Late-Summer Temperature Reconstruction of the Eastern Himalayan Region Based on Tree-Ring Data of Abies densa

Tree-ring analysis from Abies densa growing at the treeline in the Eastern Himalayan region reveals that temperature during late summer (July–September) plays a significant role in controlling the growth of this tree. Mean temperature of each year for these three months has been reconstructed based on this ring-width data. This record goes back to A.D. 1507; however data prior to A.D. 1757 are questionable because they are based on only one sample. The reconstructed temperature series for the last 237 yr shows annual to multiyear fluctuations punctuated with cool and warm periods. The warmest and coolest 10-yr periods of the entire span occurred in 1978–1987 (+0.25°C) and 1801–1810 (−0.31°C), respectively.