Tree-ring based February–April relative humidity reconstruction since A.D. 1695 in the Gaoligong Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

ABSTRACT High-resolution proxy data are limited in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, which inhibits our understanding of long-term climate variability in historical periods. In this study, we developed one tree-ring-width chronology of Tsuga dumosa (D. Don Eichler) in the Gaoligong Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Tree-ring-width chronology showed negative correlations with monthly temperatures in most months, especially for current year, whereas correlations with precipitation and relative humidity were mostly positive. Significant positive correlations were found between tree rings and relative humidity in February, April and June of current year and May of previous year. February–April relative humidity was reconstructed for the past 321 years (A.D. 1695–2016) in the Gaoligong Mountains, which explained 26% of the actual variance during the calibration period 1962–2004. In this reconstruction, dry periods occurred in 1808–1820, 1831–1842, 1914–1921, 1958–1964 and 1980–1988. Wet periods were found in 1700–1727, 1821–1830, 1843–1859, 1944–1957 and 1965–1979. The dry and wet episodes of our relative humidity reconstruction match well other studies in the nearby regions, which demonstrate that the new record is reliable and captures large-scale climate signals.