A 0.5°×0.5° resolution grid network of April-September precipitation reconstruction for China covering the past 530 years (1470–2000) was explored based on a large collection of climate-sensitive tree-ring chronologies and historical literature data using the point-by-point regression (PRR) approach. Calibration and verification experiments indicate that most of the precipitation reconstruction models are proficient in studying the precipitation variability, except for a few ones mainly concentrated on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that are out of calibration. The lower reconstruction skills observed in semi-arid and arid regions can be attributed, at least in part, to the scarcity of observational data available for calibration/verification, as well as the scarcity of proxies. Precipitation reconstructions were in good agreement with previous reconstructions, where they are available. This dataset allows us to analyze precipitation variations in the study region and floods and droughts over the past 530 years. The precipitation field reconstructions both validate and give an opportunity to examine the frequency, severity, persistence, and spatial characteristics of hydroclimatic variability in the context of the last 530 years. The reconstruction also provides a larger context for understanding their relationship with climate-driven mechanisms.

Precipitation field reconstruction, Tree-ring data, Historical documents, Climate variability, Paleoclimate