Assessments of tree-ring intra-annual δ18O record for reconstructing hydroclimate with high temporal resolution

Abstract

Tree-ring cellulose oxygen isotopic ratios have been widely studied as a hydrological proxy in monsoonal Asia. There has been, however, little attempt to perform proxy assessment of the intra-annual isotopic data to reconstruct hydroclimate with higher temporal resolution. We presented new intra-annual cellulose oxygen isotopic records of Japanese cedar trees spanning A.D. 1918 to 2017, and validated it as a hydrological proxy by comparing with meteorological data. There are significant negative correlations between intra-annual isotopic ratios and summer precipitation/relative humidity, as similar to annual-resolution data of earlier studies. Notably on intra-annual scales, the period showing the highest correlation gradually shifted from May to August, in corresponding to the location within the annual ring. Principal component regression analyses show the regression was more accurate over a wider duration than single regression analysis using the annual data, therefore indicating that the subdivision of the annual ring could contribute to reconstruct higher-resolution hydroclimate.