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.     

Humification degrees of a lacustrine sedimentary sequence as an indicator of past climatic changes in the last c. 49 000 years in South China

Zhong, W., Ma, Q. H., Xue, J. B., Zheng, Y. M., Cai, Y. & Ou, Y. J. 2009: Humification degrees of a lacustrine sedimentary sequence as an indicator of past climatic changes in the last c. 49 000 years in South China. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00119.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. An 860 cm long sediment core recovered from Dahu Swamp was used to test the potential of the degree of humification (expressed as the corrected absorbance values, HD_cab) of lacustrine sediments as an indicator of past climatic changes in South China. The chronological sequence of this core was established using 10 AMS ¹⁴C dates and 10 conventional ¹⁴C dates and gives the bottom age of c. 48 800 cal. yr BP. Based on comparisons with multiproxy records, such as lithological variation, organic carbon isotope ratio, organic matter content and dry bulk density, we infer that the HD_cab record is sensitive to local hydrological variations that are closely related to the East Asian (EA) summer monsoon precipitation. Higher HD_cab values would indicate relatively drier conditions, suggesting a weakening of the EA summer monsoon and vice versa. Based on the HD_cab, as well as other multiproxies, the climatic history in the last c. 49 000 years in the swamp area shows agreement with the Chinese stalagmite record and with the 25°N summer solar insolation, implying that orbitally induced insolation may have played a role in the last glacial period (LGP) climate in South China. Several millennial‐scale dry phases during the LGP show similarities with the stadials revealed by the ice core record in Greenland and from the Chinese cave stalagmites. Our study demonstrates that the HD_cab of lacustrine sediments is a useful proxy of past climatic changes in South China.     

Holocene development and permafrost history in sub‐arctic peatlands in Tavvavuoma,northern Sweden

Under changing climatic conditions permafrost peatlands can play an important role in the global carbon budget through permafrost carbon feedbacks and shifts in carbon assimilation. To better predict future dynamics in these ecosystems an increased understanding of their Holocene carbon and permafrost history is needed. In Tavvavuoma, northern Sweden, we have performed detailed analyses of vegetation succession and geochemical properties at six permafrost peatland sites. Peatland initiation took place around 10 000 to 9600 cal. a BP, soon after retreat of the Fennoscandian Ice Sheet, and the peatlands have remained permafrost‐free fens throughout most of the Holocene. At the four sites that showed a continuous accumulation record during the late Holocene radiocarbon dating of the shift from wet fen to dry bog vegetation, characteristic of the present permafrost peatland surface, suggests that permafrost developed at around 600–100 cal. a BP. At the other two sites peat accumulation was halted during the late Holocene, possibly due to abrasion, making it more difficult to imply the timing of permafrost aggradation. However also at these sites there are no indications of permafrost inception prior to the Little Ice Age. The mean long‐term Holocene carbon accumulation rate at all six sites was 12.3±2.4 gC m⁻² a⁻¹ (±SD), and the mean soil organic carbon storage was 114±27 kg m⁻².     

Climatic changes since the last deglaciation inferred from a lacustrine sedimentary sequence in the eastern Nanling Mountains,south China

Two sediment cores recovered from Dahu Swamp, which is located in eastern Nanling Mountains in south China, were selected for investigation of palaeoclimatic changes. Multi‐proxy records of the two cores including lithological variation, organic carbon isotope ratio, dry bulk density, organic matter content, magnetic susceptibility, humification degree, median grain size and geochemical proxies reveal that during the last deglaciation three drier phases correspond to the Oldest, Older and Younger Dryas cooling events, and the intercalated two wetter phases synchronise with the Bølling and Allerød warming events. The Holocene Optimum, which was resulted from a strengthening of the East Asian (EA) summer monsoon, occurred in the early and mid Holocene (ca. 10–6 cal. ka BP). In the mid and late Holocene (ca. 6–3 cal. ka BP), a prevailing dry climate suggested a weakening of the EA summer monsoon. The general trend of Holocene climatic changes in this study agrees with the 25° N summer solar insolation, suggesting that orbitally induced insolation may have played an important role in the Holocene climate in the study region. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Climatic and topographic controls on the style and timing of Late Quaternary glaciation throughout Tibet and the Himalaya defined by 10Be cosmogenic radionuclide surface exposure dating

Temporal and spatial changes in glacier cover throughout the Late Quaternary in Tibet and the bordering mountains are poorly defined because of the inaccessibility and vastness of the region, and the lack of numerical dating. To help reconstruct the timing and extent of glaciation throughout Tibet and the bordering mountains, we use geomorphic mapping and ¹⁰Be cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) surface dating in study areas in southeastern (Gonga Shan), southern (Karola Pass) and central (Western Nyainqentanggulha Shan and Tanggula Shan) Tibet, and we compare these with recently determined numerical chronologies in other parts of the plateau and its borderlands. Each of the study regions receives its precipitation mainly during the south Asian summer monsoon when it falls as snow at high altitudes. Gonga Shan receives the most precipitation (>2000 mm a⁻¹) while, near the margins of monsoon influence, the Karola Pass receives moderate amounts of precipitation (500–600 mm a⁻¹) and, in the interior of the plateau, little precipitation falls on the western Nyainqentanggulha Shan (∼300 mm a⁻¹) and the Tanggula Shan (400–700 mm a⁻¹). The higher precipitation values for the Tanggula Shan are due to strong orographic effects. In each region, at least three sets of moraines and associated landforms are preserved, providing evidence for multiple glaciations. The ¹⁰Be CRN surface exposure dating shows that the formation of moraines in Gonga Shan occurred during the early–mid Holocene, Neoglacial and Little Ice Age, on the Karola Pass during the Lateglacial, Early Holocene and Neoglacial, in the Nyainqentanggulha Shan date during the early part of the last glacial cycle, global Last Glacial Maximum and Lateglacial, and on the Tanggula Shan during the penultimate glacial cycle and the early part of the last glacial cycle. The oldest moraine succession in each of these regions varies from the early Holocene (Gonga Shan), Lateglacial (Karola Pass), early Last Glacial (western Nyainqentanggulha Shan), and penultimate glacial cycle (Tanggula Shan). We believe that the regional patterns and timing of glaciation reflect temporal and spatial variability in the south Asian monsoon and, in particular, in regional precipitation gradients. In zones of greater aridity, the extent of glaciation has become increasingly restricted throughout the Late Quaternary leading to the preservation of old (≫100 ka) glacial landforms. In contrast, in regions that are very strongly influenced by the monsoon (≫1600 mm a⁻¹), the preservation potential of pre-Lateglacial moraine successions is generally extremely poor. This is possibly because Lateglacial and Holocene glacial advances may have been more extensive than early glaciations and hence may have destroyed any landform or sedimentary evidence of earlier glaciations. Furthermore, the intense denudation, mainly by fluvial and mass movement processes, which characterize these wetter environments, results in rapid erosion and re-sedimentation of glacial and associated landforms, which also contributes to their poor preservation potential.     

Late Holocene stable isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) records of lacustrine organic matter in Guangdong Province,south China,and their palaeoenvironmental implications

This study presents the results of TOC/TN (C/N) ratio, δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N analyses of lake sedimentary organic matter (OM) from the Hedong section, western Guangdong Province in south China, with the objective to reveal the history of hydrological and ecological variations in the region influenced by both the Indian summer monsoon (ISM) and East Asian summer monsoon (EASM). Variations in δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N of sedimentary OM may be closely related to past climatic conditions, which results in variations in surface runoff, lake level, allochthonous and autochthonous sources of OM, and lake productivity. Based on the interpretation of these proxies, four periods, i.e. 4370–4100, 3700–2900, 2400–2100 and 1900–900 cal. a BP, are characterized by low lake level, weakened surface runoff and deteriorated status of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, whereas the periods 4100–3700, 2900–2400, 2100–1900 and 900–600 cal. a BP are dominated by high lake level, strengthened surface runoff, and flourishing terrestrial and aquatic plants. A remarkable positive correlation between the δ¹³C values of the section and the ENSO number record obtained from the tropical Pacific implies that the impact of the ISM is greater than that of the EASM in the study area. The abnormal correspondence between the δ¹³C and solar activity reconstructed from ¹⁰Be and ¹⁴C records in GRIP ice‐core occurred from 1500–800 and particularly from 4200–4000 cal. a BP, suggesting that these two cool and dry intervals may be caused by stronger volcanic activities that are recorded in the GISP2 and Dome C ice‐cores. This study reveals that changes in solar insolation and solar activity, as well as changes in oceanic–atmospheric circulation (e.g. the ENSO intensity) and intensive volcano eruptions may have exerted influence on late Holocene climate variability in the study area.     

Variations of Indian monsoon precipitation during the last 32 kyr reflected in the surface hydrography of the Western Bay of Bengal

Hydrography of the Bay of Bengal is highly influenced by the river runoff and rainfall during the southwest monsoon. We have reconstructed δ¹⁸Osw, sea surface salinity and sea surface temperature (SST) changes in the Bay of Bengal by using paired measurements of δ¹⁸O and Mg/Ca in a planktonic foraminifera species Globigerinoides ruber from core SK218/1 in the western Bay of Bengal in order to understand the rainfall variability associated with southwest monsoon over the past 32 kyr. Our SST reconstructions reveal that Bay of Bengal was ～3.2 °C cooler during the LGM as compared to present day temperature and a ～3.5 °C rise in SST is documented from 17 to 10 ka. Both SST and δ¹⁸Osw exhibit greater amplitude fluctuations during MIS 2 which is attributable to the variability of NE monsoon rainfall and associated river discharge into the Bay of Bengal in association with strong seasonal temperature contrast. On set of strengthening phase of SW monsoon was started during Bølling/Allerød as evidenced by the low δ¹⁸Osw values ～14.7 ka. δ¹⁸Osw show consistently lower values during Holocene (with an exception around 5 ka), which suggests that the freshening of Bay of Bengal due to heavy precipitation and river discharge caused by strong SW monsoon. Results of this study signify that the maximum fluctuations of the NE monsoon rainfall during MIS 2 appear to be controlled by the strong seasonality and boundary conditions.     

A high‐resolution sea‐level proxy dated using quartz OSL from the Holocene Skagen Odde spit system,Denmark

The contact between wave‐influenced foreshore and aeolian‐influenced backshore sediments (BA boundary) in raised spit deposits (Skagen Odde) is here used as a proxy for palaeo‐sea level over the past 7600 years. The elevation of the BA boundary was measured at 57 sample sites along the northwestern coast of the spit, and the age of these sites determined by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz grains. The elevation of the BA boundary with age gives past variation in relative sea level; relative sea level rose between c. 7600 and c. 6250 years ago, when it reached a peak value around 12.5 m above present mean sea level (apmsl), followed by a slow sea‐level fall until c. 4600 years ago before it dropped rapidly to reach 2 m apmsl c. 2000 years ago. From the new data it is tentatively deduced that the land uplift rate declined from about 3 mm a⁻¹ 6000 years ago to about 1.5 mm a⁻¹ 2000 years ago (low estimate), or alternatively from 5 mm a⁻¹ 5000 years ago to 1.5 mm a⁻¹ 2000 years ago (extreme estimate). These data indicate that the long‐term average rate of vertical land movement during the past 5000 years was around 1.8 mm a⁻¹ (low estimate) or around 2.5 mm a⁻¹ (extreme estimate). These values seem reasonable compared with a modern value of about 1.6 to 1.7 mm a⁻¹. The lack of an independent data set illustrating the isostatic uplift history with time, however, precludes the construction of a well‐constrained eustatic sea‐level curve.     

Late Holocene (~ 2 ka) East Asian Monsoon variations inferred from river discharge and climate interrelationships in the Pearl River Estuary

A sediment core from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) was analyzed for grain size and organic geochemistry parameters (TOC and δ¹³C_org). The results showed that high mean grain-size value and increased sand content were correlated with the high TOC and negative δ¹³C_org. These results indicated high river runoff in the PRE area. Peak river discharge occurred during the periods 1900–1750, 1500–1600, 1400–1200, 1000–900 and 750–600 cal yr BP. The main changes recorded in grain-size distributions, TOC contents, and δ¹³C_org variations appear to be directly related to monsoon precipitation in the sediment source area. An increased East Asian summer monsoon rainfall (EASM) and/or an enhanced East Asian winter monsoon rainfall could result in the increasing of monsoon rainfall. Typhoon related rainfalls could act as positive influence on precipitation levels. The study of the correlations between the rainfall records and ENSO activities revealed a close relationship between the monsoon rainfall in the PRE and the tropical Pacific variations. The frequent occurrence of ENSO might result in the southern migration of the EASM rain belt and lead to more typhoon-derived rainfall in the PRD during the late Holocene.     

A detailed East Asian monsoon history surrounding the ‘Mystery Interval’ derived from three Chinese speleothem records

The ‘Mystery Interval’ (MI, 17.5−14.5 ka) was the first stage of the last deglaciation, a key interval for understanding mechanisms of glacial–interglacial cycles. To elucidate possible causes of the MI, here we present three high-resolution, precisely dated oxygen-isotope records of stalagmites from Qingtian and Hulu Caves in China, reflecting changes in the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) then. Based on well-established chronologies using precise ²³⁰Th dates and annual-band counting results, the two-cave δ¹⁸O profiles of ~ 7-yr resolution match well at decadal timescales. Both of the two-cave records document an abrupt weakening (2‰ of δ¹⁸O rise within 20 yr) in the EASM at ~ 16.1 ka, coinciding with the transition of the two-phased MI reconstructed from New Mexico's Lake Estancia. Our results indicate that the maximum southward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and associated southward shift of polar jet stream may generate this two-phase feature of the MI during that time. We also discover a linear relationship among decreasing EASM intensity, rising atmospheric CO₂ and weakening Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation between the MI and Younger Dryas episodes, suggesting a strong coupling of atmospheric/oceanic circulations in response to the millennial-scale forcing, which in turn regulates global climate changes and carbon cycles.     

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.     

Pollen and macrofossil‐inferred palaeoclimate at the Ridge Site,Hudson Bay Lowlands,Canada: evidence for a dry climate and significant recession of the Laurentide Ice Sheet during Marine Isotope Stage 3

We examine pollen, macrofossils and sedimentological proxies from the Ridge Site, an 18‐m sequence of glacial and non‐glacial sediments exposed along the bank of the Ridge River in the southern Hudson Bay Lowlands (HBL), Canada. As the HBL is located in the previously glaciated region of North America, palaeorecords from this region have important implications for understanding ice‐sheet palaeogeography and climate for the late Pleistocene. Two diamicton units were interpreted as subglacial till deposited by a glacier flowing toward the south‐southwest (lower diamicton) and west‐southwest (upper diamicton), respectively. Confined between these tills is a 6‐m non‐glacial unit, constrained to Marine Isotope Stage 3 (MIS 3; c. 57 000 to c. 29 000 a BP) by three radiocarbon dates. Quantitative analyses of the pollen record (dominated by Sphagnum, Cyperaceae, Pinus, Picea, Salix, Alnus and Betula) suggest that average summer temperature (June, July, August) was 14.6±1.51 °C, which is similar to that of the present day at the site. Total annual precipitation was 527±170 mm as compared to 705 mm present‐day. The macrofossil record confirmed the local presence of Betula, Salix and conifers. Our results, in combination with other records from the periphery of the Laurentide Ice Sheet, suggest that vast boreal forest‐type vegetation, along with a drier interstadial climate, existed in the region during MIS 3. We also compare pollen‐derived palaeoclimate reconstructions from the Ridge Site with reconstructions from a previously published site along the Nottaway River, HBL, which was dated to MIS 5a–d (c. 109 000 to c. 82 000 a BP). This comparison suggests that, with additional data, it may be possible to differentiate MIS 3 and MIS 5 deposits in the HBL on the basis of relative continentality, with MIS 3 characterized by lower total annual precipitation, and MIS 5 by values similar or greater than present‐day.     

East Asian summer monsoon intensity inferred from iron oxide mineralogy in the Xiashu Loess in southern China

The Xiashu Loess, in comparison to the well-studied loess sequences in the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP), provides a good opportunity for studying East Asian monsoon variations from a southern China perspective. Here we present a study of the iron oxide mineralogy of the Xiashu Loess using integrated geochemical and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) measurements as well as magnetic data. Our results show that the free iron oxide (Fe_d) to total iron (Fe_t) ratio (Fe_d/Fe_t), hematite (Hm) to goethite (Gt) ratio (Hm/Gt) and saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM) to magnetic susceptibility (χ) ratio (SIRM/χ) all indicate particularly strong summer monsoons during the formation of paleosols PS5 and PS4 (equivalent to Marine Isotope Stage 13 and 11, respectively). However, magnetic susceptibility and Fe_d/Fe_t are not consistently reliable indicators of summer monsoon intensity for the whole section. Our results indicate that a multi-proxy approach can give a more reliable summer monsoon intensity reconstruction. The summer monsoon shows a cooling trend and a declining of precipitation from 0.5 to ～0.3 Ma, after which it becomes warmer and wetter towards the top of paleosol PS1 (equivalent to MIS 5). However, PS1 was formed under a relatively cooler temperature and wetter soil conditions in comparison to PS5 and PS4. Such supra-orbital variations in the East Asian summer monsoon superimposed on the effects of glacial–interglacial cycles in southern China are also reflected in the 0.4–0.5 Ma cycle of marine carbon isotopes in the global ocean, possibly indicating a strong link between terrestrial weathering and the global carbon cycle.     

A particle conveyor belt process in the Columbia River estuary: Evidence from chlorophyll<Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis> and particulate organic carbon

Using both the photosynthetically active chlorophylla (chla) content of the organic carbon fraction of suspended particulate matter (chla/POC) and the percentage of photosynthetically, active chla in fluorometrically measured chla plus pheophytina (% chla), we determined that under specified hydrodynamic conditions, neap-spring tidal differentiation in particle dynamics could be observed in the Columbia River estuary. During summer time neap tides, when river discharge was moderate, bottom chla/POC remained relatively unchanged from riverine chla/POC over the full 0–30 psu salinity range, suggesting a benign trapping environment. During summertime spring tides, bottom chla/POC decreased at mid range salinities indicating resuspension of chla-poor POC during flood-ebb transitions. Bottom % chla during neap tides tended to average higher than that during spring tides, suggesting that neap particles were more recently hydrodynamically trapped than those on the spring tides. Such differentiation supported the possibility of operation of a particle conveyor belt process, a process in which low-amplitude neap tides favor selective particle trapping in estuarine turbidity maxima (ETM)., while high-amplitude spring tides favor particle resuspension from the ETM. Untrapped river-derived particles at the surface would continue through the estuary to the coastal ocean on the neap tide; during spring tide some particles eroded from the ETM would combine with unsettled riverine particles in transit toward the ocean. Because in tensified biogeochemical activity is associated with ETM, these neap-spring differences may be critical to maintenance and renewal of populations and processes in the estuary. Very high river discharge (15, 000 m³ s⁻¹) tended to overwhelm neap-spring differences, and significant oceanic input during very low river discharge (5,000 m³ s⁻¹) tended to do the same in the estuarine channel most exposed to ocean input. During heavy springtime phytoplankton blooms, development of a thick bottom fluff layer rich in chla also appeared to negate neapspring differentiation because spring tides apparently acted to resuspend the same rich bottom material that was laid down during neap tides. When photosynthetic assimilation numbers [μgC (μgchl,a)⁻¹h⁻¹] were measured across, the full salinity range, no neap-spring differences and no river discharge effects occurred, indicating that within our suite of measurements the compositional distinction of suspended particulate material was mainly a function of chla/POC, and to a lesser extent % chla. Even though these measurements suggest the existence of a conveyor belt process, proof of actual operation of this phenomenon requires scalar flux measurements of chla properties in and out of the ETM on both neap and spring tides.     

A ∼25 ka Indian Ocean monsoon variability record from the Andaman Sea

Recent paleoclimatic work on terrestrial and marine deposits from Asia and the Indian Ocean has indicated abrupt changes in the strength of the Asian monsoon during the last deglaciation. Comparison of marine paleoclimate records that track salinity changes from Asian rivers can help evaluate the coherence of the Indian Ocean monsoon (IOM) with the larger Asian monsoon. Here we present paired Mg/Ca and δ¹⁸O data on the planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber (white) from Andaman Sea core RC12-344 that provide records of sea-surface temperature (SST) and δ¹⁸O of seawater (δ¹⁸O_sw) over the past 25,000 years (ka) before present (BP). Age control is based on nine accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dates on mixed planktic foraminifera. Mg/Ca-SST data indicate that SST was ∼3 °C cooler during the last glacial maximum (LGM) than the late Holocene. Andaman Sea δ¹⁸O_sw exhibited higher than present values during the Lateglacial interval ca 19–15 ka BP and briefly during the Younger Dryas ca 12 ka BP. Lower than present δ¹⁸O_sw values during the BØlling/AllerØd ca 14.5–12.6 ka BP and during the early Holocene ca 10.8–5.5 ka BP are interpreted to indicate lower salinity, reflect some combination of decreased evaporation–precipitation (E–P) over the Andaman Sea and increased Irrawaddy River outflow. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that IOM intensity was stronger than present during the BØlling/AllerØd and early Holocene, and weaker during the late glaciation, Younger Dryas, and the late Holocene. These findings support the hypothesis that rapid climate change during the last deglaciation and Holocene included substantial hydrologic changes in the IOM system that were coherent with the larger Asian monsoon.     

South Asian monsoon variability during the past 800 kyr revealed by rock magnetic proxies

A rock magnetic investigation was carried out on a sedimentary core taken from the distal portion of the Bengal Fan in order to reconstruct the South Asian monsoon variability during the past 800 kyr. The 10.2 m long piston core MR0503-PC3, recovered at a water depth of 4400 m, consists of clay to silty clay with minor amounts of nannofossils. An age model for the MR0503-PC3 core is established by correlating a relative paleointensity record of the core [Suganuma Y., Yamazaki, T., Kanamatsu, T., Hokanishi, N., 2008. Relative paleointensity record during the last 800 kyr from the equatorial Indian Ocean: implication for relationship between inclination and intensity variations. Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems. 9, Q02011. doi:10.1029/2007GC001723.] to the global paleointensity stack “Sint-800” [Guyodo, Y., Valet, J.P., 1999. Global changes in intensity of the Earth's magnetic field during the past 800 kyr. Nature. 399, 249–252.]. The age model is consistent with the published ages of tephra layers intercalated in the core, and shows continuous sedimentation during the past 800 kyr.Temporal variations in rock magnetic proxies for the magnetic concentration (ARM, IRM, and HIRM), the grain size (Mrs/Ms), and the composition (S_?0.3T and S_?0.1T) show that the amount of fine-grained magnetite increased during interglacial stages, and then gradually decreased toward the following glacial maxima. This indicates that the supply of fine-grained magnetite probably originated from areal expansion and/or increased pedogenic activity in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers catchment. Increases during warmer periods suggest intensification of the South Asian summer monsoon during interglacial stages. During marine isotope stages (MIS) 15–11, enhancement of fine-grained magnetite and increased hematite and maghemite contributions are observed. These suggest a significant intensification of the South Asian summer monsoon during this period. Our record and other paleoclimatic reconstructions mainly from the low and mid-latitudes suggest that a major climatic event possibly occurred prior to the mid-Brunhes event (MBE), but the timing is not synchronous.     

中国黄土高原西缘甘肃万象洞MIS 5石笋δ18 O记录与南方地区石笋记录的对比研究*

位于青藏高原与黄土高原过渡带的甘肃武都万象洞石笋WXSM51和WXSM52提供了MIS 5(118~79kaB.P.)高分辨率的δ¹⁸ O记录。研究表明, 万象洞石笋δ¹⁸ O值与夏季风强度呈负相关关系, 与我国西南部的贵州董歌洞石笋δ¹⁸ O记录有良好的对应关系, 并与高纬度的格陵兰NGRIP冰芯δ¹⁸ O记录和65°N太阳辐射强度有很好的一致性, 说明万象洞石笋δ¹⁸ O记录了118~79kaB.P.期间亚洲季风强度的变化, 同时也说明东亚季风强度的变化和全球气候变化同步, 而且主要受控于北半球太阳辐射强度的变化。同时它与地中海碳酸盐记录有很好的相似性, 和巴西石笋δ¹⁸ O记录在千年尺度上表现出相反的变化趋势, 说明东亚季风区、地中海地区以及巴西季风区之间存在密切的联系, 指示了南北半球气候在千年尺度上存在"跷跷板"(seesaw)现象。万象洞石笋δ¹⁸ O记录的MIS 5b与MIS 5a突发性转换, 与NGRIP冰芯δ¹⁸ O记录相似, 而与神农架记录存在差异, 说明万象洞地区对亚洲季风强度的响应更为敏感。     

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.     

Variation of summer precipitation δ18O on the Chinese Loess Plateau since the last interglacial

Orbital-scale East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) variations inferred from loess deposits in northern China and speleothems from southern China display different dominant periods, complicating our understanding of monsoon response to insolation and ice-volume forcings. Here we integrate a new microcodium δ¹⁸O record from a high-resolution last interglacial loess profile with previously published data and provide a composite microcodium δ¹⁸O record on the Chinese Loess Plateau (CLP) since the last interglacial. The composite microcodium δ¹⁸O record displays distinct precessional cycles, consistent with speleothem δ¹⁸O records, but with different amplitude contrast (particularly during the peak interglacials). We propose that both loess and speleothem δ¹⁸O records exhibit covariations at precessional timescale oscillations. The discrepancy between loess and speleothem from southern China can be attributed to the influences of other processes besides summer precipitation on the proxies. A slight difference in amplitude between microcodium and speleothem δ¹⁸O records implies that the EASM is also influenced by inland surface boundary conditions, which has important impacts on the occurrence of EASM precipitation. Therefore, microcodium δ¹⁸O from the Chinese loess–paleosol sequences can be regarded as a representative proxy of EASM precipitation in northern China and then a reliable proxy reflecting the variation of EASM intensity.     

Late Pleistocene vegetation change in Korea and its possible link to East Asian monsoon and Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) cycles

Late Pleistocene carbon isotope (δ¹³C) records from a paleolithic sedimentary sequence collected from Baeki, Hongcheon, central Korea, show long-term changes with superimposed short-term isotopic excursions. The δ¹³C value of the sedimentary organic matter, a proxy for past vegetation change, varied from ? 26‰ to ? 23‰ for the period between 30 and 90 ka, with a long-term variation similar to insolation changes. High-amplitude (? 1‰ to approximately ? 1.5‰) fluctuations superimposed on the long-term changes in the δ¹³C values decreased during stronger summer monsoon intervals but increased during the weakened summer monsoon. This millennial-scale pattern is generally similar to Greenland Dansgaard–Oeschger (D–O) cycles. The possible connection between the Hongcheon area, Korea and high latitudes may be explained by atmospheric circulation changing in response to the D–O oscillations in the Northern Hemisphere.