Summer Monsoon Season Streamflow Variations in the Middle Yellow River Since 1570 CE Inferred from Tree Rings of Pinus Tabulaefo
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atmosphere Article Summer Monsoon Season Streamflow Variations in the Middle Yellow River since 1570 CE Inferred from Tree Rings of Pinus tabulaeformis Feng Chen 1,2,*, Magdalena Opała-Owczarek 3 , Piotr Owczarek 4 and Youping Chen 1 1 Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-Security, Institute of International Rivers and Eco-Security, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China; [email protected] 2 Key Laboratory of Tree-ring Physical and Chemical Research of China Meteorological Administration/Xinjiang Laboratory of Tree-Ring Ecology, Institute of Desert Meteorology, China Meteorological Administration, Urumqi 830002, China 3 Institute of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Silesia in Katowice, Ul. Bedzinska 60, 41-200 Sosnowiec, Poland; [email protected] 4 Institute of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wroclaw, Pl.Uniwersytecki 1, 50-137 Wrocław, Poland; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 25 April 2020; Accepted: 3 July 2020; Published: 6 July 2020 Abstract: This study investigates the potential reconstruction of summer monsoon season streamflow variations in the middle reaches of the Yellow River from tree rings in the Qinling Mountains. The regional chronology is significantly positively correlated with the July–October streamflow of the middle Yellow River from 1919 to 1949, and the derived reconstruction explains 36.4% of the actual streamflow variance during this period. High streamflows occurred during 1644–1757, 1795–1806, 1818–1833, 1882–1900, 1909–1920 and 1933–1963. Low streamflows occurred during 1570–1643, 1758–1794, 1807–1817, 1834–1868, 1921–1932 and 1964–2012. High and low streamflow intervals also correspond well to the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) intensity. Some negative correlations of our streamflow reconstruction with Indo-Pacific sea surface temperature (SST) also suggest the linkage of regional streamflow changes to the Asian summer monsoon circulation. Although climate change has some important effects on the variation in streamflow, anthropogenic activities are the primary factors mediating the flow cessation of the Yellow River, based on streamflow reconstruction. Keywords: Yellow River; tree rings; streamflow reconstruction; East Asian summer monsoon; climate warming 1. Introduction Hydrological changes and their associated water resources are closely related to society in China [1,2]. Hydrology-related natural disasters, such as floods and prolonged drought, can translate into infrastructure destruction and the loss of industrial and agricultural production, and have serious economic and social impacts. These impacts could seriously threaten the lifestyles of human beings in river basins in China. With the rapid increase in water consumption in China over the past 30 years and the high uncertainty of future water resource change in the context of global warming [3–6], reliable knowledge of streamflow variations is of importance for us to assess the spatial-temporal variation in water resources in river basins and remote areas. Long-term and high resolution dendrohydrological reconstructions provide important contributions to the body of knowledge on past hydrological variations and can facilitate efforts to simulate future hydrological scenarios [7–12]. Atmosphere 2020, 11, 717; doi:10.3390/atmos11070717 www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere Atmosphere 2020, 11, 717 2 of 11 Atmosphere 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 11 TheThe Yellow River, River, one one of of the the longest longest river river systems systems in the in world the world and the and second the second longest longest in China, in China,provides provides abundant abundant freshwater freshwater for the forpeople the peopleliving along living the along river. the In river. the InYellow the Yellow River Riverbasin, basin,some someannually annually resolved resolved series series (12 months) (12 months) of natural of natural streamflow streamflow were were reconstructed reconstructed during during the the lastlast millennium,millennium, based on tree-ringtree-ring data fromfrom thethe TibetanTibetan PlateauPlateau [[13,14].13,14]. MostMost ofof thesethese reconstructionsreconstructions areare basedbased onon thethe responseresponse ofof tree-ringtree-ring widthwidth toto thethe streamflowstreamflow ofof waterwater years.years. SummerSummer monsoonmonsoon seasonseason streamflowstreamflow records in the middle Yellow River,River, however,however, rarelyrarely extendextend beyondbeyond thethe LittleLittle IceIce AgeAge andand contain contain relatively relatively weak weak hydrological hydrological signals signals [15–17 ].[15–17]. Some studiesSome havestudies proven have the proven sensitivity the ofsensitivity tree rings of of tree Chinese rings pineof Chinese (Pinus tabulaeformispine (Pinus )tabulaeformis to summer monsoon) to summer season monsoon streamflow season in streamflow the middle Yellowin the Rivermiddle basin Yellow [18–21 River]. The basin dendrohydrological [18–21]. The dendrohydrological potential of Chinese pine,potential however, of Chinese depends pine, on a convincinghowever, depends separation on of naturallya convincing and anthropogenically separation of naturally induced streamflowand anthropogenically signals at different induced time scalesstreamflow [14]. signals at different time scales [14]. ThisThis researchresearch focused focused on on developing developing a regional a regional chronology chronology and extractingand extracting streamflow streamflow signals signals based onbased the on tree the rings tree of ringsP. tabulaeformis of P. tabulaeformisat three at sampling three sampling sites (SR, sites XF and(SR, NWT)XF and [ 20NWT),22,23 [20,22,23]] in the Qinling in the MountainsQinling Mountains (Figure1 (Figure and Table 1 and1) andTable presented 1) and presented a streamflow a streamflow reconstruction reconstruction that overcomes that overcomes some ofsome these of restrictions, these restrictions, linked withlinked streamflow with streamflow sensitivity sensitivity and anthropogenic and anthropogenic influence, toinfluence, reconstruct to summerreconstruct monsoon summer season monsoon streamflow season variations streamflow in thevariations middle in Yellow the middle River sinceYellow 1570 River CE. since Therefore, 1570 weCE. compiled Therefore, a regionalwe compiled tree-ring a regional width tree-ring chronology width based chronology on tree-ring based data on from tree-ring three data sampling from three sites insampling the middle sites reaches in the middle of the Yellow reaches River, of the Central Yellow China. River, We Central attempted China. to We show attempted high to low to show frequency high streamflowto low frequency signals streamflow of the new signals streamflow of the reconstruction new streamflow and reconstruction discuss the effects and of discuss synoptic the variations effects of onsynoptic streamflow variations according on streamflow to the new according streamflow to the reconstructionnew streamflow and reconstruction other findings and available other findings from adjacentavailable regions. from adjacent regions. Figure 1. Map showing the locations of sampling sites and hydrological stations in the middle reaches Figure 1. Map showing the locations of sampling sites and hydrological stations in the middle reaches of the Yellow River. of the Yellow River. Table 1. Site information for tree-ring width chronologies and hydrological stations in the middle YellowTable 1. River Site basin.information for tree-ring width chronologies and hydrological stations in the middle Yellow River basin. Number of Trees Site Code Latitude (N) Longitude (E) Elevation (m) Species Time Span (CE) Number/Sample Depthof Latitude Longitude Elevation Time Span Site Code Trees Species XF 34(N)◦29’ 110(E)◦05’ 25/51(m) 2030–2050 P. tabulaeformis 1543–2012(CE) NWT 34◦00’ 108◦58’/Sample 25 Depth/51 1380–1450 P. tabulaeformis 1795–2010 XFSR 34°29' 33◦44’ 110°05' 112◦14’ 25/51 29/57 2030–2050 1675 P. tabulaeformisP. tabulaeformis 1774–20071543–2012 HuayuankouNWT 34°00'34◦550 108°58'113◦390 25/51- 1380–1450 92 P. tabulaeformis - 1919–19881795–2010 HeishiguanSR 33°44' 34◦430 112°14'112◦560 29/57- 1675 109P. tabulaeformis - 1950–19861774–2007 Huayuankou 34°55′ 113°39′ - 92 - 1919–1988 Heishiguan 34°43′ 112°56′ - 109 - 1950–1986 Atmosphere 2020, 11, 717 3 of 11 Atmosphere 2020, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 11 2.2. Material Material and and Methods Methods 2.1.2.1. Geographical Geographical Settings Settings and and Tree-ring Tree-Ring Material Material TheThe study study areas areas are are situated situated in in Central Central China China with with typical typical monsoon monsoon climate climate characteristics characteristics in ina humida humid and and semi-humid semi-humid climatic climatic zone zone (Figure (Figure 1). The1). Theannual annual total totalprecipitation precipitation is approximately is approximately 633.5 mm,633.5 and mm, the and annual the average annual averagetemperature temperature is 12.5 °C, is based 12.5 on◦C, monthly based on climate monthly datasets climate of the datasets Climatic of Researchthe Climatic Unit Research(CRU) of Unitthe University (CRU) of of the East University Anglia (averaged of East Anglia over 33.5–36° (averaged N, 109–114° over 33.5–36 E, [24]).◦ N, Under109–114 the◦ E, influence [24]). Under of the the Asian influence monsoon, of the the Asian summer monsoon, climate the summerof the study climate region of the is hot study and region rainy, is whilehot and the rainy,