Moisture index during the last two centuries inferred from tree growth in the western Himalaya, India

In the present study, a regional tree-ring chronology prepared from two species (Picea smithiana and Cedrus deodara) over the western Himalaya has been used in relation to climate fluctuations. This analysis shows that moisture index and rainfall during February to May have significant positive relationship, whereas temperature and heat index show a negative relationship with tree growth. However, moisture and heat indices show greater impact on tree growth than rainfall and temperature. The strong association of tree-ring chronology with moisture demonstrates that tree rings are much more sensitive to the availability of moisture at the root zone, which enabled us to extend our analysis back to AD 1789; in the present reconstruction, moisture deficiency for two consecutive years was noticed during 1846–1847, 1908–1909, 1921–1922, 1931–1932, 1947–1948 and 1966–1967