Orbital imprint on Holocene palaeohydrological variations in west‐central Europe as reflected by lake‐level changes at Cerin (Jura Mountains,eastern France)

This paper presents a lake‐level record for the Holocene at Lake Cerin (Jura Mountains, eastern France). It is based on a range of sedimentological techniques validated in previous studies, with a combination of systematic lithostratigraphic investigations of the infillings accumulated in the lacustrine basin, and sediment analyses of two selected cores. The chronology is based on 10 radiocarbon dates and pollen stratigraphy. On a millennial scale, the Cerin lake‐level record shows three distinct successive phases characterised by higher lake‐level conditions until ca. 9000 cal. a BP, followed by a maximal lowering at ca. 9000–8500 cal. a BP, and a progressive rise until the present. This rise was punctuated by centennial‐scale fluctuations, with major events around 4000, 2800 and after 1500 cal. a BP. Considered on a multimillennial scale, the general pattern of palaeohydrological changes reconstructed at Cerin reflects the impact of orbitally driven summer insolation. This is in agreement with other regional and extra‐regional palaeoclimatic records, although every record shows peculiarities in timing and shape depending on the proxy used for reconstruction. In this general context, centennial to multicentennial oscillations appear to have been second‐order events in comparison with the major influence of the orbital factor. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene evolution of the Indian Summer Monsoon inferred from a lacustrine record of Lake Wuxu,south‐east Tibetan Plateau

A continuous sediment record since 12.3 cal ka bp from Lake Wuxu (south‐eastern Tibetan Plateau) was investigated in terms of the Holocene evolution of the Indian Summer Monsoon. The molar C/N ratio and stable C isotope were used to identify the source of the organic matter as well as climate conditions. The evolution of Lake Wuxu was summarized wihtin two periods. During the first period (early to mid‐Holocene), the lake received increased fluvially transported materials, reflecting variation in the summer monsoon with solar insolation. The lake level declined and water residence time increased because of reduced river discharge during the second period (late Holocene) corresponding to a weakening of the summer monsoon. The organic material revealed a major contribution from lake primary productivity, which showed identical patterns with a high‐resolution isotope record from Dongge Cave, as well as total solar irradiance. Our record from Lake Wuxu indicates that the Holocene evolution of the Indian Summer Monsoon has been driven by the solar forcing at decadal/centennial to millennial time scales. Furthermore, an abrupt decline in the monsoon was detected at around 4.0 cal ka bp , which is probably caused by an increased frequency of EI Nino‐Southern Oscillation events. Copyright © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Grain-size Age Model in Reconstructing Orbital- and Suborbital-scale Climate Changes on the Northeastern Tibetan Plateau Since the Late Glacial

Reconstructions of past climatic changes on the northeastern Tibetan Plateau(NETP) can provide insights into the Asian summer monsoon(ASM) variability. However, the regional climate changes on both orbital and suborbital time scales since the late Glacial remain controversial. Here we present the results of high-resolution geochemical and grain-size analyses of a sediment core from Genggahai Lake, a small, shallow lake in this area. Changes of the accumulation rate of the core sediments show a similar trend with variations of the coarse fraction. Accordingly, the chronological framework is constructed using a grain-size age model. In addition, the histories of chemical weathering and aeolian activity since the late Glacial are reconstructed based on the Al/Ti ratios and coarse fractions, respectively. The results suggest that an enhanced chemical weathering and a weakened aeolian activity occurred on the NETP under a warmer, wetter climate during the early to mid-Holocene(11.3–6.3 ka cal BP), compared with the late Glacial(17.1–11.3 ka cal BP) and the late Holocene(6.3 ka cal BP to present), which responded mainly to the strengthened ASM on orbital time scale. In addition, the synchronous occurrences of weakened chemical weathering, low lake level and intense aeolian activity on suborbital time scale reflect several episodes of weakened ASM. Furthermore, these episodes largely coincide with the centennial-to millennial-scale cold events in the North Atlantic, which demonstrates the close connection between the ASM and the cooling at high latitudes.     

Rapid change in early Holocene environments inferred from Lake Pupuke,Auckland City,New Zealand

Sediment cores from Lake Pupuke in Auckland City, New Zealand, contain a high‐resolution millennial to centennial‐scale record of changing climate and catchment hydrology spanning the past ca. 10 000 years. Here, we focus on the period between 9500 ± 25 and 7000 ± 155 cal. yr BP during which grain size, diatom palaeoecology, biogenic silica concentrations, sediment elemental and carbon isotope geochemistry reflect changes in sediment sources and lake conditions, with a significant event commencing at ca. 8240 cal. yr BP, commensurate with a lowering of lake level, faster erosion rates and increased sediment influx with a duration of ca. 360 yrs. However, the changes in the lake are not reflected in the terrestrial vegetation, where the pollen record indicates that podocarp forest dominated the Auckland region, with apparent environmental stability during this part of the early Holocene. The synchronous change in most of the proxies between ca. 8240 and 7880 cal. yr BP at Lake Pupuke indicates the presence of a sustained episode of relatively low lake level and concomitant increased rate of erosion in the early Holocene that appears to be at least partly coeval with the 8200 cal. yr BP meltwater event proposed for the North Atlantic region. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

季风与西风对青藏高原全新世气候变化的影响:同位素证据

青藏高原气候变化在冰期-间冰期、千年、十年际和季节尺度上受亚洲季风和西风环流的交互影响,表现出显著的区域性特征。然而全新世以来青藏高原气候变化的机制还不甚清楚,主要原因之一是缺少指示意义明确的古气候代用指标。课题组近年来利用叶蜡氢同位素(δDwax)重建了高原东北部的青海湖、中北部的令戈错、中部的达则错、西部的班公错和阿翁错不同时间尺度的大气降水同位素记录,本文对上述工作进行总结,并结合青藏高原全新世以来已发表的其他地点的同位素和古水文记录,揭示全新世以来季风与西风对青藏高原不同区域气候变化的影响。结果表明:1)早全新世青海湖、令戈错、班公错和阿翁错4个湖泊均主要受夏季风影响,夏季风可以影响到青藏高原的大部分地区,此时夏季风在青藏高原的最北界限可能位于青海湖以北、克鲁克湖以南。2)中全新世青海湖、班公错和阿翁错受夏季风影响逐渐减弱;然而令戈错在7.0~4.5 ka水汽主要来源于西风环流。3)晚全新世青海湖和班公错受季风的影响进一步减弱;西风在3.5~1.7 ka和2.0~1.0 ka分别影响到高原中部的令戈错和达则错;晚全新世阿翁错受冰川融水补给影响降水同位素异常偏负。4)本研究表明在中晚全新世季风较弱的时期,西风能够深入到青藏高原内部地区,给高原内部地区带来冷湿的水汽。     

Did the Indo‐Asian summer monsoon decrease during the Holocene following insolation?

A few studies from the western Arabian Sea indicate that the Indian summer (or southwest) monsoon (ISM), after attaining its maximum intensity at ca. 9 ka, declined during the Holocene, as did insolation. In contrast, earlier and later observations from both the eastern and the western Arabian Sea do not support this inference. Analysis of multiple proxies of productivity in a new sediment core from the western Arabian Sea fails to confirm the earlier, single‐proxy (e.g. abundance of Globigerina bulloides) based, inference of the Holocene weakening of ISM, following insolation. The reason for the observed decreasing trend in foraminiferal abundance – the basis for the earlier inference – could be the favouring of silicate rather than carbonate productivity by the increased ISM wind strength. Although ISM exhibits several multi‐millennial scale fluctuations, there is no evidence from several multi‐proxy data to conclude that it declined during the Holocene; this is consistent with the phase lag analysis of longer time series of monsoon proxies. Thus, on sub‐Milankovitch timescales, ISM did not follow insolation, highlighting the importance of internal feedbacks. A comparison with East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) records suggests that both ISM and EASM varied in unison, implying common forcing factors on such longer timescales. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Correlation between the oxygen isotope record from Dasuopu ice core and the Asian Southwest Monsoon during the last millennium

Long high-resolution proxy records are valuable for understanding Asian Southwest Monsoon (ASM) dynamics on decadal to centennial timescales. A millennium long δ¹⁸O ice core record from the central Himalayas provides an opportunity to study the ASM variability on decadal to centennial timescales. The Dasuopu ice core δ¹⁸O record indicates that a relatively warm period corresponding with the Medieval Warm Period lasted from AD 1140s to 1390s, a notable warming trend is apparent from 1800s to 1990s, and several cool periods occurred between AD 1010–1130s, 1290–1330s, 1400–1460s, 1520s, 1590–1630s, 1740s, and 1770–1790s. Comparisons with other high-resolution monsoon proxy records from the Arabian Sea, south Oman, and southern China reveal a high correspondence between temperature changes in the central Himalayas and the ASM variability during the last 1000 years. A pronounced warming trend since AD 1670 coincides with an abrupt transition from a weak to a strong intensity of the ASM. The thermal conditions in the Himalayas and on the Tibetan Plateau and associated glacial boundary conditions may have been predominantly responsible for variations of the ASM intensity and for a latitudinal movement in the mean position of the ITCZ on decadal to centennial timescales.     

East Asia winter monsoon variations on a millennial time‐scale before the last glacial–interglacial cycle

Grain size and magnetic susceptibility measurements on samples from a typical loess–palaeosol sequence on the central Chinese Loess Plateau are used to reconstruct the Pleistocene East Asian monsoon climate. The coarse‐grained fraction, i.e. the weight percentage > 30 μm of the bulk grain‐size distribution, is used as a sensitive proxy index of the East Asia winter monsoon strength. On the basis of an absolute time‐scale, time‐series variations of this proxy show that winter monsoon strengths varied on millennial time‐scales during the periods 145–165, 240–280, 320–350, 390–440, 600–640, 860–890, 900–930 and 1330–1400 kyr BP. The wavelength of these climatic oscillations varied between 1.89 and 4.0 kyr, as is shown by spectral analysis using the multitaper method. Although numerical simulation experiments show that high frequencies also can arise from measurement errors in the grain‐size analysis, the frequencies prove to be sufficiently stable when the spectral analysis is repeated with a different number of tapers. For the time being, we do not correlate these climatic oscillations with palaeoclimatic records in the North Atlantic deep‐sea sediments because both time‐scales need to be further improved. Our data, however, certainly demonstrate that millennial‐scale East Asian winter monsoon variations in the last 1.4 million years can be detected from terrestrial loess records. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconstruction of Last Glacial to early Holocene monsoon variability from relict lake sediments of the Higher Central Himalaya,Uttrakhand, India

Proglacial lake sediments at Goting in the Higher Central Himalaya were analyzed to reconstruct the summer monsoon variability during the Last Glacial to early Holocene. Sedimentary structures, high resolution mineral magnetic and geochemical data suggest that the lacustrine environment experienced fluctuating monsoonal conditions. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating indicates that the lake sedimentation occurred before 25 ka and continued after 13 ka. During this period, Goting basin witnessed moderate to strengthened monsoon conditions around 25 ka, 23.5 ka–22.5 ka, 22 ka–18 ka, 17 ka–16.5 ka and after14.5–13 ka. The Last Glacial phase ended with the deposition of outwash gravel dated at ～11 ka indicating glacial retreat and the onset of Holocene condition. Additionally, centennial scale fluctuations between 16.5 ka and 12.7 ka in the magnetic and geochemical data are seen.A close correspondence at the millennial scale between our data and that of continental and marine records from the Indian sub-continent suggests that Goting basin responded to periods of strengthened monsoon during the Last Glacial to early Holocene. We attribute the millennial scale monsoon variability to climatic instability in higher northern latitudes. However, centennial scale abrupt changes are attributed to the result of albedo changes on the Himalaya and Tibetan plateau.     

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.     

内蒙古达里湖沉积记录的中晚全新世干旱事件

最近20年位于东亚夏季风北部边缘的我国北方半干旱区遭遇更为频繁、更为严重的干旱事件。然而,有关该区域过去不同时间尺度气候干旱事件的特征及机制仍知之甚少。文章详细分析了内蒙古中东部达里湖DL04岩芯上部6.5 m沉积物中< 38 μm碳酸盐的Ca和Mg含量、δ^18O和δ^13C值以及全样有机质TOC和TN含量、TOC/TN(C/N)比值,基于高精度的AMS^14C年代标尺,恢复了最近6000年(日历年)湖区的水文、气候变化详细过程。结果表明:达里湖< 38 μm碳酸盐主要为湖泊水体沉淀的内生方解石,其Ca和Mg含量、δ^18O和δ^13C值增大反映湖水蒸发量超过补给水量,进而指示湖区干旱事件。TOC和TN含量减少以及C/N比值减小总体反映地表径流减弱引起的陆生有机质入湖减少以及湖泊初始生产率下降。达里湖沉积内生碳酸盐和有机质地球化学数据表明,在6000~5300 cal.a B.P.、3200~2800 cal.a B.P.、1650~1150 cal.a B.P.和650~300 cal.a B.P.,流域地表径流显著减弱、湖面显著降低、湖泊生产率显著下降、湖区气候显著变干、东亚夏季风显著减弱。最近6000年东亚夏季风显著减弱事件在定年误差范围内与北大西洋冰漂碎屑事件一致,而与热带西太平洋海表温度变化和太阳活动变化相关性较差,表明千、百年尺度东亚夏季风突变主要受控于北半球高纬气候变冷。     

Palaeoflood activity and climate change over the last 1400 years recorded by lake sediments in the north‐west European Alps

A high‐resolution sedimentological and geochemical study of a high‐altitude proglacial lake (Lake Blanc, Aiguilles Rouges, 2352 m a.s.l.) revealed 195 turbidites, 190 of which are related to flood events over the last 1400 years. We used the coarsest sediment fraction of each turbidite as a proxy for the intensity of each flood event. Because most flood events at this locality are triggered by localized summer convective precipitation events, the reconstructed sedimentary record reveals changes in the frequency and intensity of such events over the last millennium. Comparisons with other temperature, palaeohydrological and glacier reconstructions in the region suggest that the most intense events occurred during the warmest periods, i.e. during the Medieval Climate Anomaly (AD 800–1300) and the current period of global warming. On a multi‐decadal time scale, almost all the flood frequency peaks seem to correspond to warmer periods, whereas multi‐centennial variations in flood frequency appear to follow the regional precipitation pattern. Consequently, this new Alpine flood record provides further evidence of a link between climate warming and an increase in the frequency and intensity of flooding on a multi‐decadal time scale, whereas the centennial variability in flood frequencies is related to regional precipitation patterns. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene climate changes in southern Greenland: evidence from lake sediments

A Holocene lake sediment record is presented from Lake N14 situated on Angissoq Island 15 km off the main coast of southern Greenland. The palaeoclimatic development has been interpreted on the basis of flux and percentage content of biogenic silica, clastic material, organic material and sulphur as well as sedimentation rate, moss content and magnetic susceptibility. A total of 43 radiocarbon dates has ensured a reliable chronology. It is argued that varying sediment composition mainly reflects changing precipitation. By analogy with the present meteorological conditions in southern Greenland, Holocene climate development is inferred. Between 11 550 and 9300 cal. yr BP temperature and precipitation increase markedly, but this period is climatically unstable. From 9300 yr BP conditions become more stable and a Holocene climatic optimum, characterised by warm and humid conditions, is observed from 8000 to 5000 cal. yr BP. From 4700 cal. yr BP the first signs of a climatic deterioration are observed, and from 3700 cal. yr BP the climate has become more dry and cold. Superimposed on the climatic long‐term trend is climate variability on a centennial time‐scale that increases in amplitude after 3700 cal. yr BP. A climatic scenario related to the strength and position of the Greenland high‐pressure cell and the Iceland low‐pressure cell is proposed to explain the Holocene centennial climate variability. A comparison of the Lake N14 record with a terrestrial as well as a marine record from the eastern North Atlantic Ocean suggests that the centennial climate variability was uniform over large areas at certain times. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Holocene climate changes in the mid-high-latitude-monsoon margin reflected by the pollen record from Hulun Lake, northeastern Inner Mongolia

Pollen-assemblage data from a sediment core from Hulun Lake in northeastern Inner Mongolia describe the changes in the vegetation and climate of the East Asian monsoon margin during the Holocene. Dry steppe dominated the lake basin from ca. 11,000 to 8000 cal yr BP, suggesting a warm and dry climate. Grasses and birch forests expanded 8000 to 6400 cal yr BP, implying a remarkable increase in the monsoon precipitation. From 6400 to 4400 cal yr BP, the climate became cooler and drier. Chenopodiaceae dominated the interval from 4400 to 3350 cal yr BP, marking extremely dry condition. Artemisia recovered 3350-2050 cal yr BP, denoting an amelioration of climatic conditions. Both temperature and precipitation decreased 2050 to 1000 cal yr BP as indicated by decreased Artemisia and the development of pine forests. During the last 1000 yr, human activities might have had a significant influence on the environment of the lake region. We suggest that the East Asian summer monsoon did not become intensified until 8000 cal yr BP due to the existence of remnant ice sheets in the Northern Hemisphere. Changes in the monsoon precipitation on millennial to centennial scales would be related to ocean-atmosphere interactions in the tropical Pacific.     

我国西北夏季风边界千年尺度变化的证据--来自盐池和猪野泽盐类矿物分析结果

我国夏季风西北缘是响应长尺度气候变化最为敏感的区域之一, 但夏季风边界变化与千年尺度气候变化之间的关系尚不明确, 相关研究仍缺乏足够证据。夏季风西北缘湖泊沉积物中盐类矿物种类与含量的时空变化, 有助于推测气候变化特征。盐池和猪野泽分别位于祁连山北麓的河西走廊中段和东段, 是研究长时间尺度亚洲夏季风影响区西北边界变化的关键区域。研究全新世千年尺度下, 夏季风西北边界的变化对夏季风西北缘气候变化过程的影响, 对明确季风边缘区千年尺度季风变化机制, 预测未来长尺度气候变化有重要意义。因此, 本文选择盐池古湖泊盐池剖面(YC), 猪野泽青土湖01、02剖面(QTH01、QTH02)等三个剖面, 开展全新世千年尺度下, 亚洲季风西北边界地区湖泊沉积物盐类矿物时空变化对比研究。结果显示:QTH01、QTH02剖面盐类矿物以碳酸盐为主, 硫酸盐类矿物仅零星出现, 而YC剖面硫酸盐类矿物含量相对较高, 同时出现了氯化物型矿物, 全新世气候特征整体较猪野泽更为干旱。末次冰期和早全新世, 三个剖面受季风输送水汽影响明显, 碳酸盐类矿物能较好沉积, 季风边界在这一时期向北扩张, 推进到祁连山中段地区;中全新世QTH01、QTH02剖面受夏季风影响减弱, 湖泊退缩, 碳酸盐类矿物含量达到峰值, YC剖面则表现出极端干旱的气候特征, 硫酸盐类矿物因“盐效应”含量下降, 此时夏季风西北部水汽输送边界位于石羊河流域和盐池流域之间;晚全新世盐池和猪野泽均以风成沉积为主, 气候干旱, 碳酸盐类矿物难以保存, 硫酸盐和氯化物矿物含量出现高值, 说明夏季风西北边界进一步向南迁移。综上所述, 盐类矿物含量变化能良好反应夏季风西北缘全新世气候变化特征, 同时证明, 在全新世千年尺度上, 夏季风西北边界在盐池流域和石羊河流域之间存在变化。     

Testing solar forcing of pervasive Holocene climate cycles

The temporal and spatial extent of Holocene climate change is an area of considerable uncertainty, with solar forcing recently proposed to be the origin of cycles identified in the North Atlantic region. To address these issues we have developed an annually resolved record of changes in Irish bog tree populations over the last 7468 years which, together with radiocarbon‐dated bog and lake‐edge populations, extend the dataset back to ～9000 yr ago. The Irish trees underpin the internationally accepted radiocarbon calibration curve, used to derive a proxy of solar activity, and allow us to test solar forcing of Holocene climate change. Tree populations and age structures provide unambiguous evidence of major shifts in Holocene surface moisture, with a dominant cyclicity of 800 yr, similar to marine cycles in the North Atlantic, indicating significant changes in the latitude and intensity of zonal atmospheric circulation across the region. The cycles, however, are not coherent with changes in solar activity (both being on the same absolute timescale), indicating that Holocene North Atlantic climate variability at the millennial and centennial scale is not driven by a linear response to changes in solar activity. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Luminescence dating of sand–loess sequences and response of Mu Us and Otindag sand fields (north China) to climatic changes

The sand–loess transition zone in north China is sensitive to climate change, and is an ideal place to investigate past environmental changes. However, past climate change at millennial–centennial timescales in this region has not been well reconstructed because of limited numerical dating. Alternations of sandy loam soils with aeolian sand layers in the Mu Us and Otindag sand fields, which lie along the sand–loess transition zone, indicate multiple intervals of dune activity and stability. This change is probably a response to variations of the East Asian monsoon climate during the late Quaternary. The single aliquot regeneration (SAR) optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating protocol, which has been successfully applied to aeolian deposits worldwide, is applied to these two sand fields in this study. The OSL ages provide reliable constraints for reconstruction of past climate changes at suborbital timescale. Sections in both sand fields contain aeolian sand beds recording millennial‐scale episodes of dry climate and widespread dune activation, including episodes at about the same time as Heinrich Event 5 and the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic region. These results demonstrate the potential of aeolian sediments in semi‐arid north China to record millennial‐scale climatic events, and also suggest that dry–wet climate variation at the desert margin in China may be linked to climatic change elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere, through atmospheric circulation. This article was published online on 27 November 2008. An error was subsequently identified. This notice is included in the online and print versions to indicate that both have been corrected (16 December 2008). Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconstruction of millennial-scale variations in the East Asian summer monsoon over the past 300 ka based on the total carbon content of sediment from Lake Biwa,Japan

The total carbon content analysis for Takashima-oki core extracted from Lake Biwa with time resolutions of approximately 150 years was used to reconstruct millennial-scale climate change in the East Asian monsoon region over the past 300 ka. The total carbon content of the Takashima-oki core is an indirect proxy for the East Asian summer monsoon, because the total carbon content reflects primary productivity within the lake, which is controlled by precipitation in the catchment area. Using these data, we clarify temporal variations in the East Asian summer monsoon prior to MIS 5, which were previously unresolved. The observed variations show a ∼1,500-year cycle that is also recorded by paleoclimate indices in the North Atlantic region. We propose that the East Asian summer monsoon underwent abrupt millennium-scale changes during interglacial stages such as MIS 5 and 7.     

Abrupt shifts in the Indian monsoon during the Pliocene marked by high-resolution terrestrial records from the Yuanmou Basin in southwest China

A 650-m-thick sequence of fluvio-lacustrine sediments from the Yuanmou Basin in southwest China was analyzed at 20-cm intervals for grain-size distribution to provide a high-resolution terrestrial record of Indian summer monsoon variations during the Pliocene. The concentrations of the clay and clay-plus-fine-silt fractions are inferred to reflect the water-level status of the lake basin related to the intensity of the Indian summer monsoon and high concentrations reflect high lake levels resulting from the intensified summer monsoon. The frequency of individual lacustrine mud beds is considered to reveal the frequency of the lakes developed in the basin associated with the variability of the Indian summer monsoon and an increased frequency of the lakes reveals an increased variability of the summer monsoon. The proxy data indicate that the Indian summer monsoon experienced two major shifts at 3.57 and 2.78 Ma and two secondary shifts at 3.09 and 2.39 Ma during the Pliocene. The summer monsoon displayed a general trend of gradual intensification during the period of 3.57–2.78 Ma, coeval with an accelerated uplift of the Tibetan Plateau, implying a close link between the monsoon intensification and the plateau uplift. At 2.78 Ma, the summer monsoon was markedly weakened, synchronous with the formation of extensive Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, denoting a quick response of the monsoon regime to the Northern Hemisphere glaciation. The variability of the summer monsoon decreased at 3.09 Ma and increased at 2.39 Ma, presumably suggesting that variations of the Indian monsoon would be modulated by the initiation and periodic fluctuations of ice-sheet covers in Northern Hemisphere high latitudes.     

What drives the peat-based palaeoclimate record? A critical test using multi-proxy climate records from northern Britain

Peatland palaeoclimate sequences produce bog surface wetness (BSW) reconstructions which are commonly interpreted as changes in summer effective precipitation, i.e. the net balance between precipitation and evapotranspiration, the latter being mainly governed by temperature. The relative roles of precipitation and temperature have been investigated previously, although over centennial and millennial timescales no conclusive relationships have as yet been established, but it has been suggested that summer temperature may play the dominant role. We aimed to test this by comparing a late-Holocene peat-based palaeoclimate record from Walton Moss, northern England, with a chironomid-inferred temperature (CI-T) reconstruction from a nearby lake, Talkin Tarn. Both records showed significant changes in inferred climate over the last 3000 years with lower temperatures corresponding to increases in BSW. The CI-T reconstruction, which covered the last 6000 years, was also compared to a longer BSW record, again from Walton Moss, and the same relationships were observed. Our evidence therefore suggests that over centennial timescales summer temperatures are important drivers of the peat-based palaeoclimate record.