Tree-ring based precipitation variability since AD 1828 in northwestern Liaoning, China

A 183-year record of total precipitation from September to current July was reconstructed using tree rings from Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis) to explore regional moisture variations in northwestern Liaoning province. The reconstruction accounts for 35.4% of the total variance of the instrumental precipitation from 1957 to 2010. The reconstruction shows eleven persistent dry periods (e.g. 1856–1866, 1886–1891, 1898–1905), and eleven persistent wet periods (e.g. 1835–1855, 1867–1878, 1892–1897). Spectral analysis of the reconstruction shows several significant spectral peaks in the ca. 2–4-year periodicity band, suggesting inter-annual variability of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). The precipitation reconstruction shows correlations related to the East Asian Monsoon and possible teleconnection of regional moisture variations to Pacific Ocean signals, such as El Niño and La Niña.