Experimental reconstruction of monsoon drought variability for Australasia using tree rings and corals

Abstract

An experimental reconstruction uses three well-dated, annually-resolved proxies from Australasia (0-40°S, 95-155°E) to provide large-scale information on Sep-Jan Australasian monsoon variability based on the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) for 1787-2002. The proxies are: (1) a ring width chronology of Callitris intratropica for northern Australia (1847-2006); (2) a tree-ring and coralbased reconstruction of the Oct-Nov PDSI (1787-2003) for Java, Indonesia; and (3) a rainfall reconstruction for northeastern Australia (1631-2002) based on Great Barrier Reef coral luminescence. All three proxies show considerable explanatory value for reconstructing monsoon rainfall variability over much o..