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Eigen analysis of tree-ring records: Part 1, a limited representativeness of regional curve

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Abstract

Based on a set of very long-living (2,000 years) Qilian junipers (Sabina przewalskii Kom.) from the north-eastern part of the Tibetan Plateau (the region of Dulan), we carefully consider the regional curve standardization (RCS) technique. For this goal, we correlate deviations of individual tree-ring width records from their regional mean age-dependent curve (RC). It turns out that these correlations keep their positivity for almost all shifts between ages compared (up to 500 years and even more) evidencing each Dulan juniper to be a unique “thermometer”. Just the unification of these “thermometers” in the form RC creates a spurious positive trend in the Dulan chronology. We modify the RCS technique to closer attach RC to these “thermometers” in order to construct a new chronology in which the trend is absent.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful manuscript reviews and Suming Wang for valuable discussions. This study is supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program; No. 2010CB950104). Meanwhile, this study was funded by the NNSF (Grant No. 07-05-92121-a) and RFBR (Grant No. 09-05-00202-a for Datsenko), the CAS Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists (Grant No. 2009S1-38) and the CAS 100 Talents Project (Grant No. 29082762 for Yang).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Desert and Desertification, Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Donggang West Road, 730000, Lanzhou, China

    Bao Yang, Jingjing Liu & Chun Qin

  2. P.P. Shirshov Oceanology Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nakhimowskii prospect 36, 117997, Moscow, Russia

    Dmitry M. Sonechkin

  3. Hydrometeorological Research Centre of Russia, Bolshoy Predtechensky lane 9/11, 123242, Moscow, Russia

    Nina M. Datsenko & Nadezda N. Ivashchenko

Authors
  1. Bao Yang
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  2. Dmitry M. Sonechkin
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  3. Nina M. Datsenko
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  4. Nadezda N. Ivashchenko
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  5. Jingjing Liu
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  6. Chun Qin
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Correspondence to Bao Yang.

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Yang, B., Sonechkin, D.M., Datsenko, N.M. et al. Eigen analysis of tree-ring records: Part 1, a limited representativeness of regional curve. Theor Appl Climatol 106, 489–497 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-011-0451-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-011-0451-7

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