Tree‐ring‐based annual precipitation reconstruction for the Hexi Corridor, NW China: consequences for climate history on and beyond the mid‐latitude Asian continent

An annual ( J uly to J une) precipitation reconstruction for the period AD 1760–2010 was developed from a P icea crassifolia regional tree‐ring chronology from two sites in the northern mountainous region of the H exi C orridor, NW C hina. This reconstruction explains 52.1% of the actual precipitation variance during the period 1951 to 2010. Spatial correlations with gridded land‐surface data reveal that our reconstruction contains a strong regional precipitation signal for the H exi C orridor and for the southern margin of the B adain J aran D esert. Significant spectral peaks were identified at 31.9, 11.1, 8.0, 7.0, 3.2, 2.6 and 2.2 years. A large‐scale comparison indicates that our reconstruction is more consistent with climate records of a Westerly‐dominated C entral A sia, and that the W esterlies have a greater impact on the precipitation in this region than the A sian summer monsoon. Our reconstructed precipitation series is significantly correlated with sea‐surface temperature ( SST ) in the tropical A tlantic O cean (positive), the tropical I ndian O cean (positive), the western tropical P acific O cean (positive), and the western N orth P acific O cean (negative). The spatial correlation patterns between our precipitation reconstruction and SSTs of the A tlantic and P acific O ceans suggest a connection between regional precipitation variations and the high‐mid‐latitude northern atmospheric circulations ( W esterlies and A sian summer monsoon).