Precipitation variability in Hulunbuir, northeastern China since 1829 AD reconstructed from tree-rings and its linkage with remote oceans

• We reconstructed August–July precipitation based on tree-ring in Hulunbuir, Northeast China.
• Precipitation is the main factor to constrain the tree-ring width change.
• Precipitation has strong interannual and decadal variability.
• Precipitation variability was compared with other PDSI reconstructions and historical records.
• Precipitation was affected by the remote Pacific Ocean and North Atlantic Ocean.

Precipitation is the main factor limiting the radial growth of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica in the Hulunbuir region, northeastern China. We used tree-ring width data to reconstruct precipitation from prior August to current July during the 1829–2009. The reconstruction was verified by the jackknife method, and accounts for 60.49% of the actual precipitation variance during their common period (1951–2009). Over the past 181 years, the climate in the Hulunbuir region has experienced distinct dry–wet alternations at the decadal scale. The Hulunbuir area experienced seven wet periods and seven dry periods, and there was no significant long-term increase or decrease in precipitation. The reconstructed precipitation sequence for Hulunbuir was largely consistent with the precipitation sequence of Helan Mountain and Baiyinaobao in China. Multi-taper method spectral analysis found periodicities of 18.6, 7.2, 4.0, 2.7–2.8, 2.4 and 2.2 years in 0.05 significant level and 10.2, 8.9, 5.0 and 2.0 years at 0.1 significant level. Our reconstructions are significantly correlated with the intensity of the East Asia Summer Monsoon, El Niño/Southern Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation, Arctic Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation.