Millennial-scale oscillations of the westerly jet path during the last glacial period

It has been established that East Asian summer monsoon intensity varies with Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles, suggesting a connection between the climates of East Asia and the North Atlantic on a millennial timescale. However, the dynamics of such a connection are still unsolved. Here we demonstrate that temporal changes in the provenance of aeolian dust in Japan Sea sediments, which we interpret to reflect changes in the westerly jet path over East Asia, exhibit variations in harmony with Dansgaard–Oeschger cycles. The dominance of dust with a Mongolian Gobi provenance during stadials suggests a westerly jet axis located to the south of the Himalaya–Tibetan Plateau throughout most of the year, whereas the co-dominance of dust from both the Taklimakan Desert and the Mongolian Gobi during interstadials suggests that the westerly jet axis jumped to the north of the Tibetan Plateau at latest in summer. As the shift of the westerly jet axis to the north of the Tibetan Plateau is closely related to the onset of the East Asian summer monsoon, changes of the westerly jet path apparently critically affect the teleconnection between the climates of Asia and North Atlantic on a millennial timescale.     

Southern Westerlies during the last glacial maximum

Vegetation and climate over approximately the past 13,000 yr are reconstructed from fossil pollen in a 9.4-m mire section at Caleta Róbalo on Beagle Channel, Isla Navarino (54°56′S, 67°38′W), southern Tierra del Fuego. Fifty surface samples reflecting modern pollen dispersal serve to interpret the record. Chronologically controlled by nine radiocarbon dates, fossil pollen assemblages are: Empetrum-Gramineae-Gunnera-Tubuliflorae (zone 3b, 13,000–11,850 yr B.P.), Gramineae-Empetrum-assorted minor taxa (zone 3a, 11,850-10,000 yr B.P.), Nothofagus-Gramineae-Tubuliflorae-Polypodiaceae (zone 2, 10,000–5000 yr B.P.), Nothofagus-Empetrum (zone 1b, 5000-3000 yr B.P.), and Empetrum-Nothofagus (zone 1a, 3000-0 yr B.P.). Assemblages show tundra under a cold, dry climate (zone 3), followed by open woodland (zone 2), as conditions became warmer and less dry, and later, with greater humidity and lower temperatures, by closed forest and the spread of mires (zone 1). Comparisons drawn with records from Antarctica, New Zealand, Tasmania, and the subantarctic islands demonstrate broadly uniform conditions in the circumpolar Southern Hemisphere. The influences of continental and maritime antarctic air masses were apparently considerable in Tierra del Fuego during cold late-glacial time, whereas Holocene climate was largely regulated by interplay between maritime polar and maritime tropical air.     

中亚黄土沉积与西风区末次冰期快速气候变化

气候快速变化过程与机制一直是古气候研究的热点科学问题,随着不同地区高分辨率地质记录的增多,年代学方法的改进,此类快速气候变化事件的区域差异性日益突出,对比和认识这些区域之间的变化细节,有助于认识快速气候变化的规律和驱动机制。文章以中亚黄土为主要研究对象,根据黄土沉积特征与现代气候特征,将中亚黄土分为西部、北部和东部3个亚区,在总结中亚西风区黄土古气候研究进展的基础上,回顾了近年来中亚地区末次冰期西风区气候突变事件研究现状与问题,初步探讨了在亚轨道尺度上末次冰期快速气候变化发生过程和机制。结果表明,粒度、矿物学、地球化学等指标均指示中亚这3个黄土亚区末次冰期确实存在千年尺度的快速气候波动信号,但在年代和变率上存在区域差异,这种差异除了缺乏精确的年代学控制外,还与区域水热组合和区域地形结构有关。这些冷暖的快速气候变化与北大西洋高纬地区冰盖收缩扩张、西伯利亚高压强度和范围的变化导致风动力变化和西风带南北迁移有关。今后需进一步加强高分辨率年代序列的建立,进一步遴选中亚黄土中有效的、能够独立反映风力强度、源区信息、古温度、古降水等代用指标,并结合古气候模拟试验研究其驱动机制。

     

Direct evidence of central European forest refugia during the last glacial period based on mollusc fossils

Although there is evidence from molecular studies for the existence of central European last glacial refugia for temperate species, there is still a great lack of direct fossil records to confirm this theory. Here we bring such evidence in the form of fossil shells from twenty strictly forest land snail species, which were recorded in radiocarbon-dated late glacial or older mollusc assemblages of nine non-interrupted mollusc successions situated in the Western Carpathians, and one in the Bohemian Massif. We proposed that molluscs survived the last glacial period in central Europe in isolated small patches of broadleaf forest, which we unequivocally demonstrate for two sites of last glacial maximum age.     

Status of glacial Lake Columbia during the last floods from glacial Lake Missoula

The last floods from glacial Lake Missoula, Montana, probably ran into glacial Lake Columbia, in northeastern Washington. In or near Lake Columbia's Sanpoil arm, Lake Missoula floods dating from late in the Fraser glaciation produced normally graded silt beds that become thinner upsection and which alternate with intervals of progressively fewer varves. The highest three interflood intervals each contain only one or two varves, and about 200–400 successive varves conformably overlie the highest flood bed. This sequence suggests that jökulhlaup frequency progressively increased until Lake Missoula ended, and that Lake Columbia outlasted Lake Missoula. The upper Grand Coulee, Lake Columbia's late Fraser-age outlet, contains a section of 13 graded beds, most of them sandy and separated by varves, that may correlate with the highest Missoula-flood beds of the Sanpoil River valley. The upper Grand Coulee also contains probable correlatives of many of the approximately 200–400 succeeding varves, as do nearby parts of the Columbia River valley. This collective evidence casts doubt on a prevailing hypothesis according to which one or more late Fraser-age floods from Lake Missoula descended the Columbia River valley with little or no interference from Lake Columbia's Okanogan-lobe dam.     

Interstadial records of the last glacial period at Pantai Remis,Malaysia

Two eustatic high sea stands during the last glacial period are recognised at Pantai Remis. These highstands, lower than present-day sea-level, are tropical manifestations of the ameliorating interstadial climate during the Weichselian/Devensian/Wisconsin glaciation in the Northern Hemisphere. The earlier highstand corresponds to a sea-level of 14.6 m below mean sea-level (MSL). It is interpreted as synchronous with Oyxgen Isotope Stage 5a and is correlated with other known sea-level curves in other parts of the world. The younger high sea stand, dated 55810 ± 1140 to 53870 ± 1400 yr BP, indicates sea-level of 4.3 m below MSL. It represents an interstadial equivalent that lasted for at least 2000 yr, whereas the earlier interstadial period indicates a minimum duration of twice this amount or very likely even longer, as reflected from the thickness of the accumulated deposits. The palynological records indicate that during interstadial times, climatic stability in the tropics is attained and was sufficiently long for vegetation to thrive and develop. The palynofloral constituents of the earlier interstadial phase at Pantai Remis showed the establishment of vegetation in a coastal setting, initiated by Pandanus swamp forests. Simultaneously, mangrove swamp flourished in the lower lying parts of the area, hence the presence of direct tidal influence is evident. Both the Pandanus and mangrove swamps were succeeded by mixed freshwater swamp forests of a Campnosperma–Calophyllum assemblage. Subsequently a slightly open and somewhat drier mixed swamp forest prevailed, marked by the increase in fern spore representation. The later interstadial phase showed shorter vegetation successions, which commenced on the landward edge of a mangrove swamp forest. The mangrove was successively replaced by strand forest, as indicated by domination of Casuarina equisetifolia. The palynological assemblages in both the interstadial periods indicate similarity to the present-day coastal vegetation. This implies that during the interstadials the climate in the lowlands of Peninsular Malaysia and presumably throughout the equatorial region, was as that prevailing today. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Map of vegetation during the last glacial maximum in Japan

A vegetation map reconstructed for the Japanese Archipelago (based upon pollen data from 28 sites and plant macrofossil data from 33 sites) at the time of last glacial maximum shows that coniferous forests covered extensive areas of the land. Boreal conifer forests (dominated by the Picea jezoensis complex, P. glehnii, Abies sachalinensis, A. mariesii, Tsuga diversifolia, and Pinus with Larix gmelinii, though the latter species was confined only to the northern part of northeastern Honshu and Hokkaido) occupied the modern cool-temperature deciduous broadleaf and mid-temperate conifer forest zones, and temperate coniferous forests (mainly Picea maximowiczii, P. polita, P. bicolor, P. koyamai, Abies firma, A. homolepis, Tsuga sieboldii, and Pinus), the present warm-temperate evergreen (laurilignosa) forest zone. Small populations of various broadleaf forest species were scattered in the full-glacial temperate conifer forest mainly along the coastal belt, and the true laurilignosa forest was limited in distribution, occurring only in the paleo-Yaku Peninsula.     

Vegetation and climate during the last glacial maximum in Japan

The Japanese Archipelago was almost entirely covered by coniferous forests during the last glacial maximum. Northern Hokkaido was distinguished by coniferous parkland and tundra vegetation, while southern Hokkaido and northernmost Honshu were covered by northern boreal coniferous forests consisting mainly of Picea jezoensis, Picea glehnii, Abies sachalinensis, and Larix gmelinii; Tsuga was missing from the forest. More diverse boreal forests including species from Sakhalin and northern Japan grew together in northeastern Honshu. Central Honshu and the mountains of southwestern Japan supported subalpine coniferous forests which are now mainly restricted in distribution to the central mountains. Temperate coniferous forests (Picea polita, Abies firma, and Tsuga sieboldii) existed principally in the modern mid-temperate and evergreen laurel-oak forest regions. Haploxylon pine and tree birch were also abundant in the boreal and cool-temperate zones, as was Diploxylon in the southern temperate zone. Significant populations of Fagus were found along the Pacific coasts of Kyushu and Shikoku, but they were too small to be defined as a beech forest zone. Quercetum mixtum (Quercus, Ulmus, and Tilia) was more common in the coastal lowlands of southwestern Japan than those of northeastern Honshu; it was completely eliminated from Hokkaido. The reduced mean August temperature inferred from the floral assemblages showed a latitudinal gradient 20,000 yr ago; it was 8–9°C in northern Hokkaido, 7.7–8.7°C in northernmost Honshu, 7.2–8.4°C in the central mountains, 6.5°C in the Chugoku District, and 5–6°C in Kyushu. The probable annual precipitation ranged from 1050 to 1300 mm along coasts in southwestern Japan during the culmination of the last glaciation.     

Tropical sea-surface temperatures during the last glacial period: a view based on alkenones in Indian Ocean sediments

The qualitification of tropical temperatures during the last glacial cycle (0-150 kyr BP) is a controversial issue since different proxies seem to provide conflicting informations. To obtain a complementary point of view, we use the alkenone method to estimate sea-surface temperatures and focus our work on deep-sea sediments recovered from the tropical Indian Ocean. We present alkenone data obtained in two cores which cover in detail the last deglaciation and in about twenty cores distributed between 20°S and 20°N that were chosen to evaluate the temperature contrast of the last glacial-interglacial transition. Our results indicate that Indian Ocean tropical temperatures remained an average within 1.5-2.5°C of their present values during the last glaciation. At 10°N the last deglaciation is characterized by two warming steps which is similar to the classical deglacial chronology observed in the North Atlantic area. At 20°S the deglacial warming occurred at ca. 15 cal kyr BP, lagging significantly (5-4 kyr) behind the Antarctic warming, but in phase with northern hemisphere time series.     

Fingerprint of tropical climate variability and sea level in sediments of the Cariaco Basin during the last glacial period

High‐resolution palaeorecords of climate are critical to improving current understanding of climate variability, its sensitivity and impact on the environment in the past and in the future. Sediments from the Cariaco Basin off the coast of Venezuela have proven to be sensitive recorders of tropical palaeoclimate variability down to an annual scale. However, the fingerprint of climate and sea level in the sediments of the last glacial period is still not completely understood. In this study, lamination analysis of sediments from the Cariaco Basin is extended to the last glacial period. Detailed sedimentological and geochemical analysis (laser ablation–inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry) reveals couplets of light‐coloured, terrigenous‐rich and dark‐coloured, biogenic opal‐rich laminae, which are interpreted to reflect the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. In addition, a previously undescribed, nearly pure terrigenous lamina type is observed, which is referred to hereafter as a ‘C‐layer’. The C‐layers in the sedimentary sequence are interpreted as flood layers that originate from local rivers. The occurrence of these C‐layers is investigated for two core locations in the Cariaco Basin over the last 110 kyr by continuous X‐ray fluorescence scanning. Dansgaard–Oeschger oscillations are most clearly traced by proxies reflecting productivity and marine organic matter content of the sediment. In contrast, the abundance of terrigenous material differs at times between the two sites. On an interglacial to glacial timescale, the ability to record events causing C‐layers is likely to be influenced by changes in sea level and source proximity. On a millennial scale, both sediment cores contain more C‐layers during warmer interstadials compared with colder stadials during Marine Isotope Stage 3. This finding implies that interstadials were not only wetter than stadials, but probably also characterized by increased rainfall variability, leading to an enhanced frequency of flooding events in the hinterland of the Cariaco Basin.     

Neotropical vegetation response to rapid climate changes during the last glacial period: Palynological evidence from the Cariaco Basin

We present new palynological information from the anoxic Cariaco Basin, off Venezuela, that provides insight into the response of northernmost South American vegetation to rapid climate changes between 68 and 28 ka, specifically during North Atlantic Heinrich events (HEs) and Dansgaard/Oeschger cycles. We defined three different vegetation modes: (1) an interstadial mode characterized by the highest pollen concentration and the maximum extension of semi-deciduous and evergreen forests; (2) a stadial mode characterized by increases of salt marshes, herbs, and montane forests; and (3) a Heinrich event mode characterized by the lowest pollen concentrations, abrupt increases of salt marshes, and decreased forest abundance. Similarly, indices of C4/C3 plants show increases during stadials with clear peaks during the onset of HEs, though grasslands did not become dominant during these periods. We alternatively propose that these expansions of C4 plants are associated with the expansion of coastal salt marshes. Our vegetation record suggests the prevalence of humid conditions during interstadials, dry and cold conditions during stadials, and dry and cold conditions together with changes in sea level during HEs. This new palynological evidence supports previous interpretations that main environmental changes in northernmost South America were driven by latitudinal displacements of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and sea-level changes.     

Paleoenvironment and stratigraphy during the last glacial in the Belgian-Dutch border region

The Weichselian deposits of the flat Dutch-Belgian coversand area are characterized by highly varying facies types. The geomorphological location and the role of water during the deposition and the transportation of the original eolian sediments may fully explain the texture and sedimentary structures of the lithostratigraphic units. Directly deposited eolian loams and sands on the dry interfluves contrast with the same, but reworked, sediments in wet valleys and depressions. The formation of periglacial phenomena is also dependent on the geomorphologic, lithologic, and hydrologic conditions. The occurrence of peaty beds is restricted to wet environments without precise climatic significance. The Pleniglacial sequence is subdivided into early and late Pleniglacial stades, both characterized by (partial) permafrost conditions, interrupted by a middle Pleniglacial interstadial complex with clearly milder conditions.     

Evidence of reworking and resuspension of carbonates during last glacial maximum and early deglacial period along the southwest coast of India

A gravity core collected from the upper slope of southwest of Quilon at a water depth of 776 m (Lat: 8°12′263″N, Long: 76°28′281″E) was analysed for texture (carbonate free), calcium carbonate and organic carbon. Variation in silicic fraction seems to be controlled by silt, i.e., enrichment from 15 ka BP to 10 ka BP and then constant in Holocene. Below 15 ka BP, the silicic fraction gets depleted compared to the Holocene section with a minimum around 21 ka BP. Clay content remains nearly constant except in the Holocene where it shows an enrichment. Carbonate content of less than 63 micron when computed by subtracting coarse fraction content from the total carbonate suggests that the total carbonates are mainly concentrated in the finer fraction. All these carbonate phases show an inverse relationship with silicic fraction except in Holocene. Below 15 ka BP, CaCO₃ dominates in sediments comprising more than 65%, such an increase is also seen in the coarse fraction. Coarse fraction from these sections contains abundant nodular type aggregates encrusting small forams. This period is marked by a high sedimentation rate comparable to Holocene. These parameters suggest that the productivity and precipitation have increased in the Holocene due to the intensification of the southwest monsoon. During the last glacial maximum and early deglacial period the high sedimentation rate indicates redeposition of the carbonates from the existing carbonate lithofacies situated between Quilon and Cape Comorin probably due to the slope instability.     

Character of vegetational and environmental changes in southern Europe during the last glacial period; evidence from Lesvos Island,Greece

This paper presents high-resolution results of palynological and sedimentological analyses undertaken on two sediment cores from the Megali Limni (ML) basin, an area characterised by serpentine soils, in the southeastern part of Lesvos Island, Greece. Six tephra horizons and multiple radiocarbon dates provide independent controls towards the development of a chronological framework. The composite pollen record spans the period from 22 to 62 thousand years ago (ka) BP and shows a number of oscillations between steppe, forest-steppe and forest, in concert with North Atlantic millennial-scale variability. Vegetation during the late Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 4 was grassland/steppe, indicating cold and arid conditions, while sediment composition suggests increased erosion rates. Arboreal populations (dominated by Pinus and to a lesser extent deciduous Quercus) expanded during MIS 3 interstadials, suggesting increases in precipitation and temperature. Within the course of the longer interstadials, changes in vegetation composition point to a trend towards increased aridity and sometimes decreasing winter temperatures. During intervening stadials, vegetation was composed mainly of Artemisia, Chenopodiaceae and Gramineae, indicating reversals to arid and cold conditions, with most extreme conditions recorded during stadials corresponding to Heinrich Events. During the course of MIS 3, the basin was progressively infilled with sediments. Only a small portion of MIS 2 is represented in the sequence, showing a short-lived expansion of arboreal populations. Comparisons with other pollen sequences from southern Europe underscore the important role of Pinus throughout the last glacial period, a reflection of the serpentine soils of the Megali Limni area, where Pinus brutia dominates today.     

High-resolution climate records from two stalagmites in Qixin Cave, southern Guizhou, and Heinrich events during the last glacial period

The time sequence of high-resolution paleoclimatic changes since the last glacial period--60,500 yr B.P.--has been reconstructed with high-precision TIMS-U series dates and analyses of the oxygen isotopes from Q4 and Q6 stalagmites of the Qixin Cave in southern Guizhou. Comparative analyses of δ^18O curves from the GISP2‘ ice core and the two stalagmites shows that the depositional records of the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycle events 1-18 and Heinrich‘s events H1-H5 from the records of the two stalagmites reflect rapid climate changes over a short time scale since the last glacial stage, and indicates the precise boundary lines at which the cold events occurred. The study results have shown that the records of the cold and warm events from the two stalagmites since 60,500 yr B.P. are the reflection of the paleo-monsoon circulation. Changes are clearly affected by the climate oscillation of the North Atlantic Ocean, and indicate that they have a strong teleconnection with the paleoclimate changes that occurred in the North Polar region. The records of δ^18O from the Q4 and Q6 stalagmites indicate that the δ^18O values from 60,590 yr B.P. to 11,290 yr B.P. changed from a more negative (or lighter)drift to a heavier or positive drift trend in the last glacial period. The data reflect the weakening of the Asian summer monsoon and the climate which generally became drier and cooler.     

雅鲁藏布江大拐弯地区末次冰期以来的冰川活动证据及其构造—环境意义

本文重点讨论雅鲁藏布江大拐弯入口地区末次冰期以来冰川活动的地貌学、14C和10Be定年结果及其构造—环境意义。在海拔3,200m的观景台发现距今24～18ka的冰砾阜,说明末次盛冰期时大拐弯入口地区有大规模的冰川下移现象,并阻塞了雅鲁藏布江主河道,形成堰塞湖,暗示雅鲁藏布江在末次盛冰期时已经下切到与目前接近的深度。在海拔3,150m的打林村阶地,其4级阶地上的砾石10Be暴露年龄显示该阶地形成于距今9.0～8.7ka的末次冰期与新冰期之间的间冰期,意味着这一期间则隆弄冰川再次下移导致阻江。近60年来则隆弄冰川3次跃动,两度阻江,是20世纪3次气候突变的表征。雅鲁藏布江大拐弯入口地区末次盛冰期以来的冰川进退历史对气候变化有良好的指示作用,该历史与大拐弯入口地区的构造地质背景有密切的联系。     

Interglacial insects and their possible survival in Greenland during the last glacial stage

Sediments from the last interglacial (Eemian) in Jameson Land, East Greenland, and the Thule area, NW Greenland, have revealed a number of insect fragments of both arctic and more or less warmth‐demanding species. Altogether, the interglacial fauna of Coleoptera (beetles) indicates boreal conditions. Undoubtedly, a large fraction of the insect fauna succumbed when the mild Eemian climate cooled drastically during the last glacial stage. However, a group of hardy species now found far north into the High Arctic might be glacial survivors. It is, however, still puzzling why well‐adapted arctic beetle species such as Amara alpina and Isochnus arcticus did not survive the last glacial stage in Greenland. Two factors that have not been sufficiently considered when discussing survival contra extinction are the importance of microclimate and the number of sun‐hours during the Arctic summer. Even among the Coleoptera, which as a group fares quite badly in the Arctic, there might be survivors, at least among those found both during the interglacial and as fossils during the early Holocene. First of all, glacial survival applies to the seed bug Nysius groenlandicus, which was widespread during the Eemian, was found soon after the last deglaciation, and is now almost omnipresent in Greenland.     

Sub‐millennial climate shifts in the western Mediterranean during the last glacial period recorded in a speleothem from Mallorca,Spain

Very few high‐resolution and directly dated terrestrial archives of the last glacial period exist for the western Mediterranean region, yet this is a key locality for recording sub‐millennial North Atlantic and Mediterranean climate change. Here, we present evidence of effective precipitation changes based on growth history and δ¹³C of calcite in a Mallorcan stalagmite that grew between 112 and 48 ka. Effective precipitation in Mallorca appears to have been sensitive to proximal sea surface temperature variations and at certain times, ca. 76 ka for example, changed rapidly from moist to arid conditions in only a few centuries. A sea‐level highstand during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5a interrupted growth. Regrowth started promptly after this, but effective precipitation decreased markedly for much of the later part of MIS 5a, and also for shorter periods correlative with Heinrich events H8 (ca. 90 ka) and H6 (ca. 65 ka), with growth ceasing during H5 (ca. 48 ka). Arid episodes in Mallorca appear to be expressions of extremely cold periods recorded further north in Europe and occur contemporaneously with rapid decreases in Greenland temperature. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.