Tree‐ring reconstruction of July–May precipitation (AD 1816–2010) in the northwestern marginal zone of the East Asian summer monsoon reveals the monsoon‐related climate signals

ABSTRACT A July–May precipitation reconstruction for the period AD 1816–2010 was developed from a tree‐ring width chronology of Picea wilsonii for the Xinglong Mountains area of Lanzhou. The reconstruction explains 55.8% of the actual precipitation variance during the calibration period from 1951 to 2010. Wet conditions prevailed during the periods 1822–1835, 1843–1858, 1870–1877, 1884–1891, 1911–1921, 1933–1938, 1944–1979 and 2009–2010. Dry episodes occurred during 1816–1821, 1836–1842, 1859–1869, 1878–1883, 1892–1910, 1922–1932, 1939–1943 and 1980–2008. Multi‐taper method spectral analysis indicates the existence of some significant peaks at 2.8, 3.0 and 3.5 years. Spatial correlations with gridded land surface precipitation data revealed that our reconstruction represents regional precipitation signal for a large area of North China linked to the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Comparison with other tree‐ring‐based precipitation/drought reconstructions from surrounding areas implies a high degree of confidence for our reconstruction. Precipitation variations in the study area are significantly correlated with sea surface temperatures in eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and tropical western Pacific Ocean, suggesting a possible connection of regional precipitation variations to the EASM and the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO).