Fourteen tree-ring width chronologies were developed along three altitudinal gradients for three mountain ranges in arid north central China. The chronology statistics, combined with results of a rotated principle component analysis (RPCA), suggest that physiological gradients play a more important ...

Northern China has experienced dramatic drying since the 1960s CE. However, the scarcity of long-term observations hampers the evaluation of recent drought variations from a long-term perspective. Here, we present a tree-ring-width chronology of Chinese pine (Pinus tabuliformis Carr.) from the...

The rate of tree growth varies by species and is influenced by elevation and climate gradients. Assessing the influence of these variables on tree-ring growth can improve projections for tree growth under future climate conditions. Here, we evaluate the relationships between tree species,...

Knowledge of natural long-term drought variability is essential for water resource management and planning, especially in arid and sub-arid regions of the world. In the eastern Qilian Mountains of China, long-term drought variability based on high-resolution proxy records such as tree-ring data are ...

Although global warming is an indisputable fact, there is still uncertainty about how climate change will occur at regional levels. Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in the world. To best manage this country's limited water resources, socio-economic development and environmental...

The Yellow River flow has decreased substantially in recent decades, and the river often dried up in the lower reach and failed to reach the sea. Climate change and human disruption have been suggested as major causes of the flow reduction, but quantification of their relative contribution is...

Tree populations at the alpine timberline are highly sensitive and vulnerable to environmental change, but how climate change alters the spatiotemporal dynamics of tree radial growth at the alpine timberline remains a critical uncertainty of forest ecosystem change. We collected 480 tree-ring cores ...

Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) is a crucial tree species in the western Tianshan Mountains of northwest China and plays a vital role in local ecosystems; it is of particular importance to assess the growth response of this species to climate in the context of global climate change. In this...

The East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and Indian summer monsoon (ISM) are two interactive climate systems dominating the moisture variability of Monsoon Asia. However, ISM-EASM interactions and their effects on regional moisture dynamics remain unclear. This study investigated the spatiotemporal...

Tibetan Plateau is the headwater region of many major Asian rivers and very susceptive to climate change. Therefore, knowledge about climate and its spatiotemporal variability in this area is very important for ecological conservation, water resource management and social development. The aim of...