Climatic Drivers of Teak (Tectona grandis) Radial Growth with Emphasis on Soil Moisture Variability in Northern Chhattisgarh, Central India

A Dendrochronological study of teak (Tectona grandis) was conducted at two sites in northern Chhattisgarh, central India, and resulted in the development of two tree-ring width chronologies. We examined the relationships between tree-ring chronologies and gridded monthly and daily climate variables (mean temperature, total precipitation and drought indices) as well as monthly soil moisture. We performed spatial correlations using monthly climate data and used the nearest climate grid point for daily climate correlations. Both chronologies showed negative correlations with temperature and positive correlations with soil moisture, rainfall, and drought indices. These relationships highlight the dominant role of soil moisture availability in influencing teak growth in the monsoon-dominated climate of Chhattisgarh. Based on this relationship, we reconstructed average soil moisture from February to October, extending the gridded soil moisture record by 62 years (1920–1981 CE). This reconstruction represents the first tree-ring-based long-term soil moisture record from central India. Our findings provide a comprehensive hydroclimatic perspective for a region lacking historical tree-ring data and demonstrate the potential of teak as a proxy for investigating long-term soil moisture variability. Further research using older samples from this species will enhance understanding of past climate variability and hydroclimatic changes in central India

Climate change · Moisture · Precipitation · Proxy (statistics · Soil water · Water content · Climate variability and models · Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics · Tree-ring climate responses

• Recent decline in the global land evapotranspiration trend due to limited moisture supply

  Open Access•Martin Jung, Markus Reichstein et al.•Nature•2010

  Añadir item

• Drought Sensitivity of the Amazon Rainforest

  Open Access•Oliver L Phillips, Luiz Eduardo O C Aragão et al.•Science•2009

  Añadir item

• Version 4 of the CRU TS monthly high-resolution gridded multivariate climate dataset

  Open Access•Ian Harris, Timothy J Osborn et al.•Scientific Data•2020

  Añadir item

• Investigating soil moisture–climate interactions in a changing climate

  Open Access•Sonia I Seneviratne, Thierry Corti et al.•Earth-Science Reviews•2010

  Añadir item

• A Large and Persistent Carbon Sink in the World’s Forests

  Open Access•Yude Pan, Richard A Birdsey et al.•Science•2011

  Añadir item

• A Multiscalar Drought Index Sensitive to Global Warming

  Sergio M Vicente-Serrano, Sergio M Vicente‐Serrano et al.•Journal of Climate•2010

  Añadir item

• On the recent strengthening of the relationship between Palmer Drought Severity Index and teak (Tectona grandis L. F.) tree-ring width chronology from Maharashtra, India

  Open Access•Somaru Ram•Quaternary International•2011

  Añadir item

• Soil moisture seasonality alters vegetation response to drought in the Mongolian Plateau

  Open Access•Zihan Lu, Shushi Peng et al.•Environmental Research Letters•2020

  Añadir item

• Varying strength of the relationship between tree-rings and summer month moisture index (April–September) over Central India

  Open Access•Somaru Ram, H P Borgaonkar et al.•Quaternary International•2010

  Añadir item

• Calculating unbiased tree-ring indices for the study of climatic and environmental change

  Open Access•Edward R Cook, Kenneth E Peters et al.•The Holocene•1997

  Añadir item

• Atmospheric 14 C Variability Recorded in Tree Rings from Peninsular India

  Open Access•Supriyo Chakraborty, Koushik Dutta et al.•Radiocarbon•2008

  Añadir item