Temporal evolution of the influence of atmospheric circulation on regional cloud cover as revealed by tree-ring δ18O in southwestern China

The hydroclimate of southwestern China has experienced pronounced fluctuations over the past few decades. In this study, the total cloud cover variability of southwestern China during May–October for the past 276 years was reconstructed based on the composite tree-ring δ18O chronology. The record spans the common interval from 1734 to 2009 CE. Moisture-related factors, such as relative humidity, the precipitation, and cloud cover over the region, were the climatic factors controlling tree-ring δ18O. The reconstructed cloud cover exhibited a decreasing trend since 1900, which was linked to the weakening of the Indian summer monsoon. However, the relationship between cloud cover and the monsoon system was temporally unstable, which may be due to El Niño-southern oscillation and the Indian Ocean dipole. Furthermore, the sea surface temperature (SST) over the Indian and East Pacific oceans influenced the delivery of moisture over the study area; however, the influence of SST on the different oceanic regions varied between different periods. During the low-cloud-cover period, the link between SST and regional cloud cover weakened, and local circulation became the driving factor. Additionally, local circulation may disrupt the influence of monsoons on the hydroclimate in southwestern China, which was supported by the backward trajectory results. [Display omitted] •Reconstructed cloud cover variability based on tree-ring δ18O chronology in SW China.•The temporal relationship between the ISM and regional cloud cover varied.•The unstable relationship may be due to the interactions of ENSO and IOD.•The SST in the Indian and Pacific oceans interfere with the influence of the ISM.