Dendroclimatology and climate change: Indian perspective

Dendroclimatic research activities over the western Himalaya as well as central and peninsular India have been discussed. Wide network of conifers (Pinus, Abies, Picea, Cedrus) from western Himalaya indicates high dendroclimatic potential to reconstruct summer and winter temperature and rainfall for a millennium period. 553-year long tree-ring records over high altitude regions of western Himalaya give the history of warm and cold episodes. Anomalous higher growth during the recent few decades observed in these tree-ring records can partially be attributed to the overall warming trend over the region. Tree-ring variations in teak (Tectona grandis) from central and peninsular India is strongly influenced by monsoon rainfall and related global parameters (e.g. ENSO). They also show the strong positive relationship with moisture index at root zone and give the monsoon drought history of more than 500 years.