Increasing aridity threats to Himalayan alpine ecosystems? A millenial history of hydroclimate from the Tibetan plateau derived from a δ18O tree-ring network

Abstract:

The Tibetan plateau (TP) plays an important role as an elevated heat source responsible for the establishment of the Asias monsoonal systems. Besides the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM), also the East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) is triggering the regional precipitation regimes during the vegetation period from May to September. Within recent decades, fundamental climate changes on the southeastern part of the TP were detected leading to substantial changes within the regional hydrological budget and affecting local ecosystems. By using a spatial network of multicentennial to 1.5 millenial year old tree-ring δ¹⁸O time-series from the southeastern part of the TP, the regional climate history as well as the late Holocene monsoonal variability will be presented. Since the main climatically sensitive periods like the Medieval Warm Period and the Little Ice Age are displayed in all chronologies, their typical hydroclimatological characteristics and impacts will be discussed especially in regard to the recent warming trend on the TP and the responsible climatic triggers. Arising from these results, regional impacts and differences of the proposed hydrological changes will be discussed. In addition, first results of a comparison between proxy-based (δ¹⁸O) and model-based (re-analysis datasets) trajectory calculations will be presented, trying to give insights in the origin and impact of air masses for the most striking last three decades on the southeastern part of the TP.