July-August temperature of central Korea since A.D.1700: Reconstruction from tree rings of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis)

Abstract

July-August mean temperatures of AD 1657-1998 were reconstructed using two local chronologies of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) growing in subalpine regions (1500-1600 m) of Sorak Mountain in the central Korean peninsula. Calibration function for the instrumental period (A.D. 1909-1949) was obtained by using linear regression with the lagged chronology at t-1. The calibration was verified by independent data of A.D. 1953-1995. The reconstruction indicates that the 1700-1730 and 1830-1850 periods were coolest in last 340 years. The warming trend was not found in summer temperature during the 20th century.