The East Asian Monsoon since the Last Glacial Maximum: Evidence from geological records in northern China

The impact of global warming on the climate of northern China has been investigated intensively, and the behavior of the East Asian monsoon during previous intervals of climatic warming may provide insight into future changes. In this study, we use paleovegetation records from loess and lake sediments in the marginal zone of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) to reconstruct the EASM during the interval of warming from the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) to the Holocene. The results show that during the LGM, desert steppe or dry steppe dominated much of northern China; in addition, the southeastern margin of the deserts east of the Helan Mountains had a distribution similar to that of the present-day, or was located slightly further south, due to the cold and dry climate caused by a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) and weakened EASM. During the last deglaciation, with the strengthening of the EASM and concomitant weakening of the EAWM, northern China gradually became humid. However, this trend was interrupted by abrupt cooling during the Heinrich 1(H1) and Younger Dryas(YD) events. The EASM intensified substantially during the Holocene, and the monsoon rain belt migrated at least 300 km northwestwards, which led to the substantial shrinking of the desert area in the central and eastern part of northern China, and to the large expansion of plants favored by warm and humid conditions. Paleoclimatic records from the marginal zone of the EASM all show that the EASM reached its peak in the mid-Holocene, and past global climatic warming significantly strengthened the EASM, thereby greatly improving the ecological environment in northern China. Thus, northern China is expected to become wetter as global warming continues. Finally, high resolution Holocene vegetation records are sparse compared with the numerous records on the orbital timescale, and there is a need for more studies of Holocene climatic variability on the centennial-to-decadal scale.     

临夏盆地新生代沉积物粒度记录与亚洲内陆干旱化

临夏盆地毛沟剖面高分辨率粒度记录研究表明,29-7.4Ma间,临夏盆地的古气候一直保持相对稳定,而其中短暂的沉积相的改变是盆地对该期间青藏高原构造隆升事件的响应;从7.4Ma开始,流域外的风尘物质开始逐步被带人盆地,并经过了6.4Ma和5.3Ma的两次加速过程,揭示了我国西北内陆干旱气候可能从7.4Ma左右开始,且在6.4Ma和5.3Ma左右经过两次加强.通过与青藏高原构造隆升事件记录和全球气候记录对比。揭示高原在9-7Ma开始的逐步隆升和期后的阶段性加速隆升以及同期开始的全球变冷,尤其北极冰盖的形成和扩张可能是亚洲内陆干旱化的重要驱动机制.     

Expansion and contraction of Chinese deserts during the Quaternary

Episodic dune formations during the Quaternary are found in many deserts of China. The causes of desert expansions on different time scales are not the same. Desert extension at about 1.1 and 0.9 Ma ago were the response to the active tectonic movements, whereas the desert evolutions on the ten-thousand years time scale were the response to the orbital scale climatic changes. Spatial scale studies on desert evolution indicate that desert margins shifted greatly during the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the Holocene optimum, its changing from 125°E of the LGM to 105°E of the climatic optimum. Historical desertification in the semiarid China is not a response to climate drought but largely associated with the human impacts (mainly over-cultivation) since about 2300 years ago, which leads to the reworking of the underlying LGM sands.     

On the timing of the East Asian summer monsoon maximum during the Holocene—Does the speleothem oxygen isotope record reflect monsoon rainfall variability?

The evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) during the Holocene has long been of significant interest.Knowledge of past EASM variability not only increases our understanding of monsoon dynamics on a long timescale,but it also provides an environmental and climatic background for research into Chinese cultural development.However,the timing of the EASM maximum remains controversial.The popular concept of an "early Holocene maximum" is mainly based on speleothemδ~(18)O(δ~(18)O_c) records from caves in southern China;however,the interpretation of δ~(18)O_C as a reliable proxy for EASM intensity is being increasingly challenged.The present paper is a critical review of the climatic significance of the δ~(18)O_C record from China.Firstly,we suggest that precipitation in northern China is an appropriate index of EASM intensity,the variation of which clearly indicates a mid-Holocene monsoon maximum.Secondly,an interregional comparison demonstrates that the precipitation record in northern China is quite different from that in southern China on a range of timescales,and is inconsistent with the spatial similarity exhibited by speleothem oxygen isotope records.Furthermore,both modeling and observational data show that the δ~(18)O_C records from southern China indeed reflect changes in precipitation δ~(18)O(δ~(18)O_P) rather than precipitation amount,and therefore that their use as an EASM proxy is inappropriate.Finally,we address several significant monsoon-related issues-including the driving mechanism of the EASM on an orbital timescale,the climatic significance of speleothem oxygen isotopes,and the relationship between atmospheric circulation and precipitation in monsoonal regions.     

Responses of foraminiferal isotopic variations at ODP Site 1143 in the southern South China Sea to orbital forcing

The foraminiferal δ ¹⁸O and δ ¹³C records for the past 5 Ma at ODP Site 1143 reveal the linear responses of the Plio-Pleistocene climatic changes in the southern South China Sea to orbital forcing at the obliquity and precession bands. The phase of the δ ¹⁸O variations with the orbital forcing is opposite to that of the δ ¹³C, which may be caused by the frequent El Niño events from the equatorial Pacific. The amplification of the Northern Hemisphere Ice Sheet at ñ3.3 Ma probably affected the development of the 100-ka climatic cycles. Its further spreading may spur the 100-ka climatic cycle to become the dominant cycle in the late Pleistocene. The “Mid- Pleistocene Transition” event has localized influence on the isotopic variations in the southern South China Sea. The foraminiferal δ ¹³C records for the past 5 Ma at Site 1143 are highly coherent with the orbital forcing at the long eccentricity band, and lead the δ ¹⁸O records at the shorter eccentricity band, highlighting the importance of the carbon cycle in the global climate change.     

Reconstruction of past climates from stable isotope records of palaeo-precipitation preserved in continental archives

Abstract

The potential of stable isotope ratios (²H/¹H and ¹⁸O/¹⁶0) of water as a modern tool for palaeoclimatic reconstructions on continents is reviewed. Examples of stable isotope records of palaeo-precipitation preserved in various continental archives (polar ice sheets, mid- and low latitude glaciers, lacustrine deposits, groundwater) are presented, and the methodology of their interpretation in terms of climatic changes is briefly discussed. To interpret quantitatively the isotope records preserved in continental archives, the response of the isotopic composition of precipitation to long-term fluctuations of key climatic parameters (temperature, precipitation amount, relative humidity) over the given area should be known. Further, the transfer functions relating the climate-induced changes of the isotopic composition of precipitation to the isotope record preserved in the given archive should be established. Since the isotopic composition of precipitation has been monitored only for the past three decades, alternatives ways of assessing the long-term climatic sensitivity of the isotopic signature of precipitation are being investigated. The isotope composition of precipitation should be viewed not only as a powerful proxy climatic indicator but also as an additional hydrometeorological parameter which should be explored as a diagnostic tool for the modelling of climate-induced changes in the water cycle, both on a regional and a global scale.     

湖泊深钻揭示的中更新世以来中国环境的区域分异及其与亚洲季风的关系

根据青藏高原东部若尔盖盆地ＲＭ孔,北部柴达木盆地ＺＫ－３３６及ＣＫ－６孔和滇池盆地参１井等长孔的湖泊深钻记录,探讨了中更新世以来我国环境的区域分异特点,结合黄土－古土壤序列的研究成果,初步分析了导致区域环境分异的原因与亚洲季风的关系,结果表明青藏高原在其中扮演很重要的角色。     

Galactic cosmic rays—clouds effect and bifurcation model of the Earth global climate. Part 2. Comparison of theory with experiment

The solution of energy-balance model of the Earth global climate and the EPICA Dome C and Vostok experimental data of the Earth surface palaeotemperature evolution over past 420 and 740 kyr are compared.In the framework of proposed bifurcation model (i) the possible sharp warmings of the Dansgaard-Oeschger type during the last glacial period due to stochastic resonance is theoretically argued; (ii) the concept of climatic sensitivity of water in the atmosphere, whose temperature instability has the form of so-called hysteresis loop, is proposed, and based on this concept the time series of global ice volume over the past 1000 kyr, which is in good agreement with the time series of δ¹⁸O concentration in the sea sediments, is obtained; (iii) the so-called “CO₂ doubling” problem is discussed.     

Ecological evolution across the Permian/Triassic boundary at the Kangjiaping Section in Cili County,Hunan Province,China

The stratigraphic sequence of calcimicrobialite facies at the Permian-Triassic (P/Tr) boundary has well recorded the biotic and environmental transition across the end-Permian catastrophic events. The biostratigraphy, microfacies, carbon isotopes, and fossil records across the P/Tr boundary have been studied at the Kangjiaping Section in Cili County, Hunan Province. Three biostratigraphic zones, Palaeofusulina-Colaniella Zone, Hindeodus parvus Zone, and Isarcicella staeschei Zone, are identified. The excursion of δ¹³C_carb exhibits a sharp negative shift in the calcimicrobialite at the P/Tr boundary, which is roughly accordant with the abrupt bioclastic decline. In addition, five types of microfacies are recognized, including algal-foraminifer bioclastic limestone, algal-laminated calcimicrobial limestone, oolitic grainstone, vermiculate limestone, and intraclastic wackstone. The results indicate that the changeover of ecosystem from metazoan reef to calcimicrobialite in Cili is a classic case of marine ecological evolution during the Paleozoic-Mesozoic transition. Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40830212, 40621002, 40730209) and National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB80640)     

近130ka中国黄土磁化率气候记录与南极冰芯气候记录

黄土高原中部的陕西泾阳、旬邑黄土剖面具有高分辨率气候记录,记录了130ka 以来的气候波动,一些细微的气候波动也被记录下来。位于大陆的黄土磁化率气候记录可以与南极冰芯气候记录对比。结果表明:Lorius 与 Jouzel 等将冰芯同位素曲线划分为 A、B、C、D、E、F、G、H 冷暖阶段,可与黄土磁化率气候曲线划分的1、2、3、4、（5、6、7）、8,9、10冷暖阶段对比。其中冰芯记录所反映的 A、C、E、G（或黄土记录反映的1、3、5、6、7、9）为暖阶段:B、D、F、H（2、4、8、10）为冷阶段。总之,黄土磁化率记录曲线与冰芯气候记录曲线的形态极为相似,指示了黄土高原地区的大陆气候变化与极地气候变化同受全球变化的影响。这证明了极地冰量变化与东亚大陆冬、夏季风强弱变化,是全球气候变化在极地与大陆的两种表现形式。黄土记录的气候变化时间滞后于冰芯记录,可能暗示着大陆气候变化滞后于极地气候变化。     

Spatial damage distribution of August 16, 2003, Inner Mongolia, China, M S=5.9 earthquake and analysis

The spatial damage distribution of August 16, 2003, Inner Mongolia, China, M _S=5.9 earthquake is summarized through field investigation. The moment tensor solution and focal mechanism are inverted using the digital long-period waveform records of China Digital Seismograph Network (CDSN). The relation between the spatial damage distribution and focal mechanism is analyzed according to the focal mechanism, the aftershock distribution and the spatial damage distribution. The possible relation between the characteristics of ground motion and the tectonic background of the source region is discussed in terms of the global ground motion records, historical earthquake documents and the damage distribution. Investigation reveals that the meizoseismal region is in east-west direction, which is consistent with the nodal plane of focal mechanism inversion. The meizoseismal area is relatively large and the damage of single-story adobe houses or masonry houses is more severe. This may have relations with local seismotectonic environment. Foundation item: The Special Funds for Major State Basic Research Project (2002CB412706). Contribution No. 05FE3009, Institute of Geophysics, China Earthquake Administration.     

Expansion and contraction of Chinese deserts during the Quaternary

Episodic dune formations during the Quaternary are found in many deserts of China.The causes of desert expansions on different time scales are not the same. Desert extension atabout 1.1 and 0.9 Ma ago were the response to the active tectonic movements, whereas the de-sert evolutions on the ten-thousand years time scale were the response to the orbital scale climaticchanges. Spatial scale studies on desert evolution indicate that desert margins shifted greatly dur-ing the last glacial maximum (LGM) and the Holocene optimum, its changing from 125°E of theLGM to 105°E of the climatic optimum. Historical desertification in the semiarid China is not a re-sponse to climate drought but largely associated with the human impacts (mainly over-cultivation)since about 2300 years ago, which leads to the reworking of the underlying LGM sands.     

中昆仑山区封闭湖泊湖面波动及其气候意义

封闭湖泊湖面波动是气候变化很敏感的指示器,其水量平衡特征对此可给予理论证明,进而可将这种灵敏度表示为Z=A_l/A_b=(P_b-E_b)/(E_l—P_l)。中昆仑山区的封闭湖泊自17000a B.P.以来曾经历了三次高湖面,即17000a B.P.前后、12000a B.P.前后及8000—6000a B.P.。其中第一期的高湖面与高山区冰体消融、西风带位置的变动及土壤湿度、太阳辐射值的变化有关,第二次的高湖面是湖泊总体收缩下降过程中出现的相对稳定或短暂回升,第三期的高湖面是全球性温湿气候的产物。理论探讨与实例分析均说明,封闭湖泊湖面波动不仅对无人类观测记录的地质历史时期的气候变化有着重要的指示性,而且可以弥补人类观测资料的不足,是研究气候变化的理想场所。     

Tectonic and climatic control of the changes in the sedimentary record of the Karnali River section (Siwaliks of western Nepal)

Abstract A multidisciplinary study was conducted on the section of the Siwalik Group sediments, approximately 5000 m thick, exposed along the Karnali River. Analysis of facies, clay mineralogy and neodymium isotope compositions revealed significant changes in the sedimentary record, allowing discussion of their tectonic or climatic origin. Two major changes within the sedimentary fill were detected: the change from a meandering to a braided river system at ca 9.5 Ma and the change from a deep sandy braided to a shallow sandy braided river system at ca 6.5 Ma. The 9.5‐Ma change in fluvial style is contemporaneous with an abrupt increase of ?_Nd(0) values following a ?_Nd(0) minimum. This evolution indicates a change in source material and erosion of Lesser Himalayan rocks within the Karnali catchment basin between 13 and 10 Ma. The tectonic activity along the Ramgarh thrust caused this local exhumation. By changing the proximity and morphology of relief, the forward propagation of the basal detachment to the main boundary thrust was responsible for the high gradient and sediment load required for the development of the braided river system. The change from a deep sandy braided to a shallow sandy braided river system at approximately 6.5 Ma was contemporaneous with a change in clay mineralogy towards smectite‐/kaolinite‐dominant assemblages. As no source rock change and no burial effect are detected at that time, the change in clay mineralogy is interpreted as resulting from differences in environmental conditions. The facies analysis shows abruptly and frequently increasing discharges by 6.5 Ma, and could be linked to an increase in seasonality, induced by intensification of the monsoon climate. The major fluvial changes deciphered along the Karnali section have been recognized from central to western Nepal, although they are diachronous. The change in clay mineralogy towards smectite‐/kaolinite‐rich assemblages and the slight decrease of ?_Nd(0) have also been detected in the Bengal Fan sedimentary record, showing the extent and importance of the two major events recorded along the Karnali section.     

Trends in land surface evapotranspiration across China with remotely sensed NDVI and climatological data for 1981–2010

Abstract

Using satellite observations of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from NOAA-AVHRR and Terra-MODIS, together with climatic data in a physical evapotranspiration (ET) model, the spatio-temporal variability of ET is investigated in terrestrial China from 1981 to 2010. The model predictions of actual ET (ET_a) are validated with ET values from in situ eddy covariance flux measurements and from basin water balance calculations. The national averaged crop reference ET (ET_p) and ET_a values are 916 ± 21 and 415 ± 12 mm year^-1, respectively. The annual ET_a pattern is closely associated with vegetation conditions in the eastern part of China, whereas ET_a is low in the sparsely-vegetated areas and deserts in the northwestern region, corresponding to scarce rainfall events and amounts. The trends of ET_p and ET_a are remarkably different over the country, and the complementary relationship between ET_p and ET_a is revealed for the study period. Averaged over the whole country, ET_a showed an increasing trend from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, followed by a decreasing trend, consistent with the precipitation anomaly. Across the main vegetation types, annual ET_a amounts are found to correspond clearly with the bands of precipitation and ET_p.     

Climate fluctuations during the Holocene in NW Iberia: High and low latitude linkages

High resolution benthic foraminiferal stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O, δ¹³C) and molecular biomarkers in the sediments are used here to infer rapid climatic changes for the last 8200 years in the Ría de Muros (NW Iberian Margin). Benthic foraminiferal δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C potentially register migrations in the position of the hydrographic front formed between two different intermediate water masses: Eastern North Atlantic Central Water of subpolar origin (ENACW_sp) and subtropical origin (ENACW_st). The molecular biomarkers in the sediment show a strong coupling between continental organic matter inputs and negative δ¹³C values in benthic foraminifera. The rapid centennial and millennial events registered in these records have been compared with two well known North Atlantic Holocene records from the subtropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures (SST) anomalies off Cape Blanc, NW Africa and the subpolar Atlantic (Hematite Stained Grains percentage, subpolar North Atlantic). Comparison supports a strong link between high- and low-latitude climatic perturbations at centennial–millennial time scales during the Holocene. Spectral analyses also points to a pole-to-equator propagation of the so-called 1500 yr cycles. Our results demonstrate that during the Holocene, the NW Iberian Margin has undergone a series of rapid events which are likely triggered at high latitudes in the North Atlantic and are rapidly propagated towards lower latitudes. Conceivably, the propagation of these rapid climatic changes involves a shift in atmospheric and oceanic circulatory systems.     

Evolution of the monsoon and dry climate in East Asia during late Cenozoic: A review

Climate in Eastern Asia is composed of monsoon climate in the east,arid and semi-arid climate in the north and west,and the cold and dry climate of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in the southwest.The underlying causes for the evolution of East Asian climate during late Cenozoic have long been investigated and debated,particularly with regards to the role played by the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplift and the global cooling.In this paper,we reviewed major research developments in this area,and summarized the important results.Based on a synthesis of data,we propose that the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau uplift alone cannot fully explain the formation of monsoon and arid climates in Eastern Asia during the past 22–25 Ma.Other factors such as the global ice volume and high-latitude temperature changes have also played a vital role.Moreover,atmospheric CO2changes may have modulated the monsoon and dry climate changes by affecting the location of the inter-tropical convergence zone(ITCZ),which controls the monsoon precipitation zone and the track of the East Asian winter monsoon during late Cenozoic.The integration of high-resolution geological record and numerical paleoclimate modeling could make new contributions to understanding the climate evolution and variation in eastern Asia in future studies.It could facilitate the investigation of the regional differences in East Asian environmental changes and the asynchronous nature between the uplift of Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and their climatic effects.These would be the keys to understanding underlying driving forces for the evolution of the East Asian climate.     

Temperature variations recovered from tree-rings in the middle Qilian Mountain over the last millennium

During the past 1000 years, there had been sev-eral widespread climate events on the earth, such asthe ‘Medieval Warm Period’, the ‘Little Ice Age’ andthe recent warming from the later part of the nine-teenth century onward[1,2]. To better understand thedetails of climatic history on a regional scale, morehigh-resolution, millennia-length climate reconstruc-tions are needed by intensive, multiproxy investigationof ice cores, sediments of loess and lakes, corals andtree-rings. Since …     

Some fundamental problems in outcrop sequence stratigraphy

Some fundamental problems in outcrop sequence stratigraphy are discussed, and the following ideas are obtained: (i) Detailed sedimentary facies analysis and study on stacking pattern of parasequences, careful and accurate study of biostratigraphy, and stratigraphical correlation of different facies areas are the essential conditions for proper identification of sequences. (ii) The first flooding surface may be an ideal sequence boundary in outcrop sequence stratigraphy, where the most distinct palaeontological and sedimentary changes take place and make the surface readily recognizable in outcmp. (iii) The distribution in space, specially in different facies belts, is regarded as an important criterion for defining and recognizing the various orders of sequences. The third-order sequence is probably global in nature, which may be discerned in various depositional facies belts at least on one continental margin, and can be correlated over long distances, sometimes worldwide. (iv) The first flooding surface may be used as a useful reference marker in optimizing chronostratigraphic boundaries. Project jointly supported by the SSER, the Ministry of Science and Technology of China, and the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources of China.     

Central Asian aridification during the late Eocene to early Miocene inferred from preliminary study of shallow marine-eolian sedimentary rocks from northeastern Tajik Basin

The tempo-spatial development of the Cenozoic Asian aridification across the Eocene-Oligocene and its controlling factors are important scientific topics in Earth Sciences, which are pertinent to regional and global tectonic and climatic events. However, sedimentary rocks preserving the record of aridification during this time from central Asia (ACA) are rare. Here we present a preliminary analysis of sedimentary facies of the lower Paleogene in the northeastern Tajik Basin, which reveals that: the lower part of the studied section is dominated by shallow marine deposits of the Paratethys, the middle part is typical of alternations of eolian dune and fluvial deposits, the upper part is represented by eolian loess-sandy loess (L&SL) like facies, and the top exhibits alternations of fluvial-lacustrine and loess like facies. Based on a chronological framework derived from preliminary magnetostratigraphy, published U-Pb dating of a volcanic ash, and regional litho-stratigraphic correlations, we determine that eolian and L&SL facies accumulated in the northeastern Tajik Basin during the Late Eocene and through most of the Oligocene. These sedimentary units indicate that semi-arid to arid environments of ACA had developed at least since the late Eocene. This initial aridification is closely linked to the westward retreat of the Paratethys that was likely driven by a combination of tectonic activity and sea level changes.