Fang et al. (2026) A gridded standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index dataset for China spanning the past millennium

Identification

• Journal: Scientific Data
• Year: 2026
• Date: 2026-09-16
• Authors: Miao Fang, Bao Yang, Jianglin Wang
• DOI: 10.1038/s41597-026-08311-y

Research Groups

• State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science and Frozen Soil Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences
• University of Chinese Academy of Sciences
• School of Geography and Ocean Science, Nanjing University
• State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Short Summary

This study presents a millennium-long gridded dataset of summer Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for China at 1.875° spatial resolution and annual temporal resolution, generated using the paleoclimate data assimilation approach.

Objective

• Investigate drought variability over the past millennium in China

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: 1.875° grid resolution covering China
• Temporal Scale: Annual time steps spanning the past millennium (1000 AD to present)

Methodology and Data

• Models used: Paleoclimate data assimilation approach
• Data sources: Tree rings, historical documents, stalagmites, ice cores from China and adjacent regions

Main Results

• The dataset exhibits substantially-improved reliability compared to model-only calculations and previous paleoclimate data assimilation-based reconstructions.
• The millennium-long gridded SPEI dataset provides essential support for elucidating the spatiotemporal evolution of drought variability over the past millennium.

Contributions

• This study significantly improves upon previous gridded drought reconstructions by addressing limitations in proxy distribution and providing a more reliable dataset for understanding drought variability in China.

Funding

• National Key R&D Program of China (Grant number: 2022YFF0801102)
• National Science Foundation of China (NSFC) project (Grant number: 42171044)
• Science and Technology Program in Gansu, China (Grant number: 23JRRA599)
• CAS “Light of West China” Program

Citation

@article{Fang2026gridded,
  author = {Fang, Miao and Yang, Bao and Wang, Jianglin},
  title = {A gridded standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index dataset for China spanning the past millennium},
  journal = {Scientific Data},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1038/s41597-026-08311-y},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-026-08311-y}
}