allow their correlating with the newly obtained

local floating TRC. Further analysis of various seismically induced growth reactions of trees as well as

forest regeneration on the bared surfaces gives the opportunity to estimate the ages of ancient

earthquakes.

Dendroseismological approach is a very promising tool and has a great potential for dating seismically

induced landforms in Russian Altai due to several reasons.First of all, seismically induced slope

processes intrude into the forest stand zone in immediate vicinity with the modern upper timber limit. At

this altitude the climatic signal is the main factor controlling the tree-ring growth which is favorable for

building TRC and carrying out the dendrochronological dating of paleotrees affected by earthquakes

and/or settled bared surfaces.Then, arid climate promotes good preservation of wood - up to two

thousand years on stone surfaces.

Another reason is that number of long absolute TRC, including the 2367-years “Mongun” one has been

developed for the SE Altai and adjusted Tyva region. Several years ago it was successfully combined

with the floating 424-year TRC of archeological wood from Scythian tombs associated with the Pazyryk

culture. Thus the duration of final chronology is 2720 years. And finally, the strong Chuya earthquake

(МS=7.3) stroke Russian Altai in 2003. It gives the unique opportunity to analyze the distribution

patterns of wood penetrating injuries and other growth anomalies of specifically seismic origin.

The suggested dendroseismological approach was tested during our paleoseismogeological

investigations in Russian Altai. Within the study area the same focal zones have being repeatedly

reactivated during the Holocene. Thus besides the estimating the germination ages of trees growing on

the bare surfaces of seismically triggered landslides and therefore assessing the minimal possible age of

landforms we have also tested new approach of timing earthquakes which occurred already after forest

regeneration. We suppose that for trees (both dead and living ones) located near the scarps and talus fans

wood penetrating injures could be caused by earthquake induced rock falls as it was during the 2003

67

Chuya earthquake. Obviously besides earthquake triggered rock falls there are climatically driven ones

when heavy rains or snow melting act as the main triggers. Therefore, as well as the number of wood

penetrating injures, the simultaneity of such anomalies sustained by several trees grown on different

earthquake induced landslides (in different parts of an area affected by seismic impact) was taken as a

criterion of their seismic origin. The accuracy of such an approach was supported by data obtained from

analyzing injuries occurred on trees due to rock falls triggered by the 2003 Chuya earthquake.

Local 1154-years TRC on Pinus sibirica Du Tour was built for previously unknown complex of

earthquake induced landslides. Analysis of wood penetrating injuries for trees (both dead and living

ones) from this location allows us establishing the possible precise date of previously unknown strong

medieval earthquake. In that year the trees were affected on different landslides and injuries were

displayed at various heights of tree trunks. This dendrochronologically obtained date of prehistoric

seismic event was verified by radiocarbon ages of seismically cut fossil soils overlapped by undistorted

one. The ages of the oldest trees settled the bared landslides surfaces gave the information about the

minimal ages of landforms.

New data together with the numerous set of radiocarbon dates allow us specifying the recurrence

interval of strong earthquakes in Russian Altai. Besides the obvious applied importance for local

paleoseismogeological investigations the suggested dendroseismological approach can be used for

timing landslides and strong paleoearthquakes for regions where instrumental seismic records or

historical accounts are not available.

Key Words: 64 tree ring analysis, dendroseismology, long tree ring chronologies, wood penetrating

injuries, seismically triggered landslides, paleoseismology, Holocene, Russian Altai

68

Wood Anatomy and Dendrochronological Potential of Ramorinoa Girolae: An

Endemic Threatened Species of Arid Environments

in Argentina

Ricardo Zapata; Pedro Esteban Guerra; Stella Marys Bogino

State University of San Luis,

State University of Córdoba,

State University of San Juan Bosco

E-mail: stellabogino@gmail.com

Ramorinoa girolae (chica) (Fabaceae) is a valuable species of arid environments in Argentina. Chica

protects basins and wildlife and is a food resource for human beings. It grows under unfavourable

climate conditions: high temperatures in summer (more than 40°C) and low precipitation (around 100

mm yr-1

). The aim of this work was to analyse and describe its wood anatomy and to determine its

dendrochronological potential. Sampling sites were placed at Las Quijadas and Chilecito. Standard

dendrochronological techniques were applied for detecting growth dynamics and recruitment. Wood

anatomical characteristics were measured on transverse and longitudinal woody sections. Results show

that chica is irregular diffuse porous, has grouped (multiple) or solitary vessels with larger diameters in

the beginning of the growing season. A fine textured wood results from scarce and small vessels.

Marginal parenchyma allowed for detection of tree rings; however, early and late wood are scarcely

detected due to the homogenous anatomical structures. Vessel density changed according to each tree

ring. Rays were abundant. The completely stratified rays and short vessel longitude are highly

specialised woody characteristics. Wider vessels in the beginning of the growing season and marginal

parenchyma allowed us to detect tree rings, showing the accuracy of this species for

dendrochronological studies. Our analyses of the tree rings demonstrated individual trees older than 320

years. Mean radial growth varied between 0.91 and 1.37 mm (DS±0.44-0.84) mm yr-1

. These results

demonstrate that species growing in arid environments can provide data for more than 300 years and are

accurate tools for dendrochronological studies.

Key Words: 65 wood anatomy, arid environments, Argentina, Ramorinoa girolae

69

Ecological and Dendroclimatological Response of Pinus Wallichiana in Different

Aspect of the Forest Of Manaslu Conservation Area (Mca), Western Nepal

Sangita Pant1, Narayan Prasad Gaire

1,2 and Dinesh Raj Bhuju

1,2

1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumltar, Lalitpur, Nepal

E-mail: pant.sangi@gmail.com

This study mainly focuses on dendro-ecological response of Pinus wallichiana to climate change. The

study was carried out in two community managed forests, namely Thangming and Chhak of Prok VDC

in Manaslu Conservation Area (MCA) in western Nepal. Vegetation sampling was done by quadrate

method, and the sample quadrates were located by stratified random sampling technique. Four vertical

transects were laid along the elevation gradient running parallel to each other with 200 m difference

starting from 2,100 m asl to 2,700 m asl. Altogether 28 quadrates (size: 20 m × 20 m) were laid on both

north and south-facing slopes (18 in north and 10 in south). Diameter at Breast Height (DBH), basal

diameter and height of each individual tree of P. wallichiana were recorded. A total of 105 tree cores

were collected by using Swedish increment borer. A detailed ecological survey was carried out in each

plot with GPS recording. The forests of both aspects were dominated by P. wallichiana. Northern aspect

was associated with Cedrus deodara, Rhododendron arboreum, Castanopsis indica, etc. The north

facing slope had denser forests (1437.5 no./ha) than the south-facing slope (643.75 no. /ha). Tree density

of P. wallichiana decreased with increase in altitude in southern aspect; however, no such consistent

trend was seen in the northern aspect. There was significant difference in P. wallichiana density

between two aspects (t-statistic 0.37, p< 0.05). The average seedling and sapling density of P.

wallichiana on the north and south slopes was 173.75 no./ha; 293.75 no./ha and 218.75 no./ha; 256.25

no./ha respectively. From the tree ring analysis a 91 years old tree was recorded from northern aspect of

the forest. The average annual radial growth was 1.30 mm/yr and 0.90 mm/yr for northern and southern

aspect respectively. The ring pattern showed the fluctuation in the ring width with the temporal change

in environmental condition. The growth of P. wallichiana was favored by pre-monsoon temperature and

monsoon rainfall. This shows that fluctuation in any climatic condition in these months will change the

growth pattern of the P. wallichiana.

Key Words: 66 aspect, DBH, dendrochronology, density, species association, tree core, tree ring

70

Treering Based Temperature and Precipitation Reconstruction in Western Nepal

Himalaya

Sanjaya Bhandari1, Narayan Prasad Gaire

1, 2, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

1, 2, Santosh Kumar Shah

3, Uday Thapa

4

1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

3Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow, India

4Department of Geography, Environment and Society, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA

E-mail: sanjayabhandari1990@gmail.com

The Nepal Himalayas have a shortage of long instrumental recorded climatic data. These shortages can

be addressed by the study of various natural archives, including tree rings. The current study was done

to know the growth-climate relationship and to reconstruct past climate of western Nepal Himalaya by

analyzing the ring growth of Tsuga dumosa. For this study, 89 cores from 49 trees of T. dumosa from

Api Nampa Conservation Area, western Nepal Himalayas were collected. For the core collection

suitable trees were found at elevation of 2700-2800 masl. Only 77 cores of the 89 cores were used in

the final analysis. A 356 - year (AD 1657-2013) chronology was developed indicating the suitability of

T. dumosa for dendroclimatic study. Response function analysis indicated that the ring-width growth of

T. dumosa had a significant negative correlation with the temperature of pre-monsoon months (March,

April and May) but a positive correlation with the precipitation of same pre-monsoon months. Using

transfer function analysis 311 years (AD 1702-2013) of pre-monsoon temperature and precipitation were

reconstructed. Reconstructed temperatures showed no indication of a constant trend of warming and

cooling, nor did the precipitation reconstruction indicate any trends towards drier and wetter periods

during the reconstruction period. Reconstructed pre-monsoon temperatures highlighted several warming

and cooling periods. The cooling periods were observed in AD 1721- 1740, 1751– 1765, 1819-1830,

1882-1888 and 1912-1922, while the warming periods were detected in 1714-1720, 1741-1750, 1780-

1788, 1800-1818 and 1922-1975. Reconstructed precipitation showed several periods of low and high

precipitation. High precipitation occurred in AD 1721-1740, 1751-1765, 1819-1830, 1882-1888 and

1912-1922, while low precipitation occurred in AD 1741-1720, 1741-1750, 1780-1788, 1800-1818 and

1922-1975. Our reconstruction also showed that since 1974 pre-monsoon months have been cooling and

getting wetter.

Key Words: 67 Tsuga dumosa,dendroclimatology, instrunmental, pre-monsoon, ring width

71

Growth-Climate Responses of Abies Spectabilis along Elevation Gradients in the

Central Himalaya, Nepal

Shankar Panthi1, ZeXin Fan

1

Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Menglun,

Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China

E-mail: shankar.panthi@xtbg.ac.cn

Abies spectabilis is a widely distributed coniferous species in the Nepal Himalayas. Trees of Abies

spectabilis growing on high elevations may sensitive to climate changes, thus have great potentiality in

dendroclimatology. We constructed tree ring-width chronologies of A. spectabilis along elevational

gradient in Rara National Park, located in northwestern part of Nepal. Growth-climate relationships

among different elevations were analyzed by correlation and response function,using monthly mean

temperature and precipitation data.Ring-width measurement showed strong influence of precipitation

signatures for the tree growth.Tree growth was more sensitive to moisture availability and the extent of

sensitivity was also varying along elevational gradient.Future efforts should be considered for improving

the spatial coverage of historical climate reconstructions for the central Himalayas.

Key Words: 68 Abies spectabilis,Dendroclimatology, Elevational gradient, Precipitation, Response

function

72

Tree-Ring Analysis of Toona Ciliata from Sub-Tropical Wet Forests of Eastern

Himalaya

Santosh K. Shah and Amalava Bhattacharyya

Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow, 226 007, India

E-mail santoshk.shah@gmail.com

In India the Himalayan conifers have been mostly dated for growth rings to the calendar year of their

formation and assessed for tree-growth climate relationship and climate reconstruction. In contrast only

few broad-leaved taxa have been previously studied. The tree-ring study of Indian broad-leaved taxa

need to be explored from wide geographical regions to ascertain their potentiality towards

dendrochronological applications in climatological and ecological aspects. The present study deals with

tree-ring analysis of Toona ciliata from the subtropical wet hill forests of Kalimpong, eastern Himalaya.

Based on the 31 core samples, 180 years long tree-ring width chronology (spanning A.D. 1824–2003)

was developed, from a new geographical region of India. The chronology statistics from the present site

was found moderate and is compared with tree-ring chronologies of Toona ciliata from other regions

viz., southern India, Australia and Thialand. The correlation analysis with monthly or seasonal climate

data revealed a direct relationship between the ring-width chronology with temperature and precipitation

of the post monsoon season. The correlation analysis also shows positive relationship of tree growth

with minimum temperature of January-February months. The observation of the tree–growth and

climate showed that optimum temperature, precipitation and soil moisture together modulated the

increase growth of Toona ciliata in the region. The study showed there is a paucity of tree-ring data

from broad-leaved taxa from India. However, we established the dendroclimatic potential of this taxa to

carry out future tree-ring based studies in addition to other taxa already positively adopted in tree-ring

analyses.

Key Words: 69 Toona ciliata, Tree–rings, Climate, Eastern Himalaya

73

Evidence of Human Influence on the Growth of Populus Euphratica Riparian

Forests in the Ejina Oasis, China, Using Tree-Ring Analysis

Shengchun Xiao, Xiaomei Peng

Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of

Sciences, China

E-mail: pxmphd@163.com

Human activities are one of the main factors influencing hydrological processes in arid oasis region.

However, it is not clear how forests respond to those influences on a temporal (from 1954 to 2010) and

spatial (oasis-wide) scales. Here, we develop a set of 28 tree-ring chronologies of Populus euphratica

from the Ejina Oasis in the lower reaches of the Heihe River basin to evaluate forest response to mainly

human-controlled runoff change. Heterogeneity is the dominant characteristic of forest growth and its

response to hydrologic process. The results show that about 30% runoff declined for nearly 12 years

leads to 23.8% forest degradation degree, particularly in the lower part of the East River and the West

River. The water allocation project between the middle and lower reaches helped the runoff recovery.

However, over the period from 2007 to 2010, the trees in the middle and lower part of the East river still

did not make a full recovery. Thus, it is particularly important to develop more reasonable water

allocation strategies between the middle and lower reaches, also between ecosystem and humans, to

cope with possible low-runoff and warming conditions. The spatial variation in poplar trees‟ growth and

their relationship with the regional runoff, temperature and precipitation data features a high degree of

heterogeneity, which must be carefully considered before regional tree-ring studies in an arid oasis.

Key Words: 70 Arid oasis, Heihe River basin, heterogeneity, water allocation

74

Dendroclimatological Study of Subalpine Abies Spectabilis Forests in Dolpa of

Northwestern Nepal

Shiba Raj Ghimire1, Bharat Babu Shrestha

1, Narayan Prasad Gaire

2, 3,and Uttam Babu Shrestha

1

1Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

3Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumltar, Lalitpur, Nepal

E-mail: shiba_skt@yahoo.com

Dendroclimatological study of subalpine Abies spectabilis forests in Dolpa of Northwestern Nepal

Climatic data and tree growth relationships give valuable information in Dendroclimatic research which

describes the sensitivity of trees to the climate. Abies spectabilis is one of the potential species for

dendroclimatological studies. It shows response to the climate sensitively. This study aims to analyze the

growth responses of A. spectabilis to local climatic parameters of the study site by using tree- ring

chronology. The study was carried out at Toridwari community forest of Majhphal village area, Dolpa in

July 2011. For this work, three vertical transects were selected. In each transect a quadrat of 20 m × 20

m was sampled from the upper species limit of the Abies spectabilis at tree line. Quadrats in each

transect were laid at about 50 m walking distance from each other. Altogether, nine quadrats were

sampled between 3592 and 3728 m asl. Total 102 samples from 90 trees of Abies spectabiliswere taken.

The coring of trees was performed with the help of Sunto –increment corer. After the preparation of

samples by using different techniques, the widths of the cores were measured at 0.01 mm of precision

with the help of LINTAB measuring system linked with TSAP – win software. A 235 - year tree–ring

chronology of A. spectabilis dating back to 1777 was developed. A quantitative analysis of the

relationship between tree growth and climate based on a correlation and response function showed that

the radial growth of tree – rings was statistically significant and negatively correlated with mean

maximum temperature for the month of May ( correlation coefficient 0.554 , P< 0.01), and March (

correlation coefficient 0.43, P< 0.05) of the current year. In addition to that, a significant and negative

correlation was found with mean temperature of May (correlation coefficient 0.43, P<0.05) but the

Precipitation does not show any significant relationship with tree ring.

Key Words: 71 Climate Change, Tree-ring, Dendroclimatology, Tree-line

75

Ring-Width Analysis of Conifer Trees over Western Himalaya and Its Long-Term

Association with Various Climatic Parameters

Somaru Ram and H.P. Borgaonkar

Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune-8, India

E-mail: somaru@tropmet.res.in

Multi species tree-ring chronologies indicated strong significant negative relationship with vapor

pressure (VP) and potential evapotranspiration (PET), and positive with Palmer Drought Severity Index

(PDSI) and moisture availability of the region during spring season. The preliminary results showed that

the MI and PDSI in spring season might have a large scale positive association in developing of annual

ring-width patterns whereas VP and PET are not found to be conducive for the trees growth during

spring season. VP and PET from the beginning of the year 1917 showed strong influence on tree growth.

High and low VP / PET might be associated with low and high MI/ PDSI of the region. Extremely

narrow ring width index was observed in the year of 1921 and 1941 at most of the tree sites, which are

under the severe moisture stress condition due to extremely high PET and VP of the region. The released

and suppressed tree growth over the region is probably linked with the high and low MI /PDSI of the

region. The recent observation also suggests a weakening of VP and PET‟s influence on tree growth

during recent few decades as compared to early period.

Key Words: 72 Western Himalaya, conifers, tree-ring, moisture index, vapor pressure, potential

evapotranspiration

76

Relationship Between Climate and Wood-Anatomy Parameters on Pinus Sylvestris

l. From Northern Finland

Sudip Pandey, Elena Pellizzari and Marco Carrer

TESAF, University of Padova, Viale dell‟Universita‟ 16, Legnaro (PD), Italy

E-mail: environ_sudip@yahoo.com

High-latitude areas have proven to be one of the best-suited locations to apply tree-ring sequences as

climate proxy. Indeed, at these sites we generally observe highly significant climate/tree growth

associations together with a high potential to create centuries- to millennia-long chronologies. The

recent technological advances in image analysis applied to the field of wood anatomy open up a

fascinating perspective for dendroecological studies covering time spans as long as the more established

ring-width or wood-density chronologies. Here, we present the assessment of the climate/growth

associations for two sites of Pinus sylvestris in Northern Finland, using new anatomical parameters

derived from quantitative wood anatomy. The effect of climate on pine growth was analyzed using daily

weather records, from 1908 to 2011, and several yearly and sub-yearly anatomical parameters such as

the number of cells, the median lumen area, the mean and maximum cell-wall thickness, etc. Results

from one site confirm what has already been highlighted in many previous investigations, i.e. the

dominant effect of the current season temperature. But they also highlight hitherto undetected effects

such as the role of precipitation during the short growing season. Further, working on the anatomical

level and with daily weather records, it was possible to obtain a much higher resolution in the time

window where trees are highly sensitive to climate variability. These tree-ring anatomical variables

reveal a high potential for future research both in dendroecology and in dendroclimatology.

Key Words: 73 Cell size, Dendrochronology, Wood anatomy, Scots pine, Tree-ring width

77

Pdsi Inferred from Oxygen Isotope (Δ18o) of Teak Tree-Ring

Supaporn Buajana, Nathsuda Pumijumnongb, Qiang Lic, Yu Liu

College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and forestry University, Fujian 350002, China; Faculty of

Environment and Resource Studies, Mahidol University, Nakhon Pathom 73170,Thailand; Institute of

Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an 710075

E-mail: nathsuda@gmail.com

The Oxygen isotope value in α-cellulose of teak tree-ring is a good proxy to study the climate. This

study aimed to investigate the relationship between oxygen isotope values in teak tree-ring cellulose and

climatic factors (eg. rainfall, temperature and relative humidity). Four cores of the teak species (Tectona

grandis L.) from northwest Thailand were collected and samples pooled to analyse the oxygen isotope

value in α-cellulose. The oxygen isotopic composition of teak tree-ring α-cellulose ranged from 21.38 ‰

to 25.58 ‰. The mean tree-ring cellulose δ18O values and standard deviations is 23.4 ± 0.7 ‰. It was

more significantlynegatively correlated with rainfall (r = -0.345, p< 0.01 for total rainfall, r = -0.321, p<

0.01 for average rainfall) than relative humidity (r = - 0.282, p< 0.05) during the last rainy season

(ASO). Moreover, it was significantlynegatively correlated with annual mean PDSI from 1948 to 2005

(r = - 0.491, p< 0.000) averaged from four grids. We confirm that the Oxygen isotope value in α-

cellulose of teak in northern Thailand was a good proxy to study the climate in these areas.

Key Words: 74 Teak tree-ring cellulose, PDSI, Northwest Thailand

78

Reconstruction of Defoliating Insects Outbreak Frequency in Bogd Khan Mountain,

Mongolia by Dendroecological Method

Suran Byambagerel, Nachin Baatarbileg

E-mail: treeringlab@num.edu.mn

Tree-ring cores (samples) were collected to reconstruct frequency of insect outbreaks in the larch forest

of eastern part of Bogd Khan Mountain, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Using tree ring measurements, master

chronologies of four conifer species were built. The response functions of Larix sibirica, Pinus sibirica,

Pinus sylvestris and Picea obovata chronologies with monthly mean temperature and monthly total

precipitation for the interval from 1940 to 2000 showed that their radial growth are mainly controlled by

spring precipitation and negatively affected by high summer temperatures. Comparisons of the tree ring

chronologies among the four species showed growth suppressions which climate variations and the

probable occurrence of insect outbreaks from 1800 to 1900. The effect of defoliation was also can be

seen in wood anatomical examination, showing that outbreak year‟s earlywood and latewood formation

with a pronounced dominance of earlywood production and very thin latewood growth in host trees

during the same year as defoliation and often in the following two –three years were narrow. According

the recorded outbreaks, Siberian moth (Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetw) invasion noted in 1925-1929

and in 1955-1957, vapourer moth (Orgyia antiqua Linn) in 1941-1944, Siberian moth, Jacobson‟s

geometrid moth (Erannis Jacobsoni Djak) in 1971-1972 and Siberian moth and geometrid moths were

infested in 1989 in Bogd Khan Mountain, Ulaanbaatar. Recently Siberian moth, vapourer moth and

gypsy moth (Ocneria dispar Linn) attacks occurred in 2000, 2003 and 2005 in this region. All these

outbreaks reduced radial growth of trees in this region, which were confirmed by this study. Moreover,

we identified major disturbances which are most probably linked to insect outbreaks for the years 1902-

1903, 1879 - 1880, 1847-1849 and 1825-1829 which may could indicate a roughly 30 year frequency of

defoliation by Siberian moth.

Key Words: 75 Siberian larch; Siberian moth; Outbreaks; Dendroecology;

79

Dendrochronological Approach to Assess Past Landslides Events in Some Conifer

Forests of Azad Jammu And Kashmir, Pakistan – A Preliminary Study

Tasveer Zahra Bokhari1, Moinuddin Ahmed

2

1Botany Division, Institute of Pure and Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan-

Pakistan 2Laboratory of Dendrochronology and Plant Ecology, Federal Urdu University of Arts, Science and

Technology, Karachi-Pakistan

E-mail:tzb_5@hotmail.com

The present investigation focuses on dendrochronological studies of some conifer forests of Azad Jammu and

Kashmir. Wood samples of five conifers from different sites of Azad Jammu and Kashmir were taken to

investigate past landslides events in study area. These species were Abies pindrow Royle, Cedrus deodara (Roxb.

ex Lamb.), Picea smithiana (Wall) Boiss, Pinus roxburghii Sargent and Pinus wallichiana A.B. Jackson

respectively. Crossdating of all samples was done by using skeleton plot technique. Among these, two species

(Abies pindrow and Cedrus deodara) from four sites (Pir Chinasi, Sudhan Gali, Kail and Keran) gave long series

with sensitive ring sequences which were cross matched successfully. The remaining sites and species were not

included as they had short series with almost similar ring sequences (complacent rings). The two above mentioned

species showed some signs like scars, wounds, cracks and sensitive rings due to various past disturbance events

like landslides, earthquakes, fire etc. Raw and standardized versions of tree ring chronologies of two sensitive

species from four sites were developed. A maximum dated chronology of Abies pindrow extended back to 1697-

2009 A.D. for 312 years was obtained from Sudhan Gali. Years with slow radial growth (narrow rings) and with

rapid radial growth (wide rings) were also recorded.The estimation of age and growth rate of each species was

also done. Among all the sampled species, the maximum age of 336 years was observed in both Abies pindrow

and Pinus wallichiana. However, other species attained more than hundred years of age. The maximum radial

growth was seen in Pinus wallichiana and Abies pindrow with the values of 0.92 and 0.47cm per year

respectively. On the other hand the growth rate of Picea smithiana and Cedrus deodara was slow with the values

of about 0.22 and 0.30 cm per year respectively. The dbh and growth rate of most of the trees from sampled

forests were negatively while dbh and age were positively correlated. This study revealed that these forests have

diverse and asymmetric structure due to anthropogenic disturbances and overgrazing, which are key factors in

addition to natural disturbances. However, some of the forests showed considerably stable structure due to less

human interference.

Key Words: 76 Jammu and Kashmir, Abies pindrow and Cedrus deodara

80

Phytosociology of Disturbed Conifer Forested Areas of Azad Jammu and Kashmir

(Ajk), Pakistan - Present and Future Trends

T Z Bokhari*1, M Ahmed

2, Zaheer U Khan

3, Saeed A Malik

1

*Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IEECAS), Xi'an-P. R. China 1Botany Division, Institute of Pure & Applied Biology, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan-

Pakistan 2Botany Department, Federal Urdu University of Arts Science & Technology, Karachi-Pakistan

3Botany Department, Government College University, Lahore-Pakistan

The present investigation is an attempt in Pakistan in which moist temperate conifer forests of Azad

Jammu and Kashmir (AJK)-Pakistan are studied from broad ecological and disturbance perspectives.

These forests are floristically rich and they are diverse in their composition. Due to various natural and

anthropogenic disturbances, these forests are gradually disappearing and this rate is enhanced since last

two to three decades. For this purpose, the present work is an initial step to understand various factors

causing disturbance and some trends in these disturbed forests. In addition, no extensive quantitative

ecological work that specifically focuses on the present status of these disturbed forests has yet been

published. The present investigation includes phytosociology of different conifer forests of AJK, i.e., to

examine the species composition, communities structure and to seek vegetation gradients. Quantitative

sampling, in addition to dendrochronological analysis, from thirty one stands was carried out in different

coniferous forests of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. This study revealed that these forests have diverse and

asymmetric structure due to anthropogenic disturbances and overgrazing, which are key factors in

addition to natural disturbances. The government and various other organizations are giving more

emphasis on the conservation and maintenance of these disturbed forests. But these practices are not

much successful due to lack of proper training and knowledge about vegetation of these areas. Some of

the forests which have poor regeneration potential need special attention and restoration. Overgrazing is

also a serious overriding factor, which is responsible for low regeneration. It should be strictly banned

for at least ten years in these forests in order to increase the rate of regeneration. It is hoped that these

studies will be useful to see the future trends of these disturbed conifer forests of Azad Kashmir.

Key Words: 77 Phytosociology, Disturbed, Conifer Forests, Azad Jammu Kashmir, Pakistan

81

Growth-Ring Anaysis of Teak in Myanmar: Dendroclimatic Potential

Thida Swe1, Nyi Nyi Kyaw

2

1 Forest Research Institute, Myanmar

2 Forest Department, Myanmar

E-mail: thidaswe@gmail.com

Teak (Tectona grandis Linn F.) is one of the few tree species in the Asian tropics for which cross-dating

has been definitively demonstrated. Dendro-climatological studies of teak have been published for some

Asian countries like India, Thailand and Indonesia. All of these studies demonstrate the suitability of

teak for understanding past monsoon-related climate variability in southern Asia. However, very few

dendrochronological studies have been performed to date in Myanmar. Therefore, this study aims to

investigate the utility of Teak dendrochronology to provide insights into historicalclimate conditions

(rainfall and temperature) and forest productivity in Myanmar. The climate-growth relationships

identified herein exhibit a positive relationship with precipitation during the first half of the wet season

(April – July) at the onset of the monsoons. The result of the research has provided valuable new

information on the dendrochronology and seasonality of climate response of teak in Myanmar. Tree-ring

studies in Myanmar also have much potential for developing long records of geomorphological evidence

and environmental change, in addition to the reconstruction of past climate variability.

Key Words: 78 Tectona grandis, dendrochronology, growth-climate relationship, rainfall, temperature

82

A Tree-Ring Based Temperature Reconstruction for the Kaiduhe River Watershed,

Northwestern China, since a.d. 1680: Linkages to the

North Atlantic Oscillation

Tong-wen Zhang, Yu-jiang Yuan, Yu Liu, Wen-shou Wei, Rui-bo Zhang, Feng Chen, Shu-long Yu,

Hua-ming Shang, Li Qin

Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration

E-mail: tongwenzhang19820705@hotmail.com

September–March mean temperature has been reconstructed back to A.D. 1680 for the Kaiduhe River

watershed on the southern slope of the Tien Shan Mountains, China, using Picea schrenkiana tree-ring

widths. The reconstruction explains 47% of the variance of in the observed mean temperature from 1953

to 2011. Power spectral and wavelet analyses demonstrated the existence of significant 50-year and 2- to

7-year cycles of variability. The results of the spatial correlations suggest that our reconstruction

contains climatic signals for Central Asia. Warm periods occurred during 1696–1708, 1730–1748,

1784–1804, 1832–1855, 1892–1903, 1924–1928, 1937–1943, and 1987–2006; while the periods of

1685–1695, 1709–1729, 1749–1783, 1805–1831, 1856–1891, 1904–1923, 1929–1936, and 1944–1986

were relatively cold. The significant correlation coefficient between our reconstruction and the

temperature reconstruction for the Urumqi River source reveals that the temperature variations in the

annual cold period for the southern and the northern slope of the central Tien Shan Mountains are

roughly synchronous over the last nearly 300 years. A comparison between our reconstruction and three

winter North Atlantic Oscillation indices revealed similar long-term trends.

Key Words: 79 Kaiduhe River; Picea schrenkiana; tree-ring width; temperature

83

Spring Temperatures in the Far-Western Nepal Himalaya since A.D 1640

Reconstructed from Picea Smithiana Tree-Ring Widths

Udya Kuwar Thapa1, 2

, Santosh K. Shah3, Narayan Prasad Gair

4, 5, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

4, 5

1Department of Geography, Environment and Society, University of Minnesota, Minnesota, USA

2Goldengate International College Kathmandu, Nepal

3Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow, India

4Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

5Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

E-mail: thapa037@umn.edu

We developed a new, 422-year long tree-ring width chronology (spanning A.D. 1591 to 2012) from

Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss in Khaptad National Park, which is located in the far-western Nepal

Himalaya. Seasonal correlation analysis revealed significant indirect relationship with spring

temperature and lead to the reconstruction of March–May average temperature for the past 373 years

(AD 1640 to 2012). The reconstruction was found significant based on validation statistics commonly

used in tree–ring based climate reconstruction. Furthermore, it was validated through spatial correlation

with gridded temperature data. This temperature reconstruction identified several periods of warming

and cooling. The reconstruction did not show the significant pattern of cooling during the Little Ice Age

but there were few cold episodes recorded. The spring temperature revealed relationship with different

Sea Surface Temperature indices over the equatorial Pacific Ocean, which showed linkages with

climatic variability at a global scale.

Key Words: 80 Khaptad National Park, Nepal, Picea smithiana, spring temperature, tree-rings

84

The Carbon Isotopic Composition of Atlas cedar: A Record of the Increase of

Aridity in North-Western Morocco

Over the Last 40 Years

V. Daux, H. Marah, M. Stievenard, M. Pierre, M. Ed Dabdouby, V. Masson-Delmotte

Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat, CNRS./CEA/UVSQ, France

E-mail: valerie.daux@lsce.ipsl.f

Since the 1970s several periods of below-average precipitation have occurred in North Africa. The

Middle Atlas area (North Morocco) is the most important water reservoir in Morocco, whose moisture

history has to be retraced for planning the future. Over the last 40 years, the temperature (T) of the

growing season has increased (D TApril-June= ~ +0.3°C/decade) and the precipitation decreased (~ -18

mm/decade in November and in December when soil aquifer is recharged). Reflecting these concomitant

variations, the monthly Palmer Drought Severity Index (1870-2000, Dai et al., 2004) has decreased. We

examined two datasets of carbon isotopic ratios of the tree-rings cellulose (d13Ccell) of Cedrus atlantica

from the Middle Atlas area to assess the potential of this proxy for reconstructing past variation in

moisture availability. The sample autocorrelations of the two d13C series are important (>0.8). This is

partly due to a strong trend in the data, which mimics the PDSI evolution through time. The low-

frequency components of the d13C chronologies are indeed strongly linked to this parameter. They are

also highly consistent with other dendro-isotopic records from Southern Europe. In contrast, the high

frequency variations, which do not show significant correlations with any climate parameters, are very

likely controlled at first order by local conditions.The d13Ccell of the Middle Atlas cedars show that

aridity increased gradually in Northern Morocco from 1800 to 1950 and steeply since then.

Key Words: 81 Morocco, d13C, tree-ring, aridity

85

Surmounting the Standardization: Quantifying Millennium-Scale Dendroclimatic

Variability with No Need to Detrend Traditional

Tree-Ring Data

V. Matskovsky, S. Helama

Russia Institute of Geography RAS, Moscow, Russia;

Finnish Forest Research Institute, Northern Unit, Rovaniemi, Finland

E-mail:matskovsky@gmail.com

Here we introduce and test a new dendroclimatic method for reconstructing past climate variability. This

method avoids tree-ring standardization and is supposedly free from any problems associated with low-

frequency climatic signals. Its basic idea is to directly (i.e. no need of standardization) transform the

measured tree-ring parameters (TRW, MXD, δ13C etc.) into climatic parameter values; therefore, this

method is called DIRECT (DIrect REConstruction Technique). Tree-ring parameters are transformed

taking into account cambial age that is known to influence tree-ring parameters. Instead of

standardization, a response surface is used as a transfer function constructed in a 3D space (cambial age,

tree-ring parameter, climatic parameter) over the instrumental period. The final step is to apply this

transformation by the response surface for climate reconstruction taking into account the differences the

cambial age matters for the transfer function. This is how the problem which is usually addressed by

standardization is solved without using them.Our experiments evidence several benefits of using

DIRECT. The agreement between DIRECT and RCS-based (Regional Curve Standardization)

reconstructions on long timescales is an argument for good preservation of long-period climatic

variability with RCS. Yet the total power of DIRECT spectra on periods >100 yr is higher than in RCS-

based reconstructions. The response surface built in the first step of the algorithm allows the

investigation of additional properties of climatic response, including the response of different age

groups, and other properties of tree-ring datasets. It is also possible to reconstruct climate from different

age groups. A new reconstruction of June-August temperatures for Northern Fennoscandia is now

introduced with uncertainty estimates. The main limitation for theuse of existing tree-ring datasets is the

need for tree-ring series from young living trees.

Key Words: 82 standardization, low-frequency signal

86

Stronger Impacts OF Central Pacific (CP) El Niño Events on the Hydroclimate of

Southwestern China: Insights from a

Tree-Ring D18o Series

Wenling An , Xiaohong Liu, Weizhen Sun, Wenzhi Wang, Yu Wang, Guobao Xu, Xiaomin Zeng,

Jiawen Ren

Nanjing University

E-mail: wenling1985@lzb.ac.cn

In this study, we explored potential teleconnections between central- and eastern-Pacific sea surface

temperatures (SSTs) and local hydroclimate variability using earlywood δ18O from southwestern China

during the period of 1902-2005. We detected a recent loss of the climate signals in the earlywood

cellulose δ18O time series since the 1980s. The signal reduction may have resulted from the changing

local hydroclimate, which is associated with the changing SSTs over Pacific Ocean. During the past

century, most extreme dry or wet years identified by the earlywood δ18O chronology corresponded to

historical El Niño or La Niña events, respectively, Dry and wet events in the study area are related to

ENSO events produced by warming and cooling of the central Pacific more than that of the eastern

Pacific. It indicated that southwestern China experienced more and severer droughts during the central

Pacific (CP) El Niño years than the eastern Pacific (EP) El Niño years.

Key Words: 83 tree-ring δ18O, Pacific sea surface temperatures, ENSO, hydroclimate, southwestern

China

87

Little Ice Age Fluctuations of Mimei Glacier in the Southeastern

Tibetan Plateau Reconstructed By Tree Rings

Wenwen Liu, Haifeng Zhu, Eryuan Liang, Fayaz Asad

Institute of Tibetan Plateau, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

E-mail: liuww@itpcas.ac.cn

Glacier fluctuations during the Little Ice Age have essential practical meaning for evaluating future

climate change. Ecesis interval, the time span from a glacier retreating to first seedling germination,

should be added to the maximum age of trees to estimate the moraine surface age. Moraines of Mimei

glacier, Southeast of Tibetan Plateau, were dated and compared with the other glaciers nearby. The

oldest trees of four sampling sites show three glacier fluctuations of Mimei glacier: AD 1523, AD1875,

AD 1910 and it reached its‟ LIA maximum extent in AD 1523. It displayed a recession 244 years earlier

than the Midui glacier (AD 1767) to its east. This finding provides a new evidence for the LIA glacier

fluctuations in SE Tibetan Plateau.

Key Words: 84 tree-ring, Little Ice Age, moraine, glacier fluctuation

88

How Old Rhododendron Shrubs Respond To Climate on the Southeastern Tibetan

Plateau: Prospects for Shrub-Based Dendrochronology

Xiaoming Lu1, Julio J Camarero

2, Yafeng Wang

1, Eryuan Liang

1, Dieter Eckstein

3.

1Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan

Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101 Beijing, China.

2Instituto Pirenaico de Ecologia (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana, 1005, 50059 Zaragoza, Spain

3University of Hamburg, Germany

E-mail: lxmzsj2006@163.com

In environmentally harsh and treeless areas, shrubs constitute the dominant growth form of woody

plants. However, shrub-based dendrochronology has produced few long and climate-responsive ring-

width chronologies in these stressful sites. In the case of the highest treelines and shrublines of the world

located in the Tibetan Plateau, alpine shrubs offer a unique opportunity to apply dendrochronology in

sites located beyond the uppermost distribution limit of trees. Previous studies on Rhododendron shrubs

resulted in the assembly of several short ring-width chronologies. Now, we considerably extend these

chronologies in space and time by collecting and cross-dating cross-sections of Rhododendron

aganniphum stems taken from six sites located at elevations ranging from 4000 to 4500 m. The ring

widths were measured and correlated with time-series of monthly climate data. A principal component

analysis was used to summarize the total variability of indexed ring-width chronologies. A nearly 400-

year long Rhododendron ring-width chronology was built. The year-to-year variability in ring-width

indices was positively correlated with July temperature. We concluded that shrub ring-width

chronologies can be used as reliable climatic proxies in treeless environments such as most of the

Tibetan Plateau and elsewhere.

Key Words: 85 Alpine shrubs, Dendrochronology, Rhododendron, Tibetan Plateau, tree line

89

A Specific Intra-Seasonal Δ18o Pattern in Tree Rings on Southeastern Tibetan

Plateau: Implications for Inferring Seasonal Incursion

of Indian Monsoon Moisture

Xiaomin Zeng 1, 4

, Xiaohong Liu 1, Michael N. Evans

2, Wenzhi Wang

1, 4, Wenling An

3, Guobao Xu

1,

Guoju Wu 1, 4

, Dahe Qin 1

1State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering

Research Institute, Lanzhou 730000, China 2Department of Geology and Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Centre, University of Maryland,

College Par

E-mail: zengxiaomin1021@lzb.ac.cn

Intra-seasonal tree-ring δ18O series of four Smith firs at two sites along a sunny slope in Sygera

Mountains from 2007 to 2011 were measured to elucidate their short-term seasonal environmental

significance. A clear seasonal cycle has been revealed in the intra-seasonal oxygen isotope (δ18O),

which indicates higher δ18O values at the initial ring parts and lower δ18O values at outer parts. The

amplitude of the seasonal cycle in treering δ18O ranges from 3.2 to 12.4‰ (mean is ~ 7.1‰). The

distinctive pattern of intra-seasonal variation observed in cellulose δ18O was consistent with

precipitation δ18O pattern, suggesting the dominant control of precipitation on the pattern of intra-ring

δ18O. The forward mechanistic model could simulate well the variability of intra-seasonal tree-ring

δ18O, and further demonstrated that tree-ring δ18O were mostly controlled by precipitation δ18O

(affected by relative humidity and precipitation). The significant correlation between relative humidity

and intra-seasonal tree-ring δ18O may primarily be caused by the humidity effect of precipitation δ18O,

not by evaporative enrichment of δ18O in leaf water. Moreover, there also existed an“altitude effect” on

intra-seasonal tree-ring δ18O, which might be caused by evapotranspiration differences between the two

elevations. The observed intra-seasonal variation of tree-ring δ18O could reflect the seasonal incursion

of Indian monsoon moisture. This study highlights the importance of quantifying intra-seasonal

variation in tree-ring isotope signals as a guide to further investigations on historic variability from long

chronologies in southeastern Tibetan Plateau if the signal of interest is seasonally variable (e.g.

precipitation δ18O).

Key Words: 86 intra-seasonal δ18O; precipitation δ18O; tree rings; southeastern Tibetan Plateau

90

Effects of Slope Gradient on Growth-Climate Relationship at a Semi-Arid Site in

the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Xuemei Shao1, 2

*, Zhi-Yong Yin1, 3

, Mingqi Li1, Hua Tian

1, Yong Zhang

1

1 Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural

Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China 2CAS Center for Excellence and Innovation in Tibetan Plateau Earth System Science

E-mail: shaoxm@igsnrr.ac.cn

In dendroclimatology, it is often hypothesized that the growth of trees near the upper forest line is most

limited by low temperature, while the growth of trees near the lower boundary is most affected by

drought, especially in semi-arid mountainous regions. Therefore, a positive correlation between

temperature and ring width index is often expected when using tree ring data from the upper tree limits

and a positive correlation between precipitation and ring width index is expected when using tree ring

data from the lower tree limits. However, it is not always so ideal in practice. For example, we have

found that there are still moisture signals in the ring width index from the upper tree limits at a semi-arid

site in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau, similar to the findings of other studies. To understand this

phenomenon, we investigated the relationships of tree radial growth and climate factors for varying

slope gradients, and solar radiation received at different locations in addition to elevation. We sampled a

total of 352 trees on a mountain slope with the elevation range from approximately 3800 to 4250 m

above sea level. For each tree, we took the GPS coordinates and derived elevation, slope gradient, and

solar radiation by seasons based on 30-m digital elevation models (DEM). Our analyses suggest that the

slope gradient does affect the growth-climate relationship at the studied site.

Key Words: 87 growth-climate relationship; the upper forest line; slope gradients; the northeastern

Tibetan Plateau

91

Influence of Temperature Variability on Tree Rings of Abies Densa in Bhutan

Himalaya

Yeshey Khandu, Om N. Katel and D. B. Gurung

College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan

E-mail: katelom76@gmail.com

Research shows that there has been a warming trend in the Himalayas including Bhutan over the last

100 years. Such changing patterns of temperature would significantly affect ecosystems, lives and

livelihoods of people living in the region. One of the alternative ways to study climate change and its

influence is by analysing tree rings data which are keys to understanding and quantification of past

climatic variations. This paper focuses on the analysis of tree rings to explore the influence of changing

climate on growth of the tree rings.We analysed 105 tree core samples of Abies densa that were

collected at tree line in north western Bhutan. Core samples were processed and ring widths were

measured in the Tree-Ring Laboratory at the College of Natural Resources, Royal University of Bhutan.

Crossdating andassigning of years to samples were done using skeleton plots. Tree-ring width data were

analysed using COFECHA, ARSTAN and DendroClim2002 programs to analyse and confirm their

variation with climatic data. Results of inter-series correlation and mean sensitivity of the data confirm

their suitability to study climate change. Tree rings variability shows consistency with climatic data

indicating the influence of climate change on tree ring growth of species Abies densa in north western

Bhutan.

Key Words: 88 Bhutan Himalaya, Temperature variability, Tree ring variability

92

Millennial Minimum Temperature Variations in the Qilian Mountains, China:

Evidence from Tree Rings

Yong Zhang, Xuemei Shao, Zhi-Yong Yin

Key Laboratory of Land Surface Pattern and Simulation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural

Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

E-mail: zhangyong@igsnrr.ac.cn

A 1343-year tree-ring chronology was developed from Qilian junipers in the central Qilian Mountains of

the northeastern Tibetan Plateau (TP), China. The climatic implications of this chronology were

investigated using simple correlation, partial correlation and response function analyses. The chronology

was significantly positively correlated with temperature variables prior to and during the growing

season, especially with monthly minimum temperature. Minimum temperature anomalies from January

to August since AD 670 were then reconstructed based on the tree ring chronology. The reconstruction

explained 58% of the variance in the instrumental temperature records during the calibration period

(1960–2012) and captured the variation patterns in minimum temperature at the annual to centennial

timescales over the past millennium. The most recent 50 years were the warmest period, while 1690–

1880 was the coldest period since AD 670. Comparisons with other temperature series from

neighbouring regions and for the Northern Hemisphere as a whole supported the validity of our

reconstruction and suggested that it provided a good regional representation of temperature change in

the northeastern Tibetan Plateau. The results of wavelet analysis showed the occurrence of significant

quasi-periodic patterns at a number of recurring periods (2–4, 40–50, and 90–170 years), which were

consistent with those associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal

Oscillation(PDO) and solar activity. The comparison between the reconstructed temperature and the

index of tropical volcanicradiative forcing indicated that some cold events recorded by tree rings may be

due to the impact of tropical volcanic eruptions.

Key Words: 89 tree-ring, temperature reconstruction, Qilian Juniper, Qilian Mountains

93

Relationship between the Radial Growth of Picea Meyeri and Climate along

Elevations of the Luyashan Mountain in North-Central China

Yuan JIANG, Mu-yi KANG, Wentao-ZHANG

College of Resource Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University

E-mail: jiangy@bnu.edu.cn

Picea meyeri is an indigenous evergreen conifer tree species that dominates most of the cold evergreen

coniferous forest belt that occurs from 1850 to 2700 m a.s.l. in North-Central China. This species is an

important agent for soil and water resource conservation in mountainous regions. Based on a tree-ring

analysis of 146 increment cores sampled from 73 trees at different elevations, this study aimed to reveal

the relationships between the radial growth of Picea meyeri and climate along an elevation gradient and

to identify the optimum sites for the planting and growth of Picea meyeri. The results indicated the

following: (1) The low Gleichläufigkeit (GIK) value (GLK=34.5%) between the chronology of site 1 (at

an elevation of 1970 m a.s.l.) and that of site 4 (at an elevation of 2650 m a.s.l.) showed that the radial

growth pattern of Picea meyeri at the lower elevation, near the species‟ lower distribution limit, was not

consistent with that at higher elevation. This differentiation in radial growth resulted from the varying

climatic factors in the growing season, namely, an insufficient water supply in the summer months at

lower elevations and cloudy or rainy days that may result in a shortened growing season and decreased

solar radiation at higher elevations. (2) Compared to other spruce species in China in which radial

growth has been studied along an altitudinal gradient, Picea meyeri showed the most diverse

relationships between radial growth and monthly mean temperature. Radial growth in this species

showed a significant negative correlation with monthly mean temperature in May and June in the lower

part of its vertical distribution belt, but this correlation disappeared at middle elevation and became

significantly positive at higher elevations. In contrast, the relationship between the radial growth and the

total monthly precipitation in the same period within a year displayed the opposite trend. (3) Radial

growth of Picea meyeri was also found to be more sensitive to climate factors at lower elevations than at

higher elevations. This radial growth responded mainly to the temperature and precipitation conditions

from May to July rather than from those over the whole year. (4) The large middle part (ranging from

2100 m to 2500 m in elevation) of the vertical distribution belt of Picea meyeri might provide this

species with the best climate conditions and most favorable habitats for growth and, thus, the most

appropriate sites for afforestation of this valuable species.

Key Words: 90 Spruce species; tree-ring analysis; growth-climate relationships; elevation gradient;

response surface regression

94

Treeline Dynamics in the Langtang National Park, Central Himalaya

Yub Raj Dhakal1, 2

, Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 3

, Dinesh Raj Bhuju1, 2

, Santosh Kumar Shah4 and Kabita

Karki1

1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Treering Society of Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

3Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

4Birbal Sahni Institute of Paleobotany, Lucknow, India

E-mail: dhakalyr@gmail.com

A dendro-ecological study of Abies spectabilis was carried out at the at tree line of the Langtang

National Park, Nepal with the aim to collect ecological and dendrochronological inventory data for the

impact of climate change on tree line dynamics, document the climatic response of radial growth and

recruitment of Abies spectabilis and its age distribution. By following systematic random sampling

technique using quadrate sample method, sampling was carried out in the four rows each containing four

sampling plots at an elevation difference of 50 m ranging from 3,730 m to 3,940 m depending on the

position of tree line in three sites. The average tree density in the study area was 635 stem/ha with Abies

density of 236 stem/ha. The average sapling and seedling density of A. spectabilis in the study area was

293 and 453 stem/ha respectively. The mean DBH for tree species was 15.72cm, and maximum

diameter at breast height (DBH) of A. spectabilis was 115cm.The local climatic data document climatic

warming in recent decades. Both the climatic and dendrochronological data document climatic warming

in recent decades. Correlation function analysis of tree-ring parameters with climate records revealed

that there was significant negative correlation between the tree growth and mean monthly minimum

temperature of March and April of the current year, October of the previous year, and mean of march-

may temperature of the current year. The stand character and age distribution Abies shows there is high

level of recruitment in the recent decades with decrease in average age of A. spectabilis with increasing

altitude but, upward shifting of tree line in recent decades is suspicious because high level of

heterogeneity in sapling and seedling distribution of A. spectabilis as well as lack of study on

recruitment and climatic relation.

Key Words: 91 Abies spectabilis, tree line, climate change, Nepal Himalaya

95

Climate Drivers of Day-To-Day Stem Radius Variations of Pinus Kesiya in the Ailao

Mountains, Southwestern China

Ze-Xin Fan, Achim Bräuning

Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese

Academy of Sciences, China

E-mail: fanzexin@xtbg.org.cn

Projected changes in climate highlight the need for a better understanding of the effects of forest

meteorological factors on the growth of forests. In this study, we used automatic point dendrometers to

investigate day-to-day stem radius variations of pine trees (Pinus kesiya), a widely plantation in

southwest China. Seasonal courses of day-to-day stem radius variations and their responses to

meteorological factors were analyzed at daily, weekly and monthly scales. We found that stem growth

of Pinus kesiya start at early March, and end at early October, and faster growth occur during June to

August, with highly productivity of 4-6 mm increment per year. Radius increment were positively

related to precipitation and relative humidity, but negatively with vapour pressure deficit (VPD),

indicating that moisture availability is limiting factor for tree growth of the Pine plantation.

Accumulated growths are found to be simultaneous with rainfall events, especially during the pre-

monsoon season. Maximum daily shrinkage (MDS) correlated positively with air temperature,

photosynthetic active (PAR) and radiation and VPD, indicating that water consumptions through

evapotranspiration increased with intensified drought stress. This study shows that precipitation,

especially during early growth season, plays a major role for tree growth of Pinus kesiya.

Key Words: 92 Ailao Mountains, Climate response, Dendrometer, Pinus kesiya, Stem radius variations

Posters

I

Table of Content Poster Session

1. Alexander Gradel, Christina Haensch, Batsaikhan, Batdorj, Ochirragchaa Nadaldorj, Bjoern Guenther

Response of White birch (Betula platyphylla SUKACZEV) to climate variables in Northern Mongolia 96

2. Anayat Quareshi1, H. P. Borgaonkar2, and Rakesh Chandra3

Tree-ring based climate reconstruction of the Kashmir Himalaya: future prospects and current scenario 97

3. Baatarbileg Nachin1, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren1, Byambagerel Suran1, Caroline Leland2 and Kristen De Graauw3

Dendroecological study on Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) in Udleg Forest Area, Mongolia 98

4. Bayarbaatar Soronzonbold1, Baatarbileg Nachin1 and Oyunsanaa Byambasuren1

Growth trends of coniferous forest in Mongolia 99

5. Bao Yang, * Jianglin Wang,

Tree ring-inferred temperature variations on the Tibetan Plateau during the last millennium 100

6. Bayarbaatar Soronzonbold1, Baatarbileg Nachin1 and Oyunsanaa Byambasuren1

Growth trends of coniferous forest in Mongolia 101

7. Bimal Sharma1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju2,3, Narayan Prasad Gaire2,3, Udya Kuwar Thapa1

Upward shift of Himalayan birch (Betula utilis D Don.) in tree line ecotone in context of global warming: A study in Kanchanjungha

Conaservation Area, eastern Nepal 102

8. Elham Elzami1, Achim Bräuning1 and Kambiz Pourtahmasi2

Beech Tree-Ring Width and Climate relationship from west to east of Caspian forests, northern Iran 103

9. Ichchha Thapa1 and Prakash Chandra Aryal2

An attempt to Dendroecology in Panchase: A Middle Mountain Forest Area(P) 104

10. Intan S. Nurhati, M.E. Evans, R. D'Arrigo

Indonesian Tree Isotope Records of ENSO-sensitive Rainfall Variations 105

11. Janecka Karolina1, Magnuszewski Michał2, Czajka Barbara1, Kaczka J. Ryszard1

The tree-rings of Picea schrenkiana as a record of the Tian Shan mountains climate 106

12. Jessica Blagen

Dendrochronological dating of river system surfaces, Westland, New Zealand 107

13. Jové Alcalde, Guillermo; Bogino Stella Marys

Individualistic response of Prosopis caldenia trees to climate in the semiarid forests of Argentina 108

14. K G Misra* and R R Yadav

Tree-Ring Footprints of Drought Variability over Kumaon, Western Himalaya, India and Its Relationship with Crop Productivity

109

15. Kanchan Ojha1, Kedar Rijal1, Ramesh Sapkota1, Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 2

Climate change and tree-limit vegetation in Langtang National Park of Central Himalaya, Nepal 110

16. Karma Tenzin, Dorji Dukpa, Linsay Cummings

Reconstruction of forest fire history and its effects on growth of Chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) trees in Bhutan (P) 111

17. Kurt Nicolussi, Andreas Österreicher, Georg Weber, Alexander Bauer, Tobias Vogeleit

Blue intensity analyses on different Alpine conifer species – a comparison 112

18. Ladan Poursartip, Kambiz Pourtahmasi, Achim Bräuning, Dieter Eckstein, Mohammadali Saadatnia

Relationship between Tree rings width and anatomical characteristics of Quercus macranthera in three sites of Caspian Forests,

north part of Iran 113

19. Liangjun Zhu，Xiaochun Wang

Reconstructed Minimum Air Temperature from February to March with Tree-Ring Widths Since 1790 AD in Xiaoxing'an

Mountain, Northeast China 114

20. Liudmila A. Gorlanova, Rashit M. Hantemirov

A 5000-year tree ring record of extreme temperature events in Yamal peninsula, west Siberia 115

II

21. Malik Rayees, Sukumar Raman

Climate-growth relationships in Abies pindrow along an elevation gradient in forests of Kashmir Himalayas 116

22. Marina Gurskaya1, Jayendra Singh2

Winter earthquakes are arсhived in Cedrus deodara tree rings 117

23. Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury1,2*, Maaike De Ridder1, Hans Beeckman1

Tree rings in Diploknema butyracea (Roxburgh) H. J. Lam - a potential tool for growth analysis in Nepal 118

24. Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 2, Madan Koirala2, Dinesh Raj Bhuju1, 2

Response of Abies spectabilis to climate along an elevation gradient of the Mt. Manaslu Conservation Area, central Himalaya, Nepal

119

25. Narmandakh Ganbaatar, Otgontsetseg Batsukh, Baatarbileg Nachin, Byambagerel Suran and Sainbayar Gombo

Dendro-dating of the Saridag Monastery, Mongolia 120

26. Ningsheng Qin and Molin Ye

Using Tree-Ring Width to Reconstruct the Maximum Air Temperature of Yellow River Source Region in May and June over the

Last 400 years 121

27. Peili Fu1, Zexin Fan1, Achim Bräuning2, Jussi Grießinger2

Climate signals of stable carbon (δ13C) and oxygen (δ18O) isotopes in earlywood and latewood of two Pinus species in SW China

122

28. R.J. Kaczka1, M. Lempa1, B. Gądek1, K. Janecka1, Z. Rączkowska2

The reconstruction of snow avalanche activity based on tree rings and historical maps 123

29. Rajesh Kumar Mahato

Assesement of Climate Change over Water Resource of Kosi River Basin 124

30. Roshan Chikanbanjar, Binod Baniya, Man Kumar Dhamala

Structure and Regeneration Status of Panchase Protected Forest 125

31. Ruedi Seiler1 ,2, Eliano Sonzogni1,2,Nicolas Houlié3, James Kirchner4, Markus Egli2, Paolo Cherubini1

Increased Tree-Ring Growth Close to Eruptive Fissures Prior to Volcanic Flank Eruptions on Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy) 126

32. Rupraj Tmilsina1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju2, 3 and Narayan Prasad Gaire2, 3

Dendrochronological study of Picea smithiana (Wall.) Boiss of Rara National Park, Western Nepal Himalaya 127

33. Safalta Chukan1, Siddhi Bir Karmacharya1, Sanu Raja Maharjan1, Narayan Prasad Gaire2, 3

Analyses of carbon stock and radial growth of trees through tree ring analysis in pine forest of Linga Guthi Community Forest128

34. Sepideh Namvar, Kambiz Pourtahmasi, Reza Oladi

Climatic signals in tree-ring widths of Juniperus polycarpos in the Bozdaghi Mountains of Northeast Iran 129

35. Sreejith Babu, Anoop, E.V, Vikas Kumar and Harikrishnan, S

Assessing climate-radial growth relationship of planted teak forests in Nilambur, India 130

36. ZhIpeng Dong

Responses of tree-ring width of Pinus massiniana to climate change in Sanming, Fujian Province 131

37. Fayaz Asad1,2, Haifeng Zhu1*, Eryuan Liang1, Suhaib Bin Farhan1,2,3, Wenwen Liu1,2

Dendroglaciological potential in Karakorum range, Northern Pakistan 132

38. Shalik Ram Sigdel, Yafeng Wang and Eryuan Liang

Is there a significant upslope shift of Himalayan birch treelines in Central Nepal? 133

39. Achyut Tiwari1, 2, 3 & Zhou Zhe-kun1

Gradual Expansion of Abies spectabilis Treeline in Trans-Himalayan Zone in Mustang Nepal 134

96

Response of White Birch (Betula platyphylla SUKACZEV) to Climate

Variables in Northern Mongolia

Alexander Gradel, Christina Haensch, Batsaikhan, Batdorj, Ochirragchaa Nadaldorj, Bjoern Guenther

1 Department of Silviculture and Forest Ecology of the Temperate Zones, Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany

2 Institute of Forest Utilization and Forest Technology, Technische Universität Dresden, Tharandt, Germany

3 Institute of Geoecology, Mongolia

E-mail: alexander.gradel@forst.uni-goettingen.de

Current changes in land use, climate, fire frequency and occurrence of pests are considered to be the main

drivers of vegetation shift in Northern Mongolia. Therefore, the investigation of response and regeneration

capabilities of the different tree species is increasingly of special interest. Our contribution focuses on the

growth response of older and younger birch trees from two distinct valleys in the Selenge province.Field

work was carried out on two sites located in forest observational study plots of the Selenge province. The

research site Bugant is situated in the Western Khentii Mountains. In socialist times this area was the most

important logging centre in Mongolia. Today the vegetation is dominated by succession forests of light taiga.

The research site Altansumber, on the border of the Sant and Khushat soum, is dominated by light taiga and

Mountain forest steppe. This area is inhabited by traditional Nomads.Wood cores were sampled from birch

trees with increment borers at 1 m height above ground. Cofecha, Arstan, the dplR-package of R and

Dendroclim 2002 were used for analyses. Dentrending was done using cubic smoothing splines. Four

chronologies were created with length of 82 and 41 years from the site Bugant and 96 and 39 years from the

site Altansumber. Climate data was obtained from the Eroo station, which is known for its long and reliable

climate record in the region.The growth response of the chronologies to precipitation was in general stronger

than the response to temperature. Precipitation of the late autumn of the previous year gave positive

correlations. Precipitation of September of the previous year was correlated significant on both research

sites. The negative correlation to winter precipitation during the coldest time, also confirmed in other studies

about larch, gave significant values for the older trees on both sites and was more pronounced on the

research site Bugant. The growth of the younger trees was in general more sensitive to late winter

precipitation. Correlations to temperature were predominantly negative, especially of the younger trees.

Negative correlations with spring temperature were found on both research sites. Those correlations were

significant in three chronologies. We finally compare our results with the literature and explain that the

annual growth of birch in Northern Mongolia is linked to a combination of different factors.

Key Words: 93 Birch, Mongolia, Selenge, growth response

97

Tree-Ring Based Climate Reconstruction of the Kashmir Himalaya: Future

Prospects and Current Scenario

Anayat Quareshi1, H. P. Borgaonkar

2, and Rakesh Chandra

3

1Anayat Quareshi, Department of Geology, Amar Singh College, Srinagar J&K

2Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune. India

3Department of Earth Sciences, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India

Tree rings are natural archives to record climatic variability and thereby offer an excellent opportunity for

developing network of high resolution proxy data and documenting the climatic and environmental history of

a region. Recently, many of the coniferous species in the Western Himalayas have been

dendroclimatologicaly analyzed to reconstruct the past climatic variability. The Kashmir Himalayas are a

repository of many coniferous species including Cedrus sp., Pinus sp., Abies sp., Picea sp., which provide

immense opportunity to carry out diverse research in the context of climate change and provide valuable

insights in understanding of climate dynamics. The existence of diverse coniferous species are of valuable

significance and offer an opportunity to carry out climatological, environmental, hydrological and

palaeoseismic studies in Kashmir Himalaya. Such studies conclusively establish the dendroclimatological

potential of the coniferous species in the region for reconstruction of centennial and millennial long climatic

variability. Despite the excellent dendroclimatic potential, the Kashmir Himalayasare the least studied region

for understanding past climatic oscillations and its implications for the future climatic changes. Moreover,

many of these promising and potential species are currently facing immediate threat due to increasing

anthropogenic activities. Thus, there is an urgent need to carry out dendroclimatological research in this

region. With this background, we would like to present preliminary results of our initiative of dendroclimatic

studies over Kashmir region, which reveal strong signal of summer precipitation useful to understand

hydrological changes during past 4-5 centuries.

Key Words: 94 Tree ring, Kashmir Himalayas, Himalayan conifers, Dendroclimatological, Palaeoseismic

98

Dendroecological Study on Siberian Larch (larix sibirica ledeb.) in Udleg

Forest Area, Mongolia

Baatarbileg Nachin1, Oyunsanaa Byambasuren

1, Byambagerel Suran

1, Caroline Leland

2 and Kristen De

Graauw3

Professor, School of Applied Life Sciences and Engineering, National University of Mongolia

E-mail: baatarbileg@num.edu.mn

The dendroecological study was aimed to determine the stand dynamics and the disturbance history of larch

forest in Udleg forest area, Tuv province, Mongolia. Research team was intended to determine the logging

year and season of stumps, regeneration and growth change of young trees, detect possible fire years and

defoliation years due to insect outbreak on annual tree ring. In order to determine growth response to

temperature and climate, both old looking pines (Pinus sylvestris L) and larches (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) were

cored along higher elevations of study area. In total, we collected 9 pines with 199 years and 18 larches with

174 years of master series each. The series intercorrelation were quite high, pines with 0.76 and larches with

0.72 respectively. Pine was more sensitive to climate than larch. Both species have significant correlation

with precipitation in previous year growing season. However, none are sensitive to temperature. Both have

very narrow rings for 2008, 2003, 1998, 1997, 1987, 1969 and 1966. These could be drought years. For

ecological study, we collected 18 cores from larch stand including living trees, snags and stumps. And about

174 years (1840-2013) chronology was developed with series intercorrelation is 0.75. There were missing

rings in 2008, 2003, 1969 and 1966. From the stump and snags, recruitment dates were reconstructed 1880s,

1930-1950s but there were no recruitments from 1890-1910. In addition, stumps were cut in 1917, 1920 and

1927 and quite unique growth pattern in 1964, 1965 and 1966 was observed which can be defoliation pattern.

This study was accomplished by the third national dendroecological fieldweek of Mongolia was organized in

23-30 May, 2014 at Tree Ring Laboratory and Forestry Research and Training Center, National University

of Mongolia and funded by NSF-PEER project grant #2-296.

Key Words: 95 forest disturbance, defoliation, reconstruction of growth trend, recruitment, forest succession

99

Growth Trends of Coniferous Forest in Mongolia

Bayarbaatar Soronzonbold1, Baatarbileg Nachin

1 and Oyunsanaa Byambasuren

1

E-mail: sbayrbaatar@yahoo.com

Annual tree ring data collected from un-even aged coniferous forest stands (Larix sibirica Ledeb. and Pinus

sylvestris L.) in the newly established permanent plots of Forestry Research and Training Center (NUM).

These Siberian larch and Scots pines are main dominating species in Mongolia. The aim of the data

collection was to reveal growth trend of these two conifer species in the selected sites. Based on ring width

measurement, the growth trends of both species in sample sites were fluctuated similarly. However, the larch

stand started to grow from 1930s, while pine stand started from1920s. Growth from 1940-1950 was less,

while 1960-1970s were increased, 1990-2000s growth was released. However, growth during last decade

was quite slow. This study is first attempt to analyze a growth trends of conifer species for a forest

management practices.

Key Words: 96 tree growth, annual tree ring, dendrochronological method

100

Tree Ring-Inferred Temperature Variations on the Tibetan Plateau during the

Last Millennium

Bao Yang, * Jianglin Wang,

Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences,

China

*E-mail: yangbao@lzb.ac.cn

We present a reconstruction of June–August (JJA) temperature variability over the TP for the period 1000–

2005 AD using a nested “composite-plus-scale” (CPS) approach to twelve temperature-sensitive tree-ring

width chronologies, including 946 individual tree-ring width series. The composite reconstruction reveals

warm episodes occurring during much of the 16th, 19th and 20th centuries, and cold episodes during much

of the 11th, 17th and 18th centuries. The recent decade (1996–2005 AD) is likely the warmest decade in the

context of the past millennium, although not statistically significant so. It is found that at the multi-decadal

time-scales, temperature variability over the TP seems to be predominantly controlled by internal ocean-

atmosphere oscillations, primarily the AMO, rather than a direct response to solar or volcanic forcing. A

comparison with temperature reconstructions from the higher latitudes of East Asia, central-eastern China

and the whole of the Northern Hemisphere shows that the cold 11th century and the warm 19th century

prevailing over TP are somewhat unique, suggesting regional specific characteristics of the temperature

variability in this region. This result highlights the need of further increasing the number of millennium-long,

high-resolution temperature records from East Asia.

Key Words: 97 Tree ring, temperature variations, Tibetan Plateau, last millennium

101

Growth Trends of Coniferous Forest in Mongolia

Bayarbaatar Soronzonbold1, Baatarbileg Nachin

1 and Oyunsanaa Byambasuren

1

E-mail: sbayrbaatar@yahoo.com

Annual tree ring data collected from un-even aged coniferous forest stands (Larix sibirica Ledeb. and Pinus

sylvestris L.) in the newly established permanent plots of Forestry Research and Training Center (NUM).

These Siberian larch and Scots pines are main dominating species in Mongolia. The aim of the data

collection was to reveal growth trend of these two conifer species in the selected sites. Based on ring width

measurement, the growth trends of both species in sample sites were fluctuated similarly. However, the larch

stand started to grow from 1930s, while pine stand started from1920s. Growth from 1940-1950 was less,

while 1960-1970s were increased, 1990-2000s growth was released. However, growth during last decade

was quite slow. This study is first attempt to analyze a growth trend of conifer species for a forest

management practices.

Key Words: 98 tree growth, annual tree ring, dendrochronological method

102

Upward Shift of Himalayan Birch (betula utilis d don.) in Tree Line Ecotone in

Context of Global Warming: A Study in Kanchanjungha Conaservation Area,

Eastern Nepal

Bimal Sharma1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

2,3, Narayan Prasad Gaire

2,3, Udya Kuwar Thapa

1

1GoldenGate International College, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumaltar, lalitpur, Nepal

3Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

E-mail: bimalbhushal@gmail.com

Treeline, a mountain ecotone system is regarded as good indicator of climate change since they are very

sensitive to temperature and shifts upward abruptly with increase in temperature. This study aimed to

estimate the rate of upward shift and regeneration status of Himalayan birch (Betula utilis D Don.) in tree

line ecotone in Kanchanjungha Conservation area, Nepal. Census sampling of study species in Ghunsha area

was carried out by laying two vertical transects of 20mX100m. Samples were processed and measured using

the standard denchronological methods. Position of oldest tree in upper altitude was at 4132 m and position

of oldest tree in lower altitude was at 4094 with age difference of 98 years. Rate of upward shift of Betula

utilis D. Don was found to 25.7m per decade. Similarly, presence of 8% seedlings and 15% saplings in study

area shows good regeneration capacity of the species.

Key Words: 99 treeline, climate, census sampling, dendrochronology

103

Beech Tree-Ring Width and Climate Relationship from West to East of

Caspian Forests, Northern Iran

Elham Elzami1, Achim Bräuning

1 and Kambiz Pourtahmasi

2

1 Institute of Geography, University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany

2Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Iran

E-mail: elham_l246@yahoo.com

Tree-rings are considered as an archive of environment since they record the growth changes of trees in

different climatic situations. The Caspian Forests extend from West to East along the northern slope of the

Alborz Mountains in north Iran. This high mountain range immediately south of the Caspian Sea creates a

special humid situation by forcing air masses coming from northerly directions upwards. Above the

condensation level, dense fog develops; forming a forest belt in which moisture-demanding Oriental beech

trees (Fagus orientalis) dominates. Along the Alborz Mountains, precipitation is decreasing along a gradient

from west to east. In this study we investigated tree-ring width variations of F. orientalis growing at an

elevation of 1700 meters along a west to east transect. Ten trees at each site have been selected and cored

from both sides of the stem. The ring width was measured by LINTAB using TSAP© Software. The final

ring-width chronology of each study site has been calculated using R software (Package detrendeR). Climate

data were prepared from climate stations closest to the study sites. Using correlation functions, the

relationship between climate data and ring width has been calculated. Results showed at all three sites the

temperature at the beginning of growing season was positively correlated with tree-ring width. At the humid

western sites, precipitation in June was positively correlated with tree growth, indicating that additional

moisture supply and probably a dense cloud cover during the main growing season provides favorable

growing conditions for Oriental beech. During the wet autumn months September and October, beech at the

western sites is negatively correlated with precipitation, whereas such a reaction was not found at the drier

easternmost study site. These preliminary results demonstrated Oriental beech tree rings are sensitive to local

climatic conditions and are suitable indicators for dendroclimatological investigations.

Key Words: 100 Ring width,Fagus orientalis, response function, Caspian forests

104

An Attempt to Dendroecology in Panchase: A Middle Mountain Forest Area

(P)

Ichchha Thapa1 and Prakash Chandra Aryal

2

1Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Golden Gate International College, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

E-mail: ichchhathapa12@gmail.com

Global environmental change through biodiversity loss and climate variability has been important factors

responsible for shaping forests globally so, identification of long-term patterns in forest growth has been a

key aspect of applied research as it holds direct implications for forest management as well as for ecological

and global change studies. This information could be extracted by means of tree-ring proxies such as ring

width. Dendroecological techniques were used in this study with the purpose to compare the radial growth

patterns of different species and to identify the potential of different tree species in sub-tropical temperate

climatic zones of Middle Mountain. Tree cores of different species Rhododendron arboreum, Quercus spp.,

Daphniphyllum himalense, Neolitsea pallens, Alnus nepalensis and Pinus roxburghii were extracted however

raw tree-ring chronologies of Neolitsea pallens, Alnus nepalensis and Pinus roxburghii could only be

developed due to the indistinct annual tree ring boundaries of other species. Comparisons of tree-ring

chronologies among the tree species revealed dynamics of growth releases and suppressions which reflected

variations in growth of tree species. Thus, this study identified the great potential of Neolitsea pallens for

dendroecological studies in Middle Mountain regions of Nepal to improve our understanding of the stages of

stand development.

Key Words: 101 Forest management, forest growth, dendroecology, Neolitsea pallens, Panchase

105

Indonesian Tree Isotope Records of Enso-Sensitive Rainfall Variations

Intan S. Nurhati, M.E. Evans, R. D'Arrigo

Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology

E-mail: intan@smart.mit.edu

Rainfall patterns in many parts of the world exhibit teleconnections to ENSO, the tropical Pacific

phenomenon. Situated in the western Pacific, Indonesian rainfall is strongly influenced by ENSO that alters

monsoonal variability. However, the reconstruction of high-resolution terrestrial rainfall records mainly

based on tree-ring width chronologies has been hampered in the tropics due to indistinct annual growth rings.

As such, the majority of dendroclimate studies in Indonesia have been restricted to semi-deciduous ring-

producing trees such asTectona grandis (teak). Previous works have indicated an inverse relationship

between the amount of rain (wet/dry) and the stable oxygen isotopic (δ18O) composition of rainwater

(low/high) in the tropics may be reflected in α-cellulose δ18O via soil water intake. Modeling studies on

simulated global α-cellulose δ18O in tropical trees suggest that a network of well-replicated α-cellulose

δ18O records from strategic locations in Indonesia may resolve the large-scale rainfall anomaly pattern

associated with ENSO variability (Evans [2007]). Here we present replicated 30-years records of wood-

derived α-cellulose δ18O from Indonesian trees as a rainfall proxy, as we are extending the records to several

centuries ago. Our preliminary study on trees from Muna shows encouraging replicated results on their

sensitivity to ENSO. Tree δ18O chronologies may lay a foundation for future works to expand the spatial

coverage of tropical dendroclimatology using more types of tree available in the region.

Key Words: 102 Isotope,Indonesia, ENSO

106

The Tree-Rings of Picea Schrenkiana as a Record of the Tian Shan Mountains

Climate

Janecka Karolina1, Magnuszewski Michał

2, Czajka Barbara

1, Kaczka J. Ryszard

1

1University of Silesia, Poland

2Warsaw University of Life Science - SGGW, Poland

E-mail: karolinaejanecka@gmail.com

Tian Shan is an extensive, isolated mountain system located in Central Asia, surrounded by desert basins. It

is characterised by mid-latitude dry semiarid climate (according to Köppen classification). The average

annual air temperature and precipitation reach the values of 8 degrees Celsius and 320 mm respectively. The

study area is located in the northern Tian Shan, Kyrgyzstan. The five sampling sites represent the natural

habitat of Picea schrenkiana (Fisch. et Mey), on the slopes with north exposure and at the elevation range of

the 2750 - 2900 m a.s.l. The forest of the subalpine zone, including timberline, is dominated by Schrenk

spruce.

The aim of the study was to: i) establish the chronologies of tree-ring width (TRW), blue reflectance (BR)

and wood anomalies (pale and frost rings), ii) compare the climate/growth response of different proxies, iii)

assess the use of these data for regional climate reconstruction.

The collected cores were prepared applying standard dendrochronological techniques with addition of resin

extraction. The mounted and sanded samples were scanned (1200 DPI resolution) using a calibrated scanner.

Tree ring width and blue reflectance measurements were obtained with CooRecorder 7.7 software (Cybis

Elektronik & Data AB). The quality of the measurement and synchronicity of the series were determined on

the basis of visual (CDendro software) and statistical (Cofecha software) cross-dating. The TRW and BR

chronologies were computed employing ARSTAN software. The wood anomalies chronology was

established on the basis of the visual, comparative examination of the anatomical features (cell walls

thickness, the size and shape of cells) of ~11500 tree rings. The dendroclimatic analyses for the 1901 – 2008

period were based on CRU TS3.21 gridded data of air temperature, precipitation and Palmer Drought

Severity Index (PDSI).

The frost rings are presented only in the juvenile wood of Schrenk spruce. A significant, well-replicated

signal was detected only in the second part of the 19th century (1872, 1884, 1887 and 1892). The pale rings

are hardly present and they do not form any clear time series. The TRW and BR chronologies, after

truncation to the minimal sample depth (5 series) and EPS value (0.85) cover the period from 1795 to 2009.

The correlation analyses of TRW chronology to climate reveal a positive response to precipitation

(CC=0.40) and PDSI (CC=0.38). The BR residual chronology corresponds well with the maximum

temperature for August (CC=0.44) and the June – August (CC=0.34) period. Precipitation has a negative

influence on the growth (April – September CC=-0.38, June – August CC=-0.38 and July – September CC=-

0.46). Moreover, the correlation between BR and PDSI reaches negative values (September CC=-0.37,

October CC=-36 and November C=-0.35). Picea schrenkianagrowing at high elevation in the Tian Shan

Mtsshows a rather complex response to climate. A careful selection of the proxy allows extracting a strong

and stable signal which could be used for climate reconstruction. Previous studies demonstrated that

maximum wood density is such a proxy (Wang et al. 2005, Chen et al. 2009, Chen et. al. 2010). However,

the present results prove the usefulness of blue reflectance as an alternative way to obtain valuable climatic

information.

107

Dendrochronological Dating of River System Surfaces, Westland, New Zealand

Jessica Blagen

University of Canterbury

E-mail:jessica.blagen@pg.canterbury.ac.nz

A major earthquake along the Alpine Fault, or on another fault within the western Southern Alps of New

Zealand‟s South Island, will have a devastating impact on commerce, tourism and agriculture. A large

number of landslides, triggered by shaking, will pose an immediate danger locally, but could also threaten

land use and transport by affecting the mountain river valleys into which they inevitably fall. Landslide dams

and dambreak floods, together with dramatically increased sediment input, can cause aggradation and

avulsions of the mountain-front rivers over the lowlands of the west coast, that may continue as an active

process for perhaps decades following an earthquake, with far-reaching and long-term effects. This project is

designed to measure the spatial extent and timing of major deposits on Westland river terraces and fans to

aid in preparing for, and recovering from, such consequences of future earthquakes. A number of river

systems have been chosen throughout the west coast, on which native trees are being cored to estimate

terrace and floodplain ages. This will complement existing age determinations of Westland river surfaces,

resulting in a regional map of prehistorical aggradation episodes and their timings. The magnitude and likely

duration of these events can give local and regional planners a better idea of what to expect following a

major seismic event. In addition, the study of these native tree species will increase the currently sparse

collection of tree-ring chronologies from the South Island, expanding the study of indigenous flora, and

documenting diminishing forest ecology.

Key Words: 103 Earthquake, landslide, aggradation, river terrace, floodplain, dendrochronology

108

Individualistic Response of Prosopis Caldenia Trees to Climate in the Semiarid

Forests of Argentina

Jové Alcalde, Guillermo; Bogino Stella Marys

State University of San Luis, Argentina

University of Valladolid, Spain

E-mail: sbogino@fices.unsl.edu.ar

The caldenal is a xerophitic forest that occurs in the driest part of the Argentinean pampas and is primarily

dominated by Prosopis caldenia Burkart (caldén), an iconic endemic species of the country that today is

threatened by deforestation. Remaining patches of caldenal forest cover about 18% of their original area.

Global climate change is a further stressor and heightens the need for new information about caldenal growth

dynamics and its relationship with climate to avoid its disappearance. Dendrochronological studies on 18

trees of caldén growing under two contrasting densities, one without competition (about 80 treesha-1

) and the

other with a typical density (400 treesha-1

). Standard dendrochronological methods were applied. Mean and

cumulative radial growth curves were constructed. Growth release throughout time and individualistic

climate-growth association were analysed. Massive release was detected in low-density forest suggesting

severe deforestation in the 1950s. The growth dynamics were similar between both sites. Trees were more

vulnerable to temperature than to precipitation. Maximum temperatures had a stronger effect on low-density

growth trees, while minimum temperature affected high-density forests. Tree age influenced different

responses to climate: trees younger than 70 years old had a negative association with temperature, while

mature forests had a positive association with temperature. Individualistic responses to climate were variable

and some trees showed higher growth-climate association suggesting a different and higher response to

climate in some trees. These results emphasize the value of individualistic analysis of tree-ring growth

association to improve the knowledge of tree-growth dynamics.

Key Words: 104 Semiarid, Prosopis, Individualistic response, Climate change

109

Tree-Ring Footprints of Drought Variability over Kumaon, Western Himalaya,

India and Its Relationship with Crop Productivity

K G Misra* and R R Yadav

Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany, 53 University Road, Lucknow-226007, India

*kgmisrabsip@gmail.com

Kumaon Himalaya covers tropical to alpine vegetation depending on orography from lesser to higher

Himalaya. Many conifers growing in these forests are known to produce datable growth rings. The

Himalayan cedars known to grow very old in the western Himalaya are limited to some patches in Kumaon

Himalaya, spread from plantations near the temples. We used Himalayan cedar samples from two localities

in Kumaon Himalayan region to explore its potential in dendroclimatic studies. The chronologies developed

extend back to AD 1536 and AD 1668, respectively. The ring-width chronologies showing significant

positive relationship with precipitation were used to develop precipitation reconstruction extending back to ~

three centuries. The most revealing 20th

century droughts occurred in 1920-1924, and 1960s to early 1970s.

The extended droughts were also recorded in 1740s, 1780s, and 1840s noted to be widespread in the western

Himalaya. Wheat and barley are the major cereal crops in hill regions of Kumaon, Uttarakhand where

prevalence of the cool and comparatively long growing season is very conducive for cultivation of these

crops. However, the productivity of these crops is vulnerable to fluctuations in precipitation as major part of

the cropping area usually on terrace farms. We found that the precipitation failures in 1890, 1892, 1896,

1897, 1908, 1920-1924, 1939, 1963-1974 were associated with rabi crop failures and subsequent famines in

Kumaon Himalaya. The findings endorse that drought reconstruction developed from tree rings should serve

as a base line data to quantify the impact of droughts on forest as well as rabi crop productivity in hilly

regions of Kumaon, in the western Himalaya in long-term perspective.

110

Climate Change and Tree-Limit Vegetation in Langtang National Park of

Central Himalaya, Nepal

Kanchan Ojha1, Kedar Rijal

1, Ramesh Sapkota

1, Narayan Prasad Gaire

1, 2

1 Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

E-mail:kanchanojha@gmail.com

High mountain ecosystems are considered particularly vulnerable to climate change. So, this study aims in

finding the change in tree line as per the effect of climate change. For this the ecological and

dendrochronological study of Abies spectabilis was carried out at Lauribinayak region of Langtang National

Park of Central Himalaya in the fall (August) of 2011. The random sampling was carried out in five rows

each at 60 m elevation interval from 3680 m to 3920 m (a.s.l). In each sampling point five different nested

quadrate plots were laid out in the five horizontal rows along the elevation. For tree species, 20×20 m2 plot

sizes was determined, for the shrubs 5×5 m2

on the two opposite side of tree plot and for herbs 1×1 m2

quadrate was used in two consecutive side of shrub plot. A total of 23 floral species belonging to 20 families

were recorded from the study area of which 18 were herbs, one shrub and four were tree species. The area of

study was dominated by Abies-Rhododendron forest. Climate data analysis shows that there is a significant

increase in atmospheric temperature over the area during the past 22 years. Average tree density for study

area was 338 stem per hectare. However, the average radial growth of Abies spectabilis was found to be 2.36

mm per year. Traditional land uses, such as grazing of livestock, logging, drive processes at the tree line

ecotone in the opposite direction to climatic warming and could therefore constrain climatically driven tree

line advance. Indeed many things need to be considered while the status of tree line change is assessed.

However, for the tree line study long term and holistic study of different aspects ranging from climatic,

ecological, dendrochronological to anthropogenic aspect is necessary. Future tree line studies with the

support of GIS mapping and accurate climatic data will be of support to commensurate the exact tree line

shift in the area.

Key Words: 105 Abies spectabilis, tree line, vegetation, dendrochronology, anthropogenic pressure, climate

change

111

Reconstruction of Forest Fire History and Its Effects on Growth of Chir Pine

(Pinus Roxburghii) Trees in Bhutan (P)

Karma Tenzin, Dorji Dukpa, Linsay Cummings

Renewable Natural Resources Research and Development Centre (RNR- RDC), Department of Forest and

Park services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, Yusipang, Thimphu, Bhutan

E-mail: karzingrdc@gmail.com

Low intensity ground fires are a natural phenomenon in the Chir pine forests of Bhutan and are seen as

necessary to the proper functioning of the Chir pine forest ecoystem, yet there is a lack of understanding as

to the occurrence and effect of fire on the growth of Chir pine trees in these forests. Past records reveals most

forest fires in the Chir pine forest ecosystem of eastern Bhutan are anthropogenic in nature, usually arising

from the spread of agricultural debris burning or the intentional burning of lemon grass to promote new

growth. Natural fire return intervals for Chir pine forests in Bhutan are not known, but predominantly human

caused ground fires with 2-5 year return intervals are common both in the western Himalayas as well as in

Bhutan. Natural fire frequency is estimated to be much higher in the drier Chir pine than in other parts of

Bhutan. Our aim with this research includes: reconstructing Chir pine forest fire chronology

(dendropyrochronology) from fire-scarred Chir pine, quantifying the impact of fire on Chir pine growth, and

recommending measures to increase fire resilience in Chir pine forests in Bhutan. We selected three sites in

eastern Bhutan. We collected tree rings (80 trees; 160 cores) from a variety of diameter classes of living Chir

pine trees and cross-sections (15 trees) from fire damaged Chir pine stumps. Fire frequency and the effect of

fire on the basal area increment (tree growth) of Chir pine were determined using dendrophyrochronological

techniques. Recommendations for proper management responses to forest fire in Chir pine forests were

proposed.

Key Words: 106 dendropyrochronology, dendroecology, fire reconstruction, chir pine, dendrochronology

112

Blue Intensity Analyses on Different Alpine Conifer Species – A Comparison

Kurt Nicolussi, Andreas Österreicher, Georg Weber, Alexander Bauer, Tobias Vogeleit

University of Innsbruck, Institute of Geography, Austria

E-mail:kurt.nicolussi@uibk.ac.at

Maximum density of conifer tree rings is well known as a strong proxy for summer temperature. However,

the traditional approach to establish such data, i.e. radiodensitometric analyses, is expensive and time

consuming. Blue intensity (BI) / blue reflectance have been recognized as a proxy to acquire wood density of

conifers but in an easier way than with classical analyses (McCaroll et al. 2002).

Here we investigated the potential of BI analyses for three conifer species: spruce (Picea abies), larch (Larix

decidua) and cembran pine (Pinus cembra). These species or close relatives are widespread in Europe and

Asia. The samples were taken from living trees at or near treeline sites in the European Alps. For a subset of

the spruce samples, radiodensitometrically measured maximum density data (MXD) are available from cores

of the same trees (Esper et al.2007). BI analyses of the samples were carried out after i) resin extraction (with

acetone), ii) preparing the surfaces by means of a WSL core-microtome (Gärtner and Nievergelt 2010), III)

filling the tracheid lumens of the samples with chalk, iv) producing high-resolution pictures from the

samples by micro-photography, v) stitching these pictures together and vi) establishing BI data for

earlywood as well as latewood by using the software LignoVision (Rinn 2014). Moreover, δBI series were

established by subtracting earlywood BI (EWBI) from maximum BI (MXBI) data. This preparation

procedure differs from the usually applied preparation approach of BI samples, i.e. sanding and scanning.

Our approach aims at an improvement of the BI analysis of samples with small latewood bands. Both larch

and cembran pine show a marked difference between heartwood and sapwood. To investigate possible

effects of these properties on the BI data, we applied the Superposed Epoch Analysis (SEA) on the series of

these two species.

The use of chalk results in a clear differentiation of the EWBI from the corresponding MXBI values, which

is in contrast to observations reported from BI analyses after sanding (Björklund et al. 2013). EWBI, MXBI

and δBI data are nearly normally distributed and the different BI data groups are clearly separated. For the

subset of spruce with MXD data, the distributions of density and BI data are very similar. Moreover, the

MXD and MXBI / BI chronologies are highly similar. For cembran pine, the SEA results do not indicate an

effect at the heartwood / sapwood transition on the MXBI data. For larch, however, SEA results prove a

lower level of MXBI values in the sapwood than in the heartwood. Response function analyses with MXBI

chronologies come to similar results as with MXD chronologies (e.g. Esper et al. 2007), i.e. high correlations

with temperature especially of the late summer and early autumn (July to September).

113

Relationship between Tree Rings Width and Anatomical Characteristics of

Quercus Macranthera in Three Sites of Caspian Forests, North Part of Iran

Ladan Poursartip, Kambiz Pourtahmasi, Achim Bräuning, Dieter Eckstein, Mohammadali Saadatnia

Behbahan khatam Alanbia University of Technology

University of Tehran

Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Hamburg University-Assistant Behbahan khatam Alanb

E-mail:loursartip@yahoo.com

The aim of this research was the determination of anatomical characteristics of Quercus macranthera on

three sites in the Caspian forests in north of Iran: Asalem in the Gilan province, Kelardasht in the

Mazandaran province, and Chaharbagh in the Golestan province. Five trees per site whose tree-ring series

were most similar to the site chronologies were selected and tree-ring width and vessel characteristics were

measured over the last 50 years. The parameters taken into account were tree-ring width, average vessel

lumen area, total vessel lumen area, and vessel density (number of vessel per mm2). The time series obtained

were correlated with each other using Pearson‟s correlation coefficients. Although sampling was done at

similar elevations on all sites, the tree rings are wider in Kelardasht because of higher temperature and

precipitation. In Asalem, because of harsh growth conditions, the tree rings are narrower. It can be said that

wider latewood in the ring-porous wood led to a decrease in the average vessel lumen area and vessel density

because of the large amount of small latewood vessels.

Key Words: 107 Quercusa macranthera, Ring width, Average vessel lumen area, count of vessel.

114

Reconstructed Minimum Air Temperature from February to March with Tree-

Ring Widths Since 1790 Ad in Xiaoxing'an Mountain, Northeast China

Liangjun Zhu，Xiaochun Wang

Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University

E-mail: liangjun_zhu@126.com

Xiaoxing‟an Mountain located in Northern Hemisphere high latitudes is one of the most significant areas of

global climate change. High-resolution climate records are essential for understanding regional climatic

phenomena. However, instrumental records in this region are too short in duration to confidently

comprehend the long-term variability of climate change in the vast regions. Here, we present a 221-year Feb-

Mar temperature reconstruction based on tree-ring widths of Fraxinus mandshurica from Xiaoxing‟an

Mountain area, Northeast China. The reconstructed function was Ti = 9.73 Ii+1 – 29.01 (R2adj = 0.501，F =

53.17，P < 0.0001) which explained 51.0% of the variance in minimum temperature. Seven cold periods

(1790-1791, 1795-1819, 1834-1841, 1851-1854, 1898-1899, 1901-1907 and 1959-1982a) and four warm

periods (1822-1831, 1872-1886, 1923-1955 and 1988-2010a) occurred in this region over the last 221 years

according to the reconstructed temperature. Extremely significant (P &lt; 0.01) multi-taper spectral peaks of

18.3a and 4.9-4.8a were identified. The periodic variation of cold and warm may potentially be the

fingerprints of some climate change forces such as ENSO and PDO events．

Key Words: 108 Xiaoxing’an Mountain, tree ring, climate change, temperature reconstructed, Fraxinus

mandshurica

115

A 5000-Year Tree Ring Record of Extreme Temperature Events in Yamal

Peninsula, West Siberia

Liudmila A. Gorlanova, Rashit M. Hantemirov

Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, 8 Marta 202, Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russia

E-mail: gorlanova@ipae.uran.ru

Analysis of anomalous structures in tree rings is a promising method forreconstructing extreme climatic

events. In contrast to ring widths, growth anomalies are produced by very short-term events, and in some

cases they occur within seasons that are not reconstructed as cold using ring-width data. Three types of

micro-anatomical traces of larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.)were used to reconstruct acute extreme temperature

events; these include: frost-damaged layer of cells (i.e. frost rings), thin-walled latewood cells (i.e. light

rings), and wood density fluctuations (i.e. false rings). At present, we have a 7000- year ring-width

chronology for the Yamal Peninsula. The collection of subfossil wood samples was carried out in the basins

of small rivers that traverse the plain located between 67º 00‟and 67º 50‟N and 71º00‟E. The determination

of calendar dates of tree-ring formation was carried out by cross-dating with preexisting ring-with master

chronology.On basis of anomalous structures analysis we reconstructed cold summers (light rings), summer

frosts (frost rings) and abrupt temperature declines during the second half of the growing season (false rings)

over the past 5000 years.The most severe temperature events were in BC 2744, 2612, 2599, 2053, 1935,

1647, 1626, 1553, 1538, 1410, 1401, 982, 919, 883, 338 and AD 143, 404, 543, 1209, 1440, 1453, 1466,

1481, 1601, 1818. In total 237 extreme years were identified for the period BC 3000 - 2008 AD.Comparisons

with similar data from other regions show that there is agreement in the timing of many extreme temperature

events. Most probably, these extremes have been caused by explosive volcanic eruptions strong enough to

influence regional and global climate patterns for short periods.

Key Words: 109 Extreme temperature reconstruction, anomalous structures in tree rings, frost, false and

light rings. Larix sibirica, Yamal Peninsula

116

Climate-Growth Relationships in Abies Pindrow along an Elevation Gradient

in Forests of Kashmir Himalayas

Malik Rayees, Sukumar Raman

Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

E-mail: rayeesmalik@ces.iisc.ernet.in

Climate-growth relationship in Abies pindrow along an elevation gradient in forests of Kashmir Himalayas:

The Himalayan mountain range influences the global climate through its influence on the South Asian

Summer Monsoon system. Though the Himalayas are highly relevant to human society, the empirical and

proxy records for long-term climatology are not well understood for this region. High resolution paleo-

climate records for this region will help us better understand its climate and its large scale spatial linkages.

The relationship between the regional climate and growth is also not well understood in case of Himalayan

conifers. To better understand the climate change and the influence it will have on the growth of trees, it is

important to reconstruct past climate and study the relationship between climate and growth in past. Tree

rings offer a very valuable proxy to study these things. Also, studying cambial phenology along an elevation

gradient will help us understand the present climate-growth relationship. The results obtained from tree rings

and cambium will help us in better predictions about future performance of the species in relation to

projected climate warming. The broad objectives of this study are: 1. Reconstruction of past climate of the

region. 2. Climate-growth relationship in time and space. 3. Cambial phenology along an elevation gradient.

4. Predictions about forest performance in relation to projected climate warming. This work has just been

started. The weekly wood microcore samples have been collected along an elevation gradient throughout the

year. Also, more than 100 tree ring core samples have been collected at different elevations for

dendroclimatological analysis. The DBH of all the sampled trees is known. In the next two months, I will

date the tree cores and try to get some reliable relationship between age and DBH along an elevation

gradient. In the long term, all the samples will be analysed to answer the above mentioned questions.

Key Words: 110 Paleo-climate, Tree rings, Cambium, Conifer, Climate, Phenology, Dendroclimatology.

117

Winter Earthquakes Are Arсhived in Cedrus Deodara Tree Rings

Marina Gurskaya1, Jayendra Singh

2

1 Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Yekaterinburg, Russia

2 Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehra Dun, India

E-mail: marina_gurskaya@mail.ru

Tree rings provide excellent indicator of various natural hazards that occurred in the past. Abnormal

structures within tree rings could be used to reconstruct different extreme phenomena in the past. Deodar

(Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) G. Don) is one of the main long-lived and widely distributed species in high

mountains of western Himalayan region. Normally, tree rings of this species do not form resin canals as a

part of a regular tree ring structure. But in response to any mechanical disturbance to tree, resin ducts are

formed in singles as well as in chains. On the basis of anatomical observations we show that the formation of

resin ducts is associated with external disturbing forces impacting the tree in specific years.To understand

influence of external factors on resin duct formation, we analyzed 14 tree cores of deodar collected from

Gangotri region, western Himalaya, India covering span of around 800 years (AD 1220-2003). Observations

showed that several particular years have many resin canals in early wood. In the 20th century, 34 years

showed the presence of resin canals, but only 16 years had resin ducts more than two. Resin ducts were

sometimes present in successive 2-3 continuous years. The comparison with instrumental March

precipitation (Shimla weather station, AD 1863-2003) revealed that a lot of resin duct chains form after 1-3

years when March precipitation is significantly higher than the long-term mean value. However, we did not

get any direct relationship between resin ducts formation and high level of March precipitation, but as a

deferred signal in the 1-3 years. We also analyzed data of winter earthquake occurred in Uttarakhand state

and affected surrounding areas and the year also followed high spring precipitations in subsequent winter.

The 7 years out of 11 years with winter earthquakes during 20th century are found to be associated with mass

resin canals in earlywood during subsequent summer. We assume that the chain of resin canals in earlywood

could be a response of tree to disturbances in soil due to high March precipitation and following winter

earthquake. We revealed several years in the period 1220-2003 with many resin canals in earlywood in a

particular year.

Key Words: 111 Tree rings, Resin canals, Cedrus deodara, Precipitation, Earthquake

118

Tree Rings in Diploknema Butyracea (Roxburgh) H. J. Lam - A Potential Tool

for Growth Analysis in Nepal

Md. Qumruzzaman Chowdhury1,2

*, Maaike De Ridder1, Hans Beeckman

1

1Wood Biology Service, Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080 Tervuren,

Belgium 2Department of Forestry and Environmental Science, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology,

Sylhet-3114, Bangladesh

*E-mail: qumrul-for@sust.edu

Increasing deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics demands for the establishment of new

management plans. Formulating a forest management plan aiming sustainable production of goods and

services is challenging due to inadequate information on growth and ages of the targeted tree species. Time

series based on dated growth rings offer the opportunity to fill this gap. Tropical dendrochronology often has

to deal with complex growth ring patterns. Moreover, members of the Sapotacece family got less attention in

dendrochronological applications due to the assumption on indistinct tree rings. In this study, we aimed at

elucidating the tree-ring characters and growth periodicity of Diploknema butyracea. It is an economically

important deciduous tree species belonging to the Sapotacece family and widely distributed in the sub-

Himalayan tracts of Bhutan, China, India and Nepal. It is used as multipurpose tree species and commonly

found in traditional slash-and-burn agroforestry practices in Nepal. In this study, five stem discs were studied

from the Museum (RMCA, Tervuren) collections which were originated from Dhading district, Nepal.

Distinct growth rings were observed in the studied samples. Growth rings are marked by flattened fibers and

visually detectable on the stem discs. Growth ring anomalies, i.e., wedging and partially missing rings were

also found. Outer part of the discs was eccentric, particular ring in that area merged with the previous one

and produced ring anomalies. One sample showed fire scars induce oxidized wood that formed black spots

indicating existing shifting cultivation practices in the area. In the sanded discs, tree-ring boundaries were

marked with a pencil under a stereo-microscope in three radii from pith to bark. In case of anomalies, every

tree ring was followed separately. Tree rings were measured and cross-dated using TSAP software. Cross-

dating among the individuals was weak but showed synchronous growth ring patterns. Four out of five cross-

dated at marginal level (GLK ≥ 60 and t ≥ 2.0). Correlation between average ring width of four cross-dated

samples and precipitation was not significant (r= 0.17, n= 82). The five samples showed differences in ages

(51-88 years), growth rates (0.25-0.36 cm/year). The lifetime growth trajectories also varied and showing

higher juvenile growth rates up to intermediate ages and then decreasing again slightly in the mature stage.

Growth variation might thus be driven by other factors e.g., soil depth, water table and canopy dynamics.

This pilot study explores the potentials of D. butyracea for tree-ring analysis to obtain precise site specific

growth data which is essential to design sustainable forest management plan.

Key Words: 112 growth ring, shifting cultivation, forest management, dendrochronology, Diploknema

butyracea, Nepal

119

Response of Abies Spectabilis to Climate Along an Elevation Gradient of the

Mt. Manaslu Conservation Area, Central Himalaya, Nepal

Narayan Prasad Gaire1, 2

, Madan Koirala2, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

1, 2

1Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumaltar, Lalitpur, Nepal

2Central department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

E-mail: npgaire2007@gmail.com

Climate change has impacted the diverse sectors in the Himalaya, especially in high altitude region. It is

essential to know response of various species to climate on elevation gradient (3200-3900 m) across its

distribution range to devise an appropriate forest management and conservation strategies against adverse

impact of climate change in addition to sampling strategies for dendroclimatic reconstruction. The present

study, carried out at a mountain slope in Manaslu Conservation Area in central Himalaya, aims to know how

the climatic conditions affect the growth of Abies spectabilis along the elevation gradient including its upper

and lower distribution limits. Tree cores samples were collected and analyzed following the standard

dendrochronological technique. Though trees growing at the marginal range are more sensitive than from the

middle distribution range, the growth did not vary significantly along the elevation gradient. Trees growing

at the lower elevation range are more sensitive with precipitation as compared to middle and upper range

with significant positive relationship between the radial growth at lower elevation and precipitation of the

pre-monsoon season (March to May) which slightly decreased with elevation and changed into weakly

negative. Temperature has almost similar influences along the elevation gradient with trees growing at the

upper elevation are much sensitive to winter temperature as compared to other elevation. However, pre-

monsoon seasonal average and minimum temperature has different influence for the growth at upper and

lower elevation site with a significantly negative to weakly positive correlations of tree growth from low to

high elevations. Broadly, the similar tree growth and monthly temperature relationships at different

elevations indicated that the A. spectabilis in this region can provide common regional climate signal

especially temperature signal. In addition to elevation, studies incorporating other factors like microclimate,

stand composition, age factor may provide answer to the divergence in the relationship obtained in some

months.

Key Words: 113 Elevation gradient, Abies spectabilis, climate growth, Manaslu, Nepal

120

Dendro-Dating of the Saridag Monastery, Mongolia

Narmandakh Ganbaatar, Otgontsetseg Batsukh, Baatarbileg Nachin, Byambagerel Suran and Sainbayar

Gombo

Tree-Ring Laboratory, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, National University of Mongolia,

Mongolia

Ikh Surguuliin Gudamj 2. Room 308, 14902Ulaanbaatar Mongolia

E-mail: treeringlab@num.edu.mn, g_naraa999@yahoo.com

We are reporting some dendroarcheological results from an ongoing archaeological project on the Saridag

Monastery, located in Erdene sum, Tuv province, Mongolia. As part of the research team, we focused on

dendro-dating and wood identification. Disk samples were collected from the ruins of the monastery. We

also collected cores from living trees in nearby forested areas. Based on its anatomy, the wood was identified

as Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.). A 190-year long floating chronology that we developed from the

disks was compared with the master chronology from the Zuun Mod site, Mongolia. But only the outer 80

tree rings correlated well (r=0.5) from 1585 to 1655 und hence confirms the documented date of construction

of the monastery. The study will be continued.

Key Words: 114 dendroarcheology, wood anatomy, wood identification

121

Using Tree-Ring Width to Reconstruct the Maximum Air Temperature of

Yellow River Source Region in May and June over the Last 400 Years

Ningsheng Qin and Molin Ye

Chengdu Institute of Plateau Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration

E-mail: qinns0515@163.com

We developed a standard ring width chronology forSabina przewalskii KOM.collected in Xueshan Township

of Qinghai Province. We explored correlations between theSTD chronologyand climate variables from prior

October to current September at four meteorological stations in the source region of Yellow River. The

results showed that STD was significantly correlated with maximum air temperature in May and June and

the correlation coefficient was -0.650. Based on these results above we reconstructed the maximum May and

June air temperature of the Yellow River source region from 1618-2009. The reconstructed function

embodied a certain degree of reliability and stability after level-one-out test and the explain variance reached

42.2%. There were eight warm periods and eight cold periods in the reconstructed maximum air temperature

series over the past 400 years. Warm periods included 1644-1656, 1727-1746, 1786-1797, 1817-1835, 1860-

1885, 1916-1934, 1952-1968 and 1992-2005 while cold periods contained 1632-1643, 1657-1696, 1747-

1764, 1798-1816, 1836-1859, 1898-1915, 1935-1951 and 1969-1991. We compare the reconstructed series

from this study with temperature reconstructions from Zaduo, on northeastern Tibetan Plateau and in the

source of Yangtze River, as well as some other documents and historical information, and found similar

trends amongst all of the records.

Key Words: 115 tree-ring; source region of Yellow River; climate reconstruction; maximum air temperature

122

Climate Signals of Stable Carbon (Δ13c) and Oxygen (Δ18o) Isotopes in

Earlywood and Latewood of Two Pinus Species in Sw China

Peili Fu1, Zexin Fan

1, Achim Bräuning

2, Jussi Grießinger

2

1 Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy

of Sciences，Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan, China 2Institute of Geography, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany

E-mail: fpl@xtbg.org.cn

Trees from management plantation and primary forest have different local environment and thus could

respond differently to climate factors. This study analyzed tree-ring carbon stable isotope composition

(δ13C) and oxygen stable isotope composition (δ18O) of a conifer tree from management plantation (Pinus

kesiya) and a conifer tree from primary forest (Pinus armandii), from a subtropical forest in SW China. Five

trees were chosen for P. armandii and six trees were chosen for P. kesiya. The δ13C and δ18O of the

earlywood and latewood were analyzed separately. Our aims were to 1) investigate the differences in water

use efficiency from plantation and primary forest and their response to elevated CO2 and climate factors, 2)

to investigate the long term behavior of δ18O and its response to climate factors in species from different

forest type. We found that the average value of the δ13C in the earlywood of P. armandii was lower than that

of P. kesiya, which indicated that the P. armandii in the primary forest could have higher water use

efficiency than the P. kesiya from plantation. The δ18O in the latewood of P. armandii was lower than that

of P. kesiya, indicating that P. armandii from the primary forest could use deeper soil water than that of the

plantation conifer species. For both P. kesiya and P. armandi, δ13C in the earlywood of was significantly

correlated with that of the latewood, indicating the lag-effect of the carbon isotope. The δ18O both in

earlywood and latewood of these two Pine species are highly correlated, indicating that δ18O in these two

species may reflect common climatic forcing. The δ13C in both the earlywood and latewood of P. armandii

was negatively correlated with the July and August average temperature, while the δ13C in both the

earlywood and latewood of P. kesiya was negatively correlated with the October and annual rainfall. Our

results indicated that the δ13C of trees from contrasting forest types might be influenced by different climate

factors. The δ18O in the latewood of both P. armandii and P. kesiya was negatively correlated with the

October and annual rainfall, indicating the δ18O in the latewood can be good rainfall indicator in the present

study area.

Key Words: 116 Carbon isotope and Oxygen istope, Earlywood and latewood, Water-use efficiency,

Plantation, Subtropical, Pinus

123

The Reconstruction of Snow Avalanche Activity Based On Tree Rings and

Historical Maps

R.J. Kaczka1, M. Lempa

1, B. Gądek

1, K. Janecka

1, Z. Rączkowska

2

1Faculty of Earth Science, University of Silesia, Sosnowiec

2Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Cracow, Poland

E-mail:ryszardjkaczka@gmail.com

Snow avalanches are the major natural hazard in most mountain regions in the world. They influence natural

environment, touristic infrastructure and also endanger humane life. The activity of snow avalanches affects

landscape, especially forests, and controls the course of a timberline. They are the main factor limiting the

recently observed warming-related upslope advance of the subalpine forest. The aim of this study was to

reconstruct the spatiotemporal dynamic of snow avalanches in the Tatra Mts., the highest massive of

Carpathians. The case study focuses on testing the coupling of the tree-ring techniques with

photointerpretation and GIS methods. Additionally, the one-dimensional snow movement modelling was

constructed. The standard dendrogeomorphological and GIS techniques were used to date and assess the

range of the events. The modelling was performed on the basis of using the Aval-1D numerical avalanche

dynamics program. A detailed map of avalanche catchment was prepared on the basis of the records of the

past events, historical maps, aerial photos and LIDAR digital terrain model. More than 1400 of the injured

and decapitated trees growing along four avalanche paths were sampled and dated. All existing historical

maps and aerial photos spanning from 1885 to 2012 were investigated, revealing a relatively stable position

of the timberline. The results of tree-ring analyses were coupled with GIS data to provide additional

information about the spatiotemporal dynamic of the events. The results of tree-ring analyses complemented

those data and allowed to extend the event chronology up to 200 years. The known and reconstructed

avalanche events were modelled. Moreover, the complex system of climate-relief-snow avalanche was

analysed. The study was supported by the National Science Centre, project no 2011/03/B/ST10/06115

Key words: snow avalanche, timberline, modelling, dendrogemorphology

124

Assesement of Climate Change Over Water Resource of Kosi River Basin

Rajesh Kumar Mahato

mahtolu@gmail.com

Climatic change is a global phenomena, sensitive portion of the earth surface cannot untouched from it.

Indicators of climatic changes can be seen as glacier retreating, vegetation changing and other sectors too.

Climate change influencing to agriculture, pasturing, industry, services. The proposed region has one of the

largest population pressures especially in lower Kosi river basin. Due to climate change the most influence

can be seen in availability of water resources, generally lies in Kosi rivers, lakes, pond, underground water

level, glaciers and as humidity in atmosphere. These water resources are generally use for production of

crops, electricity, goods and services. Climate change may be the major reason for creating water problem in

the whole basin in upcoming future. It may be create complex problem for consuming goods and services. It

may be disastrous as flood and droughts. For a developing country, it can be create a major problem to

sustain and maintain the pace of economic development. This poster presentation will be show a good

dimensions for assessment of climate change in Sapt Kosi river basin.

125

Structure and Regeneration Status of Panchase Protected Forest

Roshan Chikanbanjar, Binod Baniya, Man Kumar Dhamala

Central Department of Environmental Science, Kirtipur, Kathandu, Nepal

Abstract

The vegetation of Nepal is diverse and is comparatively rich in plant species, high diversity at species level

can be attributed to significant topographical and climate variations. Quantitative study was carried out along

altitudinal gradients in Panchase Protected Forest, Kaski district of Central Nepal with objective to find

structural and floristic characteristics of the forest stand and its regeneration and to study impacts of human

activities on vegetation structure. The whole forest was divided into five altitudinal bands of 200 m vertical

difference starting from 1500m to 2500m. Each band of the forests was stratified into three vertical strata -

tree, under canopy and ground. Altogether, 40 large circular sample plots of area 250 m², 40 medium circular

sample plots of area 100 m² for saplings and 40 small circular plots of area 3.14 m² for seedlings were

selected based on Carbon measurement guidelines for community-managed forests, 2010. Density-Diameter

curve, tree canopy coverage and seedling/sapling density relation was used for regeneration status of trees.

Human disturbance was assessed by counting number of lopping and cut stumps and quantifying fuelwood

consumption pattern of village. Vegetation survey showed 21 species of trees, 17 species of saplings and 14

species of seedlings. Daphniphyllum himalense was the most dominant species followed by Quercus

lamellosa and Symplocos ramosissima. Shannon's Index of the trees ranged from 1.208 to 2.246 and species

evenness ranged from 0.512 to 0.866. Density-Diameter curve showed the reverse J-shaped structure which

indicated the sustainable regeneration. An average of 10315.8 kg (10.31 tons) of fuelwood is consumed

annually by each household in Bhadaure Tamagi Village Development Committee. Daphniphyllum

himalense, Alnus nepalensis, Castanopsis indica, Schima wallichii and Eurya cerasifolia were the major

species of trees consumed as fuel wood by the villagers. Tree density and basal area had increased along

increase in elevation but band 2 and band 5 tend to decrease the density and basal area of trees because of

human disturbance. Density of lopped branches and cut stumps was in decreasing trend with the increase in

elevation. Species richness was higher in moderately disturbed sites supporting the Intermediate Disturbance

Hypothesis. It indicates that vegetation structures are highly influenced by human activities.

Key Words: 117 Altitudinal gradient, basal area, anthropogenic disturbance, forest regeneration, species

density, species diversity

126

Increased Tree-Ring Growth Close To Eruptive Fissures Prior To Volcanic

Flank Eruptions on Mount Etna (Sicily, Italy)

Ruedi Seiler1 ,2

, Eliano Sonzogni1,2

,Nicolas Houlié3, James Kirchner

4, Markus

Egli2, Paolo Cherubini

1

1Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Zürcherstrasse 111,

8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland

2Department of Geography, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich,

Switzerland

3Geodesy and Geodynamics Lab, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), 8093 Zürich,

Switzerland

4Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETH), 8903 Zürich,

Switzerland

Correspondence: ruedi.seiler@wsl.ch

Presently active volcanoes from all around the world as well as their effects on the environment, on global climate and

on human life are being investigated and studied by different disciplines. Increasing population and vulnerability of

areas close to active volcanoes result in higher risks and hazard potential. Early indicators of volcanic activity could

help in risk management and are urgently needed, but eruptions remain largely unpredictable. Here we show that tree-

growth in volcanic areas is not explainable using climate data only. Tree-ring width is influenced by volcanic factors

as well. Further we demonstrate to what extent tree growth prior to eruptions provides information usable to indicate

time and location of flank eruptions. We analized 240 cores sampled at 8 sites along two eruptive fissures measuring

tree-ring width. Cores revealed different growth rates at the different sites prior to the eruption. Higher growth rates of

trees along the two eruptive fissures before the ensuing eruption were found. These results are in agreement with an

increased vegetation index observed along one of the two eruptive fissures derived from satellite imagery (Houlié et al.,

2006). Further investigation on a larger number of trees and sample sites, including chemical analysis of the wood

needs to be carried out. A better understanding of how trees grow in volcanically active regions and on the influence

of volcanic activity on tree physiological processes prior to eruptions needs to be gained because of its importance in

early hazard-risk assessment, which could benefit the lifes of millions of people.

Key Words: 118 tree-rings, volcanic flank eruptions, Mount Etna

127

Dendrochronological Study of Picea Smithiana (Wall.) Boiss of Rara National

Park, Western Nepal Himalaya

Rupraj Tmilsina1, Dinesh Raj Bhuju

2, 3 and Narayan Prasad Gaire

2, 3

1College of Applied Sciences, Anamanagar, Kathmandu, Nepal

2Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

3Faculty of Science, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur, Nepal

To study the long term climate change, a long-term climatic data is needed. Due to the lack of sufficient long

term data it is the major challenge to study the pattern of current and future climate change. Tree ringscan be

used as an important proxy to reconstruct the past climaticvariations beyond the instrumental record. This

study was carried out to analyze the growth response of Picea smithiana to climate in the mountains of

western region of Nepal by using the tree ring widths of Picea smithiana. Tree core samples were collected

from Rara region of Rara National Park, Nepal. Out of the total collected 100 samples 51 samples were

successfully cross dated and 315 years long ring-width chronology was developed dating back to AD 1699.

Growth response analysis was carried out using program DENDROCLIM 2002 to analyze the climate-

growth relationship. Significant negative correlation were observed between ring width and temperature of

March, April and May whereas there is positive correlation between ring width and precipitation for the

same months indicating that pre-monsoon climate has the main influence for the growth of Picea smithiana.

Key Words: 119 dendroclimatology, Rara National Park, Picea smithiana, ring width

128

Analyses of Carbon Stock and Radial Growth of Trees through Tree Ring

Analysis in Pine Forest of Linga Guthi Community Forest

Safalta Chukan1, Siddhi Bir Karmacharya

1, Sanu Raja Maharjan

1, Narayan Prasad Gaire

2, 3

1Department of Environmental Science, Khwopa College

2Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Khumaltar, lalitpur, Nepal

3Central Department of Environmental Science, Tribhuvan, University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu, Nepal

E-mail: saphaltachhukan@gmail.com

Forests are the integral to the global carbon cycle. Many of the protected areas are either forested lands or

grasslands. Both of these ecosystems sequester carbon in the plant biomass and in the soil. The study was

carried out in Linga Guthi to estimate carbon stock and radial growth of Pinus roxburghii through the tree

ring analysis. Total 32 circular plots of 250 m2 area were laid down. Several sub plots were established

within each plot for sapling and seedlings. Total 75 tree core samples from 36 trees were collected from the

different blocks of forest. Collected samples were air dried, mounted in wooden frames and polished using

sanding papers of different grit size until the ring boundaries were visible under microscope. Ring widths

were measured using TSAP-Win Software attached to a LINTAB measuring system. For the further study in

tree ring analysis, COFECHA and ARSTAN program were used. In the study area the density of trees per ha

was found to be 936.The average biomass stock was found to be 528.54± 9.236 t/ha and carbon stock of

Linga Guthi CF was 272.229±17.36 t/ha. This Linga Guthi CF has storage of 462.66 ±7.1667 t/ha above

ground biomass, 92.53±3.205 t/ha BGB. Similarly, it has storage of 206.87± 4.470 t/ha AGTC, 41.37±2.197

t/ha BGC, 23.814±1.0018 t/ha SOC. The carbon sequestration rate of the Linga Guthi CF was found to be

2.22 Ct/ha/year. The overall radial growth of pine tree in Linga Guthi CF was found to be 2.0619 ± 0.139

mm/year. The maximum radial growth was 4.472 mm/yr having 50 cm diameter of 134 years old pine tree.

Similarly the minimum radial growth of pine was 0.935 mm/yr with 36.2 cm diameter and 124 years. The

oldest tree recorded in this forest was 158 years with 58 cm diameter. Most of the sample tree had crossed

over 100 years. However the average age of the forest was 98 years. The chronology of 158 years long was

prepared for pine tree extending from 1854 to 2013 A.D.

Key Words: 120 carbon sequestration, dendrochronology, false ring, ring width

129

Climatic Signals in Tree-Ring Widths of Juniperus Polycarpos in the Bozdaghi

Mountains of Northeast Iran

Sepideh Namvar, Kambiz Pourtahmasi, Reza Oladi

University of Tehran, Iran

E-mail: s.namvar@ut.ac.ir

Dendroclimatology is the field of science that investigates the effects of climatic factors such as temperature

and precipitation on tree rings, past climate reconstruction and climate prediction in future. This study

illustrates the impact of temperature and precipitation on tree rings of Juniperus polycarpos. For this

research, 13 thick and cylindrical shaped trees were selected from juniper forests located in Bozdaghi

Mountains of Northern Khorasan. The samples were taken by increment borers. After preparing samples

surface, ring width of the trees was measured by binocular and LINTAB measurement table. Cross dating

was carried out using TSAP software. Data of five trees has been deleted because of low cross dating

indexes. ARSTAN software was used to develop the ring-width chronology. The temperature and

precipitation data were collected from the nearest meteorological station and their effect was investigated on

tree-rings. Due to high similarity of tree ring-width series, we established a regional chronology covering

314 years (1699-2013), although the chronology was more reliable from the year 1820 onwards.The results

showed that because of warm and dry condition of the region, temperature has a negative effect and

precipitation has a positive effect on rings width. Ring widths were negatively and meaningfully correlated

with temperature in April and August but showed a significant and negative correlation with the precipitation

of autumn and winter before the growing season.

Key Words: 121 Dendroclimatology, Tree-rings, Temperature, Precipitation, Juniperus polycarpos

130

Assessing Climate-Radial Growth Relationship of Planted Teak Forests in

Nilambur, India

Sreejith Babu, Anoop, E.V, Vikas Kumar and Harikrishnan, S

Department of Wood Science, College of Forestry, Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur, Kerala, India-

680656

E-mail: sreejithcof@gmail.com

Nilambur in Kerala state of India was the first place in the world to successfully established teak plantations.

From 1844 onwards, teak is being planted here and even now, strips of first planted teak forests are retained

as preservation plots. This area harbors teak trees which are seemingly suitable for dendroclimatological

investigations. Hence, twenty five samples (basal discs) were collected from wind fallen and felled trees of

teak from plantations which were approximately 60 to 160 years old according to records of the Kerala forest

department. The discs were transported to the laboratory of the department of wood science, sliced, planed

and sanded with different grades (60-1500 grit) of sandpaper. The growth rings are very clear after sanding

and measurement of ring widths was done using a tree ring station (Lintab-6).Mean vessel area (MVA) was

also measured using images captured by a stereo microscope with camera (Motic). The intention is to

develop a teak ring width/MVA chronology for Nilambur and to assess the relationship of ring width and

mean vessel area with climatic parameters chiefly rainfall and temperature.

Key Words: 122 Teak, Nilambur, ring width, MVA

131

Responses of Tree-Ring Width of Pinus Massiniana to Climate Change in

Sanming, Fujian Province

ZhIpeng Dong

E-mail: dzp170@gmail.com

According to the standard principles and methods of Dendrochronology, we used the tree-ring samples of Pinus massiniana in

Sanming to study their responses to climate change. The results of correlation analysis showed that the radial growth of Pinus

massiniana was significantly correlated with the July-August temperature in the previous year and the July-August mean

temperature of the current year (p<0.01). The radial growth showed significant correlations with the precipitation from last year

January-March (p<0.01) and current year June-November (P<0.01). The chronology had significant correlations with the relative

humidity in the previous February-March (p<0.01) and the current July-August (p<0.01). Besides, significant positive correlations

were observed between the tree ring width and the sunshine hours of the previous February-March (p<0.01). In addition, the

growth of Pinus massoniana significant positive correlations with PDSI from June to November, suggesting a drought stressed

growth pattern. Our study indicates that tree growth in this region is influenced by various factors and the climate-growth

relationships vary through time.

Key Words: 123 Sanming, Pinus massiniana, tree-ring width, climate response

132

Dendroglaciological Potential in Karakorum Range, Northern Pakistan

Fayaz Asad1,2

, Haifeng Zhu1*, Eryuan Liang

1, Suhaib Bin Farhan

1,2,3, Wenwen Liu

1,2

Email:zhuhaifeng@itpcas.ac.cn

1. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Plateau Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau

Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Building 3, Courtyard 16, Lin Cui Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101,

China

2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences. No.19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, China, 100049

3. Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission. SUPARCO Headquarters, SUPARCO Road, P.O. Box

No. 8402, Karachi-75270, Pakistan

Recent monitoring on glaciers employing remote sensing reveals that many of the observed glaciers in Karakorum

ranges are either stable and/or even shows advancement in the terminus positions during the recent decades. This

phenomenon, is now generally referred as “Karakorum Anomaly”, which seems quite different behavior from the

retreating glaciers in the neighbouring Himalayas controlled by Monsoon circulations. However, we don‟t know how

anomalous they are in a long-term context due to the shortness of observational data from these glaciers. Here we

introduce a potential of doing dendroglaciological research for this anomalous region according to our preliminary

field work in this area.We found many old trees on fresh Little Ice Age (LIA) glacier moraines and also some injured

trees. The maximum age of trees can provide a minimum age of the moraine, and the injured trees could be used as

exact evidences of historical glacier readvances. The dendroglaciological techniques employed on moraines in the

northern Pakistan would provide a more than 200-year record of the glacial fluctuations in this region.

Key Words: 124 Dendroglaciology, northern Pakistan

133

Is There a Significant Upslope Shift of Himalayan Birch Treelines in Central

Nepal?

Shalik Ram Sigdel, Yafeng Wang and Eryuan Liang

Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Beijing 100101, China

E mail: srsigdel@itcas.ac.cn

The central Himalaya has the diverse alpine treelines. The treeline ecotone is potentially sensitive to climatic changes.

Himalayan Birch (Betula utilis D. Don) forms the highest nature treeline in the central Himalayas, Nepal. We

established three rectangular plots (30 m × 150 m) in the natural treeline sites in the Kyanjing valley of the Langtang

National Park, Central Nepal. Out of three plots two plots are located the north facing slopes while one is a north-east

facing slope. The age, diameter at breast height (DBH) and location of each tree individuals were recorded and marked

within each plot. Dendroecological methods were used to reconstruct the temporal-spatial patterns of birch treeline. All

of the trees were divided into different life stages on the basis of their age in a 50-year interval in order to determine

the treeline position and 10-year intervals to show the decadal regeneration trend. In all plots the tree growth pattern is

almost similar as the age of the trees significantly correlated with the diameter of the trees. The treeline is significantly

advancing in all plots in the past 200 years by 18 to 26 m. Similarly, tree recruitment also increased notably in recent

decades. Finally, we concluded that warming climate presumably has different impact on the tree growth, tree

recruitment as well as in treeline position during past 200 years.

Key Words: 125 Himalayan Birch, treeline dynamics, dendroecology, ecotone, climate change, recruitment

134

Gradual Expansion of Abies Spectabilis Treeline in Trans-Himalayan Zone in

Mustang Nepal

Achyut Tiwari1, 2, 3

& Zhou Zhe-kun1

1Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun Mengla Yunnan 666603, China

2Himalayan Research and Development Centre–Nepal, Kathmandu, Nepal

3Department of Botany, Tri-Chandra College, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

The shifting of treeline towards higher elevation and latitude is one of the responses of vegetation to global

warming. Majority of climatic treelines of the Himalayas have been scaling up as the mountaintops are

getting warmer in recent decades. In the absence of historical vegetation boundary, tree rings of the upper

limit are important proxies to understand tree recruitment pattern and past climate in the ecotone. The stand

evolution in the ecotone helps find the treeline position of the past few decades and centuries. Further,

climate warming trend could be observed in the form or ring width of trees of the upper limit. We have

mapped tree individuals in two vertical transects of 20 m × 150 m and collected one hundred twenty basal

tree cores from two treeline ecotones from Tans- Himalayan zone (Mustang) of Nepal. Tree establishment

dates were identified with the tree ring measurement following standard dendrochronolgical techniques. Our

studies reveal that there is a gradual and consistent range shift of Abies spectabilis treeline at the rate of 2.8

m and 1.17 m year -1

in the transect I and transect II (Chimang Lekh) respectively. Besides increase in

temperature, the increased winter and pre-monsoon precipitation could be the favourable environment for

range expansion of alpine treeline in the region.

Key Words: 126 Range shift, ecotone, dendrochronology