Late Holocene Asian summer monsoon variability reflected by δ18O in tree-rings from Tibetan junipers

Recent warming in High Asia might have a strong impact on Asian summer monsoon variability with consequences for the hydrological cycle. Based on correlations between climate data, the tree-ring delta O-18 of high-elevation junipers is an indicator of August precipitation. Thus, our 800-year long annually resolved oxygen isotope series reflects long-term variations in summer monsoon activity on the southern Tibetan plateau. Summer precipitation was reduced during 13th-15th centuries and since the 19th century, whereas the Little Ice Age period (15th-19th century) was rather moist. The late 20th century was among the driest periods during the past 800 years, showing a tendency to slightly wetter conditions after AD 1990. Citation: Griessinger, J., A. Brauning, G. Helle, A. Thomas, and G. Schleser (2011), Late Holocene Asian summer monsoon variability reflected by delta O-18 in tree-rings from Tibetan junipers, Geophys. Res. Lett., 38, L03701, doi:10.1029/2010GL045988.