Age of the MGS5 segment of the Milanggouwan stratigraphical section and evolution of the desert environment on a kiloyear scale during the Last Interglacial in China's Salawusu River Valley: Evidence from Rb and Sr contents and ratios

The MGS5 segment of the Milanggouwan stratigraphical section in China's Salawusu River Valley records 8.5 sedimentary cycles consisting of dune sands alternating with fluviolacustrine facies or/and paleosols. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the distribution of Rb and Sr within the segment and paleoecological evidence (fossils), it appears that the observed sedimentation cycles mainly resulted from fluctuations between dry-cold and warm-humid climates, which indicates that the MGS5 segment experienced at least eight cold-dry and nine warm-humid climatic fluctuations. Of these, 12 cold–warm climate fluctuations correspond to DO20–DO25 and stadia 21–26 recorded by the NGRIP ice cores. Another five cold–warm climatic fluctuations that occurred during MGS5e correspond to five substages (5e1–5e5) recorded by the GRIP ice cores from Greenland. This kind of high-frequency climatic fluctuation on a kiloyear scale was mainly subject to variations in the strength of the East Asian winter and summer monsoons.     

Climate variability during the Last Glacial Maximum in eastern Australia: evidence of two stadials?

A high‐resolution, multiproxy record encompassing the last glacial–interglacial transition is presented for Native Companion Lagoon, a coastal site in subtropical eastern Australia. Rates of aeolian sedimentation in the lake were established by trace element analyses of lacustrine sediments and used as a proxy for aridity. In conjunction with sediment moisture content, charcoal and pollen these provide a multi‐decadal record of palaeoenvironmental variability for the period 33–18 k cal. yr BP. Results indicate that the Last Glacial Maximum in eastern Australia spanned almost 10 k cal. yr, and was characterised by two distinct cold dry events at approximately 30.8 k cal. yr BP and 21.7 k cal. yr BP. Provenance of selected sediment samples by trace element geochemical fingerprinting shows that continental sourced aeolian sediments originated primarily from South Australia during these cold events and from sites in central Australia during the intervening time. Used in combination with a pollen record, the provenance of long‐travelled dust to mainland sites shows that the two cold events were characterised by frequent meridional dry southwesterly winds rather than zonal westerly airflow as previously believed. The intervening period was cool and humid, which we infer as being associated with more frequent southeasterly winds of maritime origin. These results lend support to previous research that indicates the Southern Hemisphere experienced a period of widespread climatic amelioration at the height of the last glacial known as the Antarctic Isotopic Maximum. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Pattern of abrupt climatic fluctuation in the East Asian Monsoon during the Last Glacial: Evidence from Chinese loess records

Records of two loess sections located in mid-eastern and western margins of the East Asian Monsoon area captured 20 Dansgaard-Oescher events and six Heinrich events. All these suggested that the climate in the East Asian Monsoon area fluctuated rapidly on millennial to century timescales during the whole Last Glacial. We found that these loess-based events of rapid climate fluctuations were generally synchronous with those of GRIP records, but that there were differences between the Shagou loess section in the west and the Wangguan loess section in the east: the former was more sensitive to climate change than the latter. Compared with earlier studies on loess records covering the Last Glacial from neighboring areas, we discovered that the magnitude of Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles decreased gradually from west to east and we suggest that it resulted from the combined effect of the Westerlies and the East Asian Monsoon.     

Geochemical characteristics of Holocene aeolian deposits and their environmental significance in the Mu Us Desert,northern China

This paper addresses the surface and Holocene aeolian deposits in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, N. China, systematically analysing the evolution of the geochemical characteristics of aeolian sand–palaeosol sequences and their environmental significance. Our results indicate that the geochemical components of the Holocene aeolian deposits and surface deposits had the similar material sources, sediment transport and deposition processes in the study region, which were dominated by SiO₂, Al₂O₃, and Na₂O. In the weathering process of the Jinjie (JJ) profile, the Na, K, and Si presented the slight leaching and migration in general, while the other elements were relatively accumulated. The Holocene aeolian deposits and surface deposits incurred weaker geochemical weathering under cold and dry conditions and were only weakly leached, which implies a relatively arid environment in the Holocene epoch and the modern era. The weathering degree was controlled by the regional temperature and precipitation, and was probably more sensitive to the precipitation changes. In the sedimentary profile, the geochemical parameters and migration of elements demonstrated that there have been several alternating warm–wet and cold–dry intervals in the Mu Us Desert in the Holocene epoch; there were relatively warm and wet conditions prior to 4.6 ka, and it has been cold and dry since then. Six millennial‐scale dry events were recorded during the Holocene, which were not only accordant with the history of palaeoclimatic changes in the different latitudes and archives of the Northern Hemisphere, but also correspond to the millennial‐scale variation of cosmic radiation and solar activity during that period. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

微量元素记录的毛乌素沙漠全新世气候波动--以萨拉乌苏流域DGS1层段为例

选取毛乌素沙漠东南缘萨拉乌苏河流域具有代表性的滴哨沟湾剖面全新统(DGS1层段),结合微量元素与测年分析结果,探讨了该地全新世千年尺度的气候波动.结果表明,P、V、Cu、Zn、Sr、Ni、As、Cr、Pb属于易迁移-较稳定元素,其含量在沉积相中主要呈现为古土壤< 沙丘砂 <湖沼相,Co、Rb、Nb、Ba、Cl、Zr属于稳定-惰性元素,主要呈现为古土壤 >沙丘砂 >湖沼相,说明沙丘砂是冬季风主导下的沉积,古土壤和湖沼相是夏季风主导下的沉积.以Rb和Sr两种元素在垂向上峰谷交替的变化特征为依据,将DGS1记录的全新世气候分为升温期(11 000~10 130 a B.P.)、大暖期(10 130~6 590 a B.P.)、降温期(6 590~3 760 a B.P.)和寒冷期(3 760~0 a B.P.)四个阶段,这与国内外的相关研究结果一致,表明萨拉乌苏河流域全新世的气候变化是全球环境变化影响下的结果.     

North Atlantic Abrupt Climate Signals during the Last Glacial Period in Central Asia: Evidences from Aeolian Loess Sediments

<正>Objective Climate fluctuations over suborbital or millennial timescale display significant instability during the last glacial period,which are often superimposed upon the orbital periodicity.They triggered some abrupt climate events,such as the Dansgarrd/Oeschger(D-O)events recorded in the Greenland ice cores and the Heinrich(H)     

萨拉乌苏河流域MGS1 Rb和Sr记录的全新世千年尺度气候变化

萨拉乌苏河流域米浪沟湾剖面全新世地层MGS1层段记录了11个由风成砂与河流相或湖沼相构成的沉积旋回。对该层段63个样品的Rb、Sr数据进行了分析,结果显示由沙丘砂至上覆河湖相Rb和Sr含量由低增高,而Rb/Sr比值的分布则显示出与Rb和Sr含量变化相反的趋势,三者与平均粒径Mz(?)的相关系数都在0.43以上。研究表明MGS1至少经历了11次冷干和11次暖湿的气候波动。米浪沟湾剖面MGS1记录的千年尺度气候波动既是对东亚季风环流演变历史的体现,同时也是对全球气候与环境变化的响应。     

内蒙古与冲绳海槽和南中国海晚第四纪末次冰川盛冰期以来古气候记录

控制东亚气候的东亚季风夏季风北界的内蒙古盐湖沉积物记录了晚第四纪末次冰川盛冰期以来的气候冷暖干湿变化特征及各类重要的气候事件。通过对内蒙古伊克昭盟杭锦旗盐海子Ya0 1孔岩心沉积物的有机碳、碳氮比、碎屑矿物成熟度、磁化率、氧碳稳定同位素和沉积物成分的研究表明 ,全新世大暖期起止时间为 8～ 4kaB .P .,其气候特征为暖干型。这一气候特点可与中国北方黄土、冰川、冲绳海槽沉积物及南海有孔虫Pulleniatinaobliguilocalata等代用气候材料所记录的气候波动进行对比 ,也可与加拿大阿尔伯特地区及北美大平原全新世的气候演变特征进行对比。     

Chironomid and pollen evidence for climate fluctuations during the Last Glacial Termination in NW Patagonia

We present chironomid and pollen records from the Huelmo site (～41°30′S), NW Patagonia, to examine in detail the timing and structure of climate changes during the Last Glacial Termination in the southern mid-latitudes. The chironomid record has the highest temporal and taxonomic resolution for this critical interval, and constitutes the first account of midge faunas at the culmination of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) for the region. The chironomid record suggests cold and wet conditions during the LGM, followed by deglacial warming between 17.6 and 16.8 cal kyr BP. Relatively warm conditions prevailed between ～15–14 cal kyr BP, followed by a reversal in trend with cooling pulses at ～14 and 13.5 cal kyr BP, and warming at the beginning of the Holocene. Cool-temperate conditions prevailed during the Huelmo Mascardi Cold Reversal (HMCR) which, according to chironomid data, exhibits a wet phase (13.5–12.8 cal kyr BP) followed by a conspicuous drier phase (12.8–11.5 cal kyr BP). The chironomid and pollen records from the Huelmo site indicate step-wise deglacial warming beginning at 17.6 cal kyr BP, in agreement with other paleoclimate records from NW Patagonia and isotopic signals from Antarctic ice cores. Peak warmth during the Last Glacial Termination was achieved by ～14.5 cal kyr BP, followed by a cooling trend that commenced during the Antarctic Cold Reversal, which later intensified and persisted during the HMCR (13.5–11.5 cal kyr BP). We observe a shift toward drier conditions at ～12.8 cal kyr BP superimposed upon the HMCR, coeval with intense fire activity and vegetation disturbance during Younger Dryas time.     

末次盛冰期华北平原古气候古环境演化

华北平原宁晋泊南王庄剖面的^14C和光释光年代测定表明宁晋泊地区在末次盛冰期有连续的湖相沉积。依据孢粉、碳酸盐、有机碳含量（TOC）及C／N值的高分辨率分析与综合判识，末次盛冰期并不是一个持续的干冷时期，而是存在从凉湿-冷偏湿-冷干的波动变化过程。其中早期明显降温事件，可以与Heinrich事件2（H2）对比，说明全球降温的同步性。本研究说明末次盛冰期（20-16ka BP），在全球气候变冷的背景下，存在一个冬季风不断加强夏季风逐渐变弱的过程。     

Holocene climate variation determined from rubidium and strontium contents and ratios of sediments collected from the BadainJaran Desert,Inner Mongolia,China

Rubidium (Rb) and strontium (Sr) contents and ratios were analyzed in 197 sediment samples collected from the CGS1 segment of the Chagelebulu Section in the Badain Jaran Desert of China to study millennial scale climate change during the Holocene. The results showed that the Rb and Sr contents and Rb/Sr ratios were low in the samples of dune sands and loess (Mz < 5.64Φ), and those values were high in the samples of loess (Mz > 5.64Φ) and paleosols, these data displayed 11 changing cycles in alternation of peaks and valleys in the chart. In addition, the Rb contents were positively correlated with Mz (mean particle diameter) and clay contents. While the correlations were weaker, Sr contents also showed a tendency to increase with increases in the Mz and clay contents. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the distribution of Rb and Sr within the CGS1 segment, it appears that the observed Rb and Sr contents and ratios varied in accordance with fluctuations of the East Asian winter and summer monsoons. In terms of timing and climate, low values (C1–C11) resulting from winter monsoons had a strong correlation with cold events in the North Atlantic: the period C1 corresponded to times ranging from 400 a to 1400 a and the periods C2, C3, C4, C7, C9, C10, and C11 corresponded to times of 3000 a, 4000 a, 5900 a, 8200 a, 9400 a, 10,300 a, and 11,000 a, respectively. The cold event C5 (6200 a) was also discovered in the North Atlantic in recent; and C6 (7100 a), C8 (8700 a) were discovered in some other places of China. These cold events indicated by Rb and Sr contents and ratios in the Chagelebulu Section of the Badain Jaran Desert recorded the regional response of global climate change during the Holocene.     

New insights on Late Quaternary Asian palaeomonsoon variability and the timing of the Last Glacial Maximum in southwestern China

A ～6.35 m core (06SD) was retrieved from Lake Shudu, Yunnan Province, China. The sediments spanning the period ～22.6–10.5 kcal. yr BP (6.35–1.44 m) were analysed using a combination of variables including pollen, charcoal, particle size, magnetic susceptibility and loss-on-ignition. The resulting palaeorecord provides a high-resolution reconstruction of Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene climatic and environmental changes in southwestern China. Our findings indicate that from c. 22.6 to 17.7 kcal. yr BP, vegetation assemblages were primarily aligned to sparse xerophytic grassland/tundra or cold-tolerant boreal Pinus forest, indicating that climatic conditions in southwestern China were cold and dry. However, from c. 17.7 to 17.4 kcal. yr BP, the Lake Shudu record is punctuated by marked environmental changes. These include the establishment of denser vegetation cover, a marked expansion of boreal Pinus forest and enhanced hydrological activity in the catchment over centennial timescales, perhaps suggesting that stepwise variations in the Asian Monsoon were triggering fundamental environmental changes over sub-millennial timescales. Thereafter, the pollen record captures a period of environmental instability reflected in fluctuations across all of the variables, which persists until c. 17.1 kcal. yr BP. After c. 17.1 kcal. yr BP, the expansion of steppe vegetation cover and cold–cool mixed forest consisting of mesophilous vegetation such as Tsuga and Picea, thermophilous trees including Ulmus and deciduous Quercus inferred from the Lake Shudu pollen record point to the establishment of warmer, wetter and perhaps more seasonal conditions associated with a strengthening Asian Summer Monsoon during the shift from Pleistocene to Holocene climatic conditions.     

Last Glacial Maximum dune activity in the Kalahari Desert of southern Africa: observations and simulations

It has long been understood that as ephemeral landscape features sand dunes are highly sensitive to environmental change, and thus their distribution and the timing of their development may provide clues to past climate dynamics. The relationship between climate and dune activity, however, is neither simple nor straightforward, with a range of controls affecting the balance between erodibility (the availability of sediment for deflation) and erosivity (the potential for sediment transport). To explore such complex systems over large spatial and temporal scales, a number of dune activity indices (DAI) have been created that incorporate wind speed and moisture balances to calculate the potential for, and degree of dune mobilisation. Using modern weather station data, these indices have generally been shown to provide reasonable indications of dune activity potential. Until recently, however, the detailed quantitative data required to inform these equations has not been available for past climate scenarios, and attempts to determine the relative importance of the various controls of dune activity have relied on rough estimations of climatic parameters. This paper combines data from monthly general circulation model (GCM) outputs from the coupled Ocean-Atmosphere GCMs for 21 ka with the most detailed DAI equation presently available to calculate the potential for dune reactivation in southern Africa during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, 18–24 ka). Based on these data and calculations it is indicated that there was significantly less potential for dune activity across southern Africa at 21 ka. When compared to the aeolian sediment records from the region, this study poses serious and fundamental questions about: 1) the reliability of the model outputs, 2) the degree to which DAIs are able to account for the complexity and dynamics of aeolian systems, and/or 3) the interpretation of dune records as palaeoclimatic proxies at millennial time scales.     

New evidence for a reduced water balance in East Africa during the Last Glacial Maximum: implication for model-data comparison

Some syntheses of lake-level data for the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in East Africa (10°N and 30°S, East of 25°E) show apparently wetter conditions than present for some basins, whereas palaeovegetation reconstruction indicates a generally dry climate. PMIP GCM simulations for the LGM support both scenarios for this region when run under different boundary conditions. Here, we compare three new records from lakes in the data-poor southern part of East Africa; Lake Malawi, Lake Massoko, and Lake Rukwa. We also re-assess previously published lake-level data and apply a salinity transfer function to the diatom record from Lake Manyara. Our results show that in contrast to previous interpretations, these lakes were at least as low as today at the LGM and are thus in agreement with the palaeovegetation data. Relative drought across East Africa is best simulated by GCMs that use computed SSTs rather than the higher CLIMAP values. Lower SSTs and the presence of the Northern Hemisphere ice sheets must have been dominant over any monsoon precipitation rise caused by astronomically induced summer insolation enhancement in the southern African tropics.     

从UB-2孔硅藻记录看末次冰期至早全新世日本海古海洋环境

日本海南部郁陵海盆的UB-2孔沉积物硅藻记录,反映了11000—28000aBP该区古海洋和古气候的变化。对比日本海和格陵兰冰芯(GRIP)δ18O数据,UB-2孔硅藻暖水种比率及淡水—海滨种含量变化清楚地记录了氧同位素3期(MIS3)、末次盛冰期(LGM)、波令—阿勒罗德暖期(B/A)以及新仙女木冷事件(YD)等古气候事件。淡水—海滨种硅藻含量在末次盛冰期阶段明显升高及暖水种数量的显著减少,表明此时日本海为低温、低盐的古海洋环境,这可归因于气候变冷、海平面下降造成的日本海当时相对封闭的海洋环境。自15200aBP起,Paraliasulcata含量逐渐上升,这可能与海平面上升引起的古环境变化有关,可以作为对马海峡开启的标志。全球气候变化引起的海平面变化是该区域古气候变化的主要控制因素。     

Li,F and Rb contents and Ba/Rb and Rb/Sr ratios as indicators of postmagmatic alteration and mineralization in the granitic rocks of the Banke and Ririwai Younger Granite complexes,Northern Nigeria

The Banke and Ririwai complexes have plutonic phases of igneous activity composed mainly of granitic rocks. These granitic ring complexes are associated with Sn-Nb mineralization and are characterized by high Li, F and Rb contents and Rb/Sr ratios, and low Ba and Sr contents and Ba/Rb ratios. — The altered and mineralized granites have variable Rb/Sr and Ba/Rb ratios differing significantly from those of fresh rocks. These ratios as well as the Li, F and Rb concentrations are good indicators of granitic rocks associated with postmagmatic alteration and mineralization providing valuable tools for Sn-Nb exploration within the Nigerian Younger Granite province.     

Evidence for a change in wind regime during the Last Glacial Maximum from the Sydney region

This paper presents the results of a small number of dates from sand samples collected at building sites in the eastern suburbs of Sydney. OSL ages of well-sorted, quartz sand ranges from 31 to 24?ka from within well-developed podzol soil profiles within a metre of the surface. The source of this sand appears to be from the east off the inner continental shelf during a period just prior to the maximum of the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM, Marine Isotope Stage 2) when sea-level was approximately 70–90 m below present level. During a later phase of the LGM, there is evidence from other coastal sites in central NSW and Gippsland, Victoria, that the dominant wind was from the west consistent with evidence from arid and semiarid Australia. Dune orientations in northern NSW into Queensland and other evidence at this time appear to reflect winds from the southeast quadrant. This study highlights the existence of a potential pivot area in dominant wind direction during the LGM between sustained westerly flow in southern area including Victoria and northeast Tasmania and southeast flow of northern NSW into Queensland. In central NSW, the circulation switched from easterly in Stage 2 to westerly as the glacial stage intensified in the LGM sometime after ca 25?ka.     

Variation of Rb/Sr Ratios in the Loess-Paleosol Sequences of Central China during the Last 130,000 Years and Their Implications for Monsoon Paleoclimatology

Rb, Sr, and magnetic susceptibility have been measured in the last interglacial–glacial loess profiles at Luochuan and Huanxian, central China. A high degree of similarity between the parameters in both profiles suggests that variations of Rb/Sr ratios in the sequence can be regarded as an indicator of East Asian summer monsoon strength. Matching the Rb/Sr record with the SPECMAP δ¹⁸O curve suggests that the Rb/Sr ratio responds sensitively to changes of the East Asian monsoon induced by global ice-volume variation.