2005 Articles

Global surface temperature signals in pine ring-width chronologies from southern monsoon Asia

Buckley, Brendan M.; Cook, Benjamin I.; Bhattacharyya, A.; Dukpa, D.; Chaudhary, V.

We analyze Pinus ring width chronologies from three locations across monsoon Asia (Bhutan, India, and Thailand) where climate is dominated by the southwest monsoon in the boreal summer. We compare these records to global surface temperatures for the past 150 years, shifting the correlations through three seasonal averages: two seasons preceding the monsoon (Dec–Feb and Mar–May), and the monsoon season itself (Jun–Sep). Clear patterns emerge for each of the chronologies that highlight links to areas of known influence on the Asian monsoon: the Indian Ocean, the tropical eastern Pacific Ocean, and the high-latitude Asian landmass. The Thai and Indian chronologies are from the same species (P. merkusii), and show a strong correlation with tropical Indian and Pacific Ocean bands. The Bhutan chronology (P. Wallichiana) is most strongly linked to climate over the north Pacific and Asian landmass. All of these correlations are strongest in seasons preceding the summer monsoon.