Spring-temperature variations in western Himalaya, India, as reconstructed from tree-rings: AD 1390-1987

The Himalayan region plays a very important role in influencing the regional and extra-regional circulation system. Long-term instrumental or proxy climate records for this region an scant, but are essential for a global perspective of climate variability. A 598-year (AD 1390-1987) reconstruction of spring (March-May) temperature has been derived for the first time for the western Himalayan region, India using a well replicated ring-width chronology of Himalayan cedar (Cedrus deodara (D. Don) G. Don). The reconstruction showing annual to multi-year episodes of cool and warm springs is well correlated with the instrumental record of spring temperature for 1876-1987 (r = 0.53, p < 0.001). Prominent large-magnitude century-scale excursions in negative anomalies of spring temperature which might reflect the regional influence of the 'Little Ice Age' are not indicated in our data. The seventeenth century experienced monotonically warm springs. Neither reconstruction or instrumental data provide evidence of warming during the last few decades of this century which could be attributed to anthropogenic causes. A strong out-of-phase relationship between the instrumental spring-temperature record over the western Himalayan region and sea-surface temperatures (SSTs) of ensuing months (June-May) over the equatorial Pacific Ocean has been noted. This suggests that temperature responsive tree-ring chronologies from the Himalayan region could also serve as a valuable proxy of the Southern Oscillation.