The East Asian monsoon during MIS 2 expressed in a speleothem δO record from Jintanwan Cave, Hunan, China

Stalagmite J1 from Jintanwan Cave, Hunan, China, provides a precisely dated, decadally resolved δ¹⁸O proxy record of paleoclimatic changes associated with the East Asian monsoon from ∼29.5 to 14.7 ka and from ∼12.9 to 11.0 ka. At the time of the last glacial maximum (LGM), the East Asian summer monsoon weakened and then strengthened in response to changes in Northern Hemisphere insolation. As the ice sheets retreated the East Asian summer monsoon weakened, especially during Heinrich event H1, when atmospheric and oceanic teleconnections transferred the climatic changes around the North Atlantic to the monsoonal regions of Eastern Asia. A depositional hiatus between ∼14.7 and 12.9 ka leaves the deglacial record incomplete, but an abrupt shift in δ¹⁸O values at ∼11.5 ka marks the end of the Younger Dryas and the transition into the Holocene. Comparisons of the J1 record to other Chinese speleothem records indicate synchronous climatic changes throughout monsoonal China. Further comparisons to a speleothem record from western Asia (Socotra Island) and to Greenland ice cores support hemispherical-scale paleoclimatic change. Spectral and wavelet analyses reveal centennial- and decadal-scale periodicities that correspond to solar frequencies and to oscillations in atmospheric and oceanic circulation.     

早全新世季风演化的高分辨率石笋δ18O记录研究--以河南老母洞石笋为例

基于豫西老母洞LM2石笋8个高精度230Th年龄,449个氧碳同位素,建立了达十年际分辨率的8.2~10.9 ka B.P.亚洲季风变化的δ18O记录序列.老母洞石笋δ18O值最为偏负达-12.0‰,最偏正为-8.2‰,振幅达3.8‰.早全新世10.13~10.9 ka B.P.时段内,河南西部老母洞石笋和东石崖石笋,陕西九仙洞C996-2石笋δ18O曲线揭示该时段内季风稳定,而中国南方的衙门洞石笋、三宝洞石笋和极地冰芯GRIP记录揭示该时段季风逐渐增强;同时季风达到顶峰的时期也不相同,进一步说明中国南北方早全新世10.13~10.9 ka B.P.时段季风演变过程的差异,可能与中国南北方气候的响应机制有关.从早全新世平均分辨率10年的LM2石笋记录中识别出8.2 ka,9.5 ka,10.2 ka和10.9 ka显著弱季风事件,尤其是8.2 ka和9.5 ka事件.对比分析老母洞与已发表的高分辨率石笋δ18O记录发现:石笋所揭示的某些冷事件发生时间在亚洲季风区存在差异,主要表现在事件内部变化特征及趋势上.LM2石笋δ18O曲线并没有明显记录9.3 ka弱季风事件,而是在9.3~9.6 ka B.P.左右记录了一个弱季风事件,与DSY09(2009)、Y1、HS-4记录相似,表明在该时段内存在季风的减弱事件,但是氧同位素传输的复杂性,使其在南北方表现不同.此外,在LM2石笋δ18O的8.2 ka B.P.开始时段,氧同位素曲线阶段性下降,且变幅达3‰,与Zhang等研究万象洞石笋提出的“中国8 200阶段”吻合,表明中国北方地区的8.2 ka事件是阶段性的事件,而南方的石笋氧同位素记录揭示的8.2 ka事件并未表现出阶段性特征,其原因有待于更多北方高精度石笋记录来进一步研究.LM2石笋氧同位素记录进行功率谱分析发现:在短尺度上季风变化与太阳活动密切相关,这与近年来对早全新世极端气候变化研究的驱动机制是一致的,早全新世亚洲季风的演化与太阳活动变化引起的太阳辐射能量的变化和北半球高纬气候的变化状况有关.     

Decoupling of the East Asian summer monsoon and Indian summer monsoon between 20 and 17 ka

Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 2, with its profound environmental and climatic changes from before the last glacial maximum (LGM) to the last deglaciation, is an ideal period for understanding the evolution of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and Indian summer monsoon (ISM), two Asian monsoon sub-systems. With 875 stable oxygen isotope ratios and 43 ²³⁰Th dates from stalagmites in Sanxing Cave, southwestern China, we construct and interpret a new, replicated, Asian summer monsoon (ASM) record covering 30.9–9.7 ka with decadal resolution. δ¹⁸O records from this site and other reported Chinese caves display similar long-term orbitally dominated trends and synchronous millennial-scale strong and weak monsoonal events associated with climate changes in high northern latitudes. Interestingly, Sanxing δ¹⁸O and Arabian Sea records show a weakening ISM from 22 to 17 ka, while the Hulu and Qingtian records from East and Central China express a 3-ka intensifying EASM from 20 to 17 ka. This decoupling between EASM and ISM may be due to different sensitivities of the two ASM sub-systems in response to internal feedback mechanisms associated with the complex geographical or land-ocean configurations.     

H1事件时长江下游地区季风降水变化特征的石笋铀元素记录

Heinrich 1（H1）事件是末次冰期向全新世转变过程中,北高纬大冰盖快速崩塌的冰盖不稳定事件,其气候环境影响深远。东亚地区石笋δ18O记录在H1事件时,普遍正偏至冰期的较大值,此正偏值通常指示东亚季风整体减弱。然而,在长江中游地区反映局地水文变化的石笋微量元素和碳同位素记录,显示在H1事件时梅雨量增加。梅雨与东亚季风强度的反相关关系是否存在,这有待更多记录的验证与支持。基于长江下游梅雨区南京葫芦洞石笋铀元素的水文变化特征,发现在H1事件时,梅雨整体增多。在H1事件内部结构特征上,高分辨率石笋δ18O记录显示,以~16.1 ka B.P.为界,东亚季风强度存在两个不同状态,类似的转变过程在铀元素记录中有所体现,表现为梅雨量由低到高的转变特征。石笋δ18O记录的这一季风强度变化过程在20年内完成,铀元素记录尽管分辨率不高,但也表现为快速转变的特征。这种对应的快速转变过程,表明石笋铀元素对东亚季风大气环流变化的积极响应;另一方面,也证实了铀元素对气候环境变化的有效记录。南京葫芦洞石笋铀元素记录了梅雨在长江下游地区H1事件期间增强的特征,进一步支持了梅雨与季风强度变化的反相关关系,提供了中国季风区降水空间差异的东部记录。     

中国南方石笋氧同位素记录的重要意义

中国南部石笋氧同位素记录记载了重要的气候变化信息。应用石笋氧同位素记录时首先需要考虑检验石笋的平衡结晶生长,特别是重复性检验,以排除可能的偶然性或地方因素。中国南部重复性很好的南京葫芦洞和贵州董歌洞石笋氧同位素记录主要代表了当时的降水氧同位素信息。两洞的记录都显示,在冰期或冰段时期降水的氧同位素比间冰期或间冰段时期明显偏重。受夏季风强弱变化的控制,与目前亚洲季风降水氧同位素的季节变化相对应,在间冰期或间冰段时,ITCZ偏北,降水以夏季风的大规模大气环流下的对流降水为主,其氧同位素较轻;相反地,在冰期或冰段时,ITCZ偏南,降水以夏季风爆发前的锋面降水为主,其氧同位素较重。虽然尚有其他许多影响因素,亚洲季风的变化应是影响中国南部石笋氧同位素在冰期/间冰期或冰段/间冰段的尺度上变化的主导因素。但在更小的尺度上(例如小冰期),石笋氧同位素记录的解释则需要谨慎。虽然下最终结论为时尚早,但作为亚洲季风的两个组成部分的东亚季风和印度季风很可能是同步的,至少在冰期/间冰期或冰段/间冰段的尺度上是如此。基于上述研究,进一步提出亚洲夏季风强段/弱段的概念(AsianSummerMonsoonInterstadial/stadial,或ASMI/ASMS),其在上个冰期中与格陵兰冰芯间冰段/冰段一一对应     

Decoupling of stalagmite-derived Asian summer monsoon records from North Atlantic temperature change during marine oxygen isotope stage 5d

The Asian monsoon is an important component of the global climate system. Seasonal variations in wind, rainfall, and temperature associated with the Asian monsoon systems affect a vast expanse of tropical and subtropical Asia. Speleothem-derived summer monsoon variation in East Asia was previously found to be closely associated with millennial-scale change in temperature in the North Atlantic region between 75 and 10 ka. New evidence recovered from East Asia, however, suggests that the teleconnection between summer monsoon in East Asia and temperature change in the North Atlantic region may have significantly reduced during 120 to ~ 110 ka, a period directly after the full last interglaciation and corresponding roughly to marine oxygen isotope stage 5d. This reduction may be due to the low ice volume in the North Hemisphere at that time, which makes the millennial-scale change in temperature in the North Atlantic region less effective in influencing the Asian summer monsoon. This is important for investigating the mechanisms controlling the Asian summer monsoon and the paleoclimatic teleconnection between East Asia and the North Atlantic region, and for predicting monsoon-associated precipitation in East Asia under a global-warming trend.     

Heinrich events recorded in a loess-paleosol sequence from Hexigten,Inner Mongolia

We describe the last glaciation climatic history Marine Isotope Stage(MIS, 2-4) from 66.7 ka to 14.5 ka in Hexigten, northeast Inner Mongolia, North China. The climate of the region experienced frequent and significant fluctuations between dry-cold and less dry-cold during the late MIS4. The climate was generally warm and humid during early MIS3(MIS3 c) and late MIS3(MIS3 a), whereas it was cold and dry in middle MIS3(MIS3 b) and during MIS2. In this study, the cold and dry conditions were correlated with a stronger East Asian winter monsoon and strong dune activity; whereas, warm and humid conditions were related to a stronger East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) and weak dune activity. This study establishes six distinct dry and cold intervals during the last glacial period(66.7-14.5 ka) based on optically stimulated luminescence data, multi-proxies record(magnetic susceptibility, grain size analysis, Rb/Sr, SiO2/TiO2) and chemical index of alteration(CIA). The last glacial period may be correlated with Heinrich events 1 to 6 which were further confirmed by comparison with the Hulu cave stalagmites and Greenland ice core records. It is concluded that the study area was substantially affected by the EASM, as compared with the loess-desert transition zone of the Chinese Loess Plateau, especially in MIS3 c and suggested that the East Asian monsoon played a pivotal role in the last glacial period climate and dune activity.     

Controls on the East Asian monsoon during the last glacial cycle,based on comparison between Hulu Cave and polar ice-core records

Previous studies have suggested a sound chronological correlation between the Hulu Cave record (East Asian monsoon) and Greenland ice-core records, which implies a dominant control of northern hemisphere climate processes on monsoon intensity. We present an objective, straightforward statistical evaluation that challenges this generally accepted paradigm for sub-orbital variability. We propose a more flexible, global interpretation, which takes into account a broad range of variability in the signal structures in the Hulu Cave and polar ice-core records, rather than a limited number of major transitions. Our analysis employs the layer-counted Greenland Ice-Core Chronology 2005 (GICC05), which was developed for Greenland records and has since been applied – via methane synchronisation – to the high-resolution δ¹⁸O_ice series from EPICA Dronning Maud Land (EDML). The GICC05 chronology allows these ice-core records to be compared to the U–Th dated Hulu Cave record within relatively narrow (～3%) bounds of age uncertainty. Following previous suggestions, our proposed interpretation suggests that the East Asian monsoon is influenced by a combination of northern hemisphere ‘pull’ (which is more intense during boreal warm periods), and southern hemisphere ‘push’ (which is more intense monsoon during austral cold periods). Our analysis strongly suggests a dominant control on millennial-scale monsoon variability by southern hemisphere climate changes during glacial times when the monsoon is weak overall, and control by northern hemisphere climate changes during deglacial and interglacial times when the monsoon is strong. The deduced temporally variable relationship with southern hemisphere climate records offers a statistically more plausible reason for the apparent coincidence of major East Asian monsoon transitions with northern hemisphere (Dansgaard–Oeschger, DO) climate events during glacial times, than the traditional a priori interpretation of strict northern hemisphere control.     

山东半岛石笋记录的倒数第二次冰消期δ18O变化特征及其气候环境意义

文章基于山东半岛岩溶洞穴(上小峰洞)一根长约41 cm的石笋SD1的铀系测年和稳定同位素组成分析,获得138. 0~125. 8 ka B. P.平均分辨率为30年的石笋δ18O 和δ13C时间序列,并据此讨论了倒数第二次冰消期区域气候和环境变化的特征及与全球变化的联系.在倒数第二次冰消期,上小峰洞石笋( SD1)δ18O的变化与中国南方石笋δ18O的变化具有类似的阶段变化特征,进一步确认了冰消期北大西洋气候对亚洲季风的重要影响.通过对山东石笋高分辨δ18O记录进行时间序列分析,发现该记录存在显著的约60年、 75年和1620年周期,表明太阳活动和北大西洋涛动与该地区气候变化有紧密的联系.同时,通过对比东亚季风区高分辨率石笋记录,认为在倒数第二次冰消期为"两步冰消"的变化特征.除此之外,上小峰洞石笋碳酸盐δ18O冰期和间冰期平均值的差异仅为0. 7‰,远小于内陆洞穴石笋碳酸盐δ18O冰期和间冰期平均值的差异(羊口洞约为1. 4‰,董哥洞约为2. 2‰,三宝洞约为2. 4‰).这一显著差异可能主要源于海岸线迁移造成的海陆格局的变化对区域季风降水及降水氧同位素组成的重要影响;并且冰期-间冰期海平面变化对近海环境记录、大陆架下垫面、海洋沉积物气候指标等都可能产生影响.     

神农架天鹅洞石笋76～58 kaB.P.时段DO事件

据神农架高海拔天鹅洞一支石笋9个230Th年龄和332组氧、碳同位素数据,建立了76～58 kaB.P. Dansgaard Oeschger (DO)事件时间序列,揭示了深海氧同位素4阶段(MIS4)东亚季风降水百年尺度变化过程。天鹅洞和葫芦洞石笋、格陵兰NGRIP冰芯δ18O对比显示,天鹅洞记录DO18事件暖湿程度相当于深海氧同位素3阶段(MIS3)水平,其振幅类似于格陵兰冰芯δ18O记录。起始时间上,天鹅洞记录DO18事件在710年230Th测年误差范围内和葫芦洞记录保持一致,并支持了NGRIP冰芯记录对应时标。在全球降温背景下,如此典型DO事件指示了强季风降水过程。70 kaB.P.左右,冰芯DO19事件至少老于石笋记录约950年,远大于700年左右的230Th测年误差,对老于该时段的冰芯时标需高分辨率地质记录进一步验证。69.09～64.64 kaB.P.（ DO19ˊ~18）期间,冰芯记录的百年尺度峰谷变化和天鹅洞石笋记录一一对应,反映了低纬热带海洋和北大西洋温盐环流之间耦合作用。     

一个耦合气候系统模式模拟的中全新世时期亚洲季风系统变化

本文分析了一个耦合模式FGOALS_g1.0对工业革命前气候(0ka)和中全新世时期(6ka)亚洲夏季风的模拟结果。在该研究中我们主要分析季风降水变率较大的区域,即东亚夏季风区(20°～45°N,110°～120°E)和印度夏季风区(10°～30°N,70°～80°E)。尽管耦合模式的普遍偏差依然存在,该模式反映出亚洲季风系统是海陆热力性质差异的结果,并较好地模拟出了0ka亚洲夏季风大尺度环流的特点和季节变化的特征。6ka和0ka比较分析的结果表明,6ka时期欧亚大陆增暖,海陆温度梯度加强; 印度夏季风降水从南亚大陆北移到 30°N 附近,位于青藏高原南侧的降水大值中心降水加强; 东亚季风区降水则表现为华北地区减少,长江流域和华南地区降水增加的特点。但合理地模拟季风爆发仍然是耦合气候系统模式的难点之一。
6ka时期亚洲夏季风变化是和大尺度季风环流的变化联系在一起的,而其根本原因是中全新世时期地球轨道参数变化所引起的太阳辐射变化,北半球季节循环的振幅加强。海陆热力性质的差异所导致海陆温差加大使得北半球的季风环流加强,印度夏季风高空东风在 20°～30°N 加强,低层赤道东风加强,跨赤道后的西南气流向北推移,从而使得印度夏季风降水雨带北移到 30°N 附近。东亚季风区的高低空温度场的配置使得副热带高空急流减弱,位置偏南,从而有利于华北地区的高空出现异常的辐合,中层为异常的辐散,抑制了季风降水的发展; 长江流域和华南地区则相反,季风降水降水加强。     

A warming interval during the MIS 5a/4 transition in two high-resolution loess sections from China

An abrupt climatic change during the MIS 5a/4 transition is evident in the loess records of China (S1/L1). Proxies including geochemical elements, grain size, soil color, magnetic susceptibility and carbonate (CaCO₃) content indicate a warming interval, which lasted approximately 3 ka, during the MIS 5a/4 transition in both the Wangguan and Shagou loess sections, located in Sanmenxia (Henan Province) and Wuwei (Gansu Province), respectively. Both the winter and summer monsoon proxies demonstrate that this warming interval occurred at the same time in both sections (nearly 70.5–73.6 ka BP), with maximum warming from 71.4 to 72.0 ka BP. This study suggests a universal abrupt warming interval in the East Asia monsoon region at this time. Comparisons with marine, terrestrial and ice-core records indicate this event was very likely an abrupt global warming interval during the last glacial–interglacial transition.     

Environmental processes derived from peatland geochemistry since the last deglaciation in Dajiuhu,Shennongjia, central China

The Dajiuhu mire deposit is a sensitive archive of palaeoenvironmental evolution in the East Asian monsoon region. The aim of this study of the elemental geochemistry of a sediment core from Dajiuhu was to improve our understanding of the geochemical behaviour of elements in peat deposits, as well as the environmental and climatic history of the East Asian monsoon region since the Late Pleistocene. We conducted a principal components analysis (PCA) on inorganic geochemical data obtained by ICP‐MS and XRFS from a sediment core spanning the last 16 ka. In addition, spectral analysis was applied to the PC1 score profile to test periodicities. The PCA results suggest that variations in elemental concentrations in the Dajiuhu core are controlled by three main factors: input of inorganic mineral matter, effect of biological processes and a combination of changes in redox conditions and biological processes. Interpretation of the data suggests that monsoon precipitation increased, albeit with significant volatility, during the last deglaciation (16.0–11.3 cal. ka BP). The early Holocene (11.3–9.4 cal. ka BP) was a humid period, and was followed by monsoon deterioration in the early stages of the middle Holocene. A warm and wet climate dominated between 7.0 and 4.2 cal. ka BP, correlating with the Holocene Climatic Optimum. After a two‐step decrease in monsoon precipitation, beginning at 4.2 cal. ka BP, the climate became more arid until 0.9 cal. ka BP, after which humidity once again increased. The spectral analysis revealed statistically significant periodicities of approximately 1480, 360, 316, 204 and 188 years, indicating solar forcing for the East Asian monsoon evolution over millennial to centennial time scales and a link between the East Asian monsoon and North Atlantic climate.     

Speleothem‐derived Asian summer monsoon variations in Central China, 54–46 ka

The oxygen isotope signature (δ¹⁸O) of stalagmite SI3 collected from Shizi Cave in north‐east Sichuan Province provides an Asian Summer Monsoon (ASM) record in Central China for the period 54–46 ka. The SI3 δ¹⁸O record clearly shows a negative δ¹⁸O excursion centred around 49.4 ka, which was reported in Hulu Cave in East China but not identified in the speleothem records from South‐west China. As a whole, this record displays a higher coherence with the two Hulu records from East China than with the speleothem δ¹⁸O records from South‐west China, suggesting that at 54–46 ka, Central China was influenced more by the East Asian Summer Monsoon than by the Indian Summer Monsoon. It also displays a significant negative δ¹⁸O excursion at 47.5–46.6 ka, which is not clearly documented in two other speleothem δ¹⁸O records previously reported from South‐west China. This suggests that details of the Greenland interstadial 12 warrant further investigations in future in monsoonal China. The SI3 δ¹⁸O record displays more significant centennial‐scale variations than the other four speleothem δ¹⁸O records from East and South‐west China, which may be due to the fact that the study site is closer to the north‐west boundary of the ASM and more sensitive to variations of the ASM than East and South‐west China. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

亚洲中部干旱区全新世气候变化的西风模式* ——以新疆博斯腾湖记录为例

位于受西风环流显著影响区的我国最大内陆淡水湖——新疆博斯腾湖提供了全新世亚洲中部干旱区气候变化的可靠记录。对该湖钻探岩芯、沉积年代以及孢粉、碳酸盐含量、粒度等代用指标分析结果表明,末次冰消期到全新世早期湖泊干涸,风砂沉积盛行,气候干旱;约8cal.kaB.P.以来现代湖泊形成,气候相对湿润,其中,约6.0~1.5cal.kaB.P.期间代用指标A/C值指示的流域湿度增加,盘星藻指示的湖泊深度最大,全新世最湿润时段发生在中晚全新世。博斯腾湖记录的早全新世干旱和中晚全新世湿润的气候框架得到中亚其他较高分辨率湖泊记录的支持,具有普遍性。亚洲中部西风影响区这一全新世气候变化框架与亚洲季风区早中全新世夏季风强盛、中晚全新世季风衰落的变化模式显著不同,具有近似反相位(out of phase)变化特征。广大中亚内陆干旱区中晚全新世湿润气候不大可能是东亚季风深入内陆造成的,更可能是通过西风环流与高纬度北大西洋相联系,其驱动机制需要更深入研究。     

神农架全新世东亚季风演化及其热带辐合带控制*

文章基于湖北神农架山宝洞3支石笋的13个²³⁰Th年龄和505个氧同位素数据,建立了全新世8.45~0.46kaB.P.东亚季风降水序列,其长期演化趋势与33°N夏季太阳辐射能量变化曲线基本一致。神农架山宝洞与阿曼Qunf洞和贵州董哥洞的石笋高分辨率δ¹⁸ O记录整体相关(r 分别为0.75和0.94), 说明全新世东亚季风、印度季风系统的演化主要受控于同一驱动机制,即北半球夏季太阳辐射控制下赤道热带辐合带逐渐南移,导致亚洲季风降水持续减弱。功率谱分析表明:5ka以来山宝洞石笋记录具有显著的550a周期旋回,与树轮Δ¹⁴ C和北大西洋温盐环流周期基本一致。     

Heinrich event 4 and Dansgaard/Oeschger events 5–10 recorded by high-resolution speleothem oxygen isotope data from central China

A 50-yr resolution reconstruction of climate and environment variability during the period 43–14 ka was developed using 26 high-precision U/Th dates and 390 oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) data of a stalagmite (SJ1) collected from Songjia Cave in central China, which is close to the northwestern boundary of the Asian summer monsoon (ASM). The δ¹⁸O record in SJ1 displays significant millennial-scale changes that correlate well in timing and duration with Dansgaard/Oeschger (D/O) events 5–10 and Heinrich event 4 (H4) identified in high-latitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Four ²³⁰Th dates constrain the H4 event precisely to the period of 39.7 to 38.3 ka. Notable centennial variations of the ASM activity could be observed within the H4 event. The magnitude and duration of D/O event 4.1 recorded in SJ1 are similar to those archived in east China but different from those documented in southwest China, suggesting that the manifestation of this event may be regionally different. The timing, duration and structure of D/O events 5–10 and Heinrich event 4 suggest that temperature changes in both hemispheres have exerted significant influences on the ASM variations in central China.     

神农架三宝洞倒数第二次冰期高分辨率石笋δ13C记录

基于神农架三宝洞两支石笋24个230Th年龄以及637个δ13C测试数据,建立了倒数第二次冰期191±1.8～133±0.6kaB.P.时段洞穴石笋高分辨率δ13C的时间序列.在冰期/间冰期尺度上,δ13C值振幅达4.5％,整体变化趋势与全球冰量曲线类似.在倒数第二次冰期,石笋δ13C记录揭示出一系列较大振荡幅度的千年...     

Holocene climate variations from Zhuyeze terminal lake records in East Asian monsoon margin in arid northern China

Zhuyeze palaeolake is a terminal lake situated in the arid northern China in the East Asian monsoon margin. In order to examine the Holocene palaeoclimatic change in the East Asian monsoon margin, Qingtu Lake section (QTL) from Zhuyeze palaeolake is sampled in high resolution. Palaeoclimatic proxies such as grain size, carbonate, TOC, C/N and δ¹³C of organic matter, were analyzed; eleven ¹⁴C samples and six optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) samples were dated to provide chronological control. We also investigated the geomorphic features of lake shorelines in this area. The results show that the climate was warm and dry in early-Holocene (9.5-7.0 cal ka BP), cool and humid in mid-Holocene (7.0-4.8 cal ka BP), and increasingly drier in late-Holocene (since 4.8 cal ka BP). Comparisons of our records with other records in adjacent areas, as well as with the records in the Asian monsoon areas, suggested that changes in effective moisture was synchronous in East Asian monsoon marginal zone (i.e. the pattern of dry early-Holocene, humid mid-Holocene, and aridity-increasing late-Holocene), and that the moisture optimum during the Holocene was out-of-phase between Asian monsoon margin and Asian monsoonal dominated region, possibly due to the high temperature at that time.     

Spatial variations of monsoonal rain in eastern China: Instrumental, historic and speleothem records

We select four caves and their nearby cities in the monsoonal region of China for studying the relationships among precipitation, temperature, summer monsoon intensity and stalagmite δ¹⁸O. The instrumental, historic and stalagmite δ¹⁸O records from these areas show strong spatial disparities on annual to decadal scales, so that climatic conditions in a single location cannot represent these of the entire eastern China. On time scales <500 years, stronger summer monsoon may lead to higher rainfall in some locations but not over eastern China. Correlation between the summer monsoon strength and precipitation is not only location-dependent but also changes with time. One may not use the paleoclimatic pattern of cold–dry and warm–wet on glacial/interglacial ages throughout all time scales for climatic conditions in the monsoonal region. On centennial to millennial scales, stalagmite δ¹⁸O variation trend from eastern China resemble solar irradiance with lighter δ¹⁸O corresponding to increased solar irradiance, and vice versa. The similar trends may reflect climatic feedbacks link to solar forcing to cause changes in the summer monsoon intensity and/or in monsoonal circulation. Changes in monsoonal circulation and intensity affect (1) summer rainfall intensity, (2) summer/winter precipitation ratio, or (3) ratio of moisture from Indian/Pacific oceans, or a combination of the three. Thus, a speleothem δ¹⁸O record may not be proper to be used as a proxy of paleo-precipitation amount, especially on short time scales. Based on the four stalagmite δ¹⁸O records during the last 2000 years, EASM strength decreased from AD 200 to AD 500, and from AD 1300 to AD 1600 (the 1st half of the Little Ice Age), whereas EASM strength increased from AD 1600 to AD 1900 (the 2nd half of the Little Ice Age). The EASM strength has weakened since early 1900’s.