Holocene thermal optimal and climate variability of East Asian monsoon inferred from forest reconstruction of a subalpine pollen sequence, Taiwan

The East Asian monsoon Holocene optimal period has been debated both about duration and whether conditions were a maximum in thermal conditions or in precipitation. In this study we show Holocene climate variability inferred by a forest reconstruction of a subalpine pollen sequence from peat bog deposits in central Taiwan, based on modern analogues of various altitudinal biomes in the region. A warmer interval occurred between 8 and 4 ka BP (calibrated ¹⁴C years) when the subtropical forests were more extensive. The Holocene thermal optimum is represented by an altitudinal tropical forest at 6.1–5.9 ka BP and 6.9 ka BP and only the latter was accompanied by wet conditions, indicating decoupling of thermal and precipitation mechanism in the middle Holocene. Abrupt and relative severe cold phases, shown by biome changes, occurred at about 11.2–11.0 ka BP; 7.5 ka BP; 7.2 ka BP; 7.1 ka BP; 5.2 ka BP, 5.0 ka BP and 4.9 ka BP. A spectral analysis of pollen of a relatively cold taxon — Salix, reveals that the time series is dominated by a 1500 yr periodicity and similar to the cold cycle reported in the marine records of Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The cold–warm conditions inferred by the change of forests show close relationship to solar energy in comparison with the production rate of Be-10.     

吉兰泰盐湖沉积物孢粉记录的季风边缘区全新世气候演化

全新世气候具有不稳定性,且存在着区域差异,在季风边缘区尤为显著.因此,本研究选取季风边缘区吉兰泰盐湖沉积物的孢粉记录并结合AMS14C测年结果,对该地区全新世的古植被演化及古气候变化历史进行了重建.结果表明,在全新世阶段,该地区植被类型未发生变化,以干旱的荒漠植被为主.早全新世(10.5 8.5 cal ka BP),以蒿属孢粉为主,伴随出现少量藜科、禾本科及麻黄属孢粉,蒿藜比(A/C比值)相对稳定(4.11左右),指示全新世早期气候逐步转湿的过程,在8.5 cal ka BP,蒿属孢粉数量下降且被藜科孢粉取代,指示一次明显气候干旱事件;中全新世(8.5 3.5 cal ka BP),蒿属孢粉含量增加及藜科孢粉含量降低,A/C比值在7.1 cal ka BP左右达到峰值,指示该地区中全新世气候最为湿润;晚全新世(3.5 cal ka BP至今),藜科孢粉含量增加且超过早全新世,A/C比值低至3.66,区域呈现明显的干旱化趋势.此外,结合吉兰泰盐湖沉积物矿物组成结果,发现中全新世湖泊沉积物中,钙芒硝大量出现,一定程度上指示降水量增多所带来的淡水注入,与孢粉指标指示该阶段湿润的结果一致.通过区域对比,发现吉兰泰地区在全新世时期的气候演化模式与东亚季风区具有较好的一致性,表明该地区受到东亚夏季风的影响较大,尤其是在中全新世,东亚夏季风增强,带来较多的降水,气候湿润.     

High-resolution peat records for Holocene monsoon history in the eastern Tibetan Plateau

Holocene peat sediment has been attached impor-tance to reconstruct the Holocene climatic variations because it can provide much palaeoclimatic informa-tion with high resolution. Analysis on the plant mac-rofossil[1], pollen[2―4], isotope ratio[5―9], element con-tent[10,11], total organic carbon (TOC)[12], humifica-tion[13,14] and grayscale[12] for peat sediment has shown its superiorities as a recorder medium for reconstruct-ing the Holocene climate. Hong et al. have done great fruitful w…     

Holocene high lake-levels and pan-lake period on Badain Jaran Desert

Many lakes exist in southeastern Badain Jaran Desert and its hinterland, including 110 perennial lakes and some seasonal or extinct lakes. Geomorphological, sedimentological, and bioglyph evidence obtained from field investigations on Badain Jaran Desert lake group, alongside measurements and dating performed on lake relic, prove that these lakes expanded while the climate was relatively wet during early and middle Holocene. The dating results suggest that the pan-lake period of the Badain Jaran Desert began at 10 cal kyr BP, before which the limnic peat period occurred(11–10 cal kyr BP). Many lakes reached their maximal water-level during 8.6–6.3 cal kyr BP and retreated or dried up in the late Holocene(about 3.5–0 cal kyr BP). During that period, the precipitation at Badain Jaran Desert may have reached 200 mm yr~(-1) for 7.7–5.3 cal kyr BP, inferred from both the age and precipitation rate of calcareous root tubes. The water balance calculation shows that wetter and warmer climate and the increase of underground water recharge were key factors in maintaining and developing the lake group at both centennial and millennial time scales. Furthermore, lake surface expansion and the increasing fresh water availability set the background for the prosperous prehistoric culture.     

MIS-3晚期以来乌伦古湖古湖相沉积记录的初步研究

通过对现代乌伦古湖附近出露的古湖相沉积剖面的AMS~(14)C测年,粒度、总有机碳、总有机氮以及碳酸盐等环境代用指标的分析及其与全新世钻孔沉积记录的对比研究,结果发现:乌伦古湖在MIS-3晚期的33600-22500 cal a BP以及冰后期至早中全新世的16500-6500 cal a BP期间,维持着湖相沉积环境,湖面约比现在湖面高40 m.33600-22500 cal a BP的MIS-3晚期,气候相对温暖,乌伦古湖呈现高湖面特征,湖泊沉积物来源以流水搬运为主;22500-16500 cal a BP的末次冰期冰盛期,气候寒冷干燥,湖泊沉积物来源以风力搬运为主;16500-6500 cal a BP的冰后期以及早、中全新世期间,气候回暖,湖泊沉积物主要来源于河流径流作用.6500-5500 cal a BP,受高温干旱事件的影响,湖面收缩、水位剧降,除沉积中心外的其它钻孔位置出现沉积中断.5500 cal a BP后气候转冷变湿,湖泊重新恢复到现在的状态.乌伦古湖MIS-3晚期以来的古湖相沉积环境变化及其反映的古气候万年尺度上的干湿变化与周边区域气候环境变化记录有很好的一致性,响应了区域环境变化和全球气候突变事件.季风和西风的强度消长变化及其引起的环流条件改变以及温度变化引起的蒸发效应可能是区域气候环境变化的主要原因.这一古湖相沉积记录的研究可为MIS-3晚期以来北疆地区的古湖泊演化以及长时间尺度上西风和季风环流相互关系及其影响区的气候环境演化提供地质证据.     

Clay minerals in the late Quaternary sediment of Tulare Lake,California: Implications for climate change,weathering, and erosion processes

The clay mineralogy of Tulare Lake sediment was examined to investigate hydroclimatic and environmental changes in the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains (SNM) since the most recent glacial maximum. Evolution of clay mineral assemblages elucidates significant changes in weathering, erosion, and hydroclimatic condition in the catchment. During the last glacial period (24.4–15.1 cal ka BP), low illite content implies less physical erosion of the granitic batholith rocks and a cold and arid environment in the southern SNM. Abrupt increases of illite content at 21.8–20.8 and 17.6 cal ka BP resulted from the glacier advances to the ablation zone and illite-rich glacier flour was transported down to the lake. The gradual increase of smectite induced by progressive depletion of illite-rich glacier flour from 17.6 cal ka BP toward the end of this period indicates climate was beginning to get warm and wet. From 11.9 to 5.3 cal ka BP, two warm and wet periods (10.7–9.4 and 8.2–5.2 cal ka BP) were characterized by high smectite/illite content ratios and low illite crystallinity values, suggesting intensive rainfall precipitation and more physical erosion in the highland and lowland catchment as well as more smectite formation in the terrace soils. Since the last glacial period, physical erosion, in comparison to the chemical weathering, was the dominant process responding to the hydroclimatic change in the Tulare Lake catchment. Moderate to weak chemical weathering was signified by the mostly low illite chemical weathering index of the core sediments. Such results suggest that vegetation cover in the southern SNM was low and limited.     

Holocene vegetational and climatic variation in westerly-dominated areas of Central Asia inferred from the Sayram Lake in northern Xinjiang,China

Changes in the vegetation and climate of the westerly-dominated areas in Central Asia during the Holocene were interpreted using pollen-assemblages and charcoal data from a 300-cm-long sediment core of the Sayram Lake,northern Xinjiang.Accele-rator Mass Spectrometry(AMS) radiocarbon dating methods were applied to bulk organic matter of the samples.Artemisia spp./Chenopodiaceae ratios and results from principal component analysis were used to infer that the lake basin was dominated by desert vegetation before ca.9.6 cal.ka BP,which suggests a warm and dry climate in the early Holocene.Desert steppe/steppe expanded during 9.6-5.5 cal.ka BP,indicating a remarkable increase both in the precipitation and temperature during the mid-Holocene.Desert vegetation dominated between 6.5 and 5.5 cal.ka BP,marking an extreme warmer and drier interval.The steppe/meadow steppe recovered,and temperatures decreased from 5.5 cal.ka BP in the late Holocene,as indicated by the increased abundance of Artemisia and the development of meadows.Holocene temperatures and moisture variations in the Sayram Lake areas were similar to those of adjacent areas.This consistency implies that solar radiation was the main driving factor for regional temperature changes,and that the effect of temperature variations was significant on regional changes in humidity.The evolution of climate and environment in the Sayram Lake areas,which were characterized as dry in the early Holocene and relatively humid in the middle-late Holocene,are clearly different from those in monsoonal areas.Dry conditions in the early Holocene in the Sayram Lake areas were closely related to decreased water vapor advection.These conditions were a result of reduced westerly wind speeds and less evaporation upstream,which in turn were caused by seasonal changes in solar radiation superimposed by strong evaporation following warming and drying local climate.     

The East Asian Monsoon since the Last Glacial Maximum: Evidence from geological records in northern China

The impact of global warming on the climate of northern China has been investigated intensively, and the behavior of the East Asian monsoon during previous intervals of climatic warming may provide insight into future changes. In this study, we use paleovegetation records from loess and lake sediments in the marginal zone of the East Asian summer monsoon(EASM) to reconstruct the EASM during the interval of warming from the Last Glacial Maximum(LGM) to the Holocene. The results show that during the LGM, desert steppe or dry steppe dominated much of northern China; in addition, the southeastern margin of the deserts east of the Helan Mountains had a distribution similar to that of the present-day, or was located slightly further south, due to the cold and dry climate caused by a strengthened East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM) and weakened EASM. During the last deglaciation, with the strengthening of the EASM and concomitant weakening of the EAWM, northern China gradually became humid. However, this trend was interrupted by abrupt cooling during the Heinrich 1(H1) and Younger Dryas(YD) events. The EASM intensified substantially during the Holocene, and the monsoon rain belt migrated at least 300 km northwestwards, which led to the substantial shrinking of the desert area in the central and eastern part of northern China, and to the large expansion of plants favored by warm and humid conditions. Paleoclimatic records from the marginal zone of the EASM all show that the EASM reached its peak in the mid-Holocene, and past global climatic warming significantly strengthened the EASM, thereby greatly improving the ecological environment in northern China. Thus, northern China is expected to become wetter as global warming continues. Finally, high resolution Holocene vegetation records are sparse compared with the numerous records on the orbital timescale, and there is a need for more studies of Holocene climatic variability on the centennial-to-decadal scale.     

ENSO related decadal scale climate variability from the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool

The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a climatic phenomenon that affects socio-economical welfare in vast areas in the world. A continuous record of Holocene ENSO related climate variability of the Indo-Pacific Warm pool (IPWP) is constructed on the basis of stable oxygen isotopes in shells of planktic foraminifera from a sediment core in the western Pacific Ocean. At the centennial scale, variations in the stable oxygen isotope signal (δ¹⁸O) are thought be a representation of ENSO variability, although an imprint of local conditions cannot be entirely excluded. The record for the early Holocene (10.3–6 ka BP) shows, in comparison with the mid- to late Holocene, small amplitude variations in the δ¹⁸O record of up to 0.3‰ indicating relatively stable and warm sea surface conditions. The mid- to late Holocene (6–2 ka BP) exemplified higher variability in δ¹⁸O and thus in oceanic IPWP conditions. Climatically, we interpret this change (5.5–4.2 ka BP) as a phenomenon induced by variability in frequency and/or intensity changes of El Niño. In the period 4.2–2 ka BP we identified several periods, centred on 1.9, 2.1, 2.7, 3.3, 3.7 and 4.2 ka BP, with in general heavy δ¹⁸O values. During these periods, the IPWP was relocated to a more eastward position, enhancing the susceptibility for El Niño-like conditions at the core site. Over the last 2000 yr precipitation increased in the area as a response to an increase in Asian monsoon strength, resulting in a freshening of the surface waters. This study corroborates previous findings that the present-day ENSO activity started around 5.5 ka BP.     

Temperature evolution from the <Emphasis Type="Italic">δ</Emphasis><Superscript>18</Superscript>O record of Hani peat,Northeast China,in the last 14000 years

From the last deglaciation to the Holocene, the Greenland Ice Core (GISP2) δ ¹⁸O records as well as the records of ice-rafted debris on the surface of the North Atlantic have revealed a succession of sudden cooling events on the centennial to millennial scales. However, the temperature proxy records are rarely studied systematically and directly to ensure that this air temperature cooling pattern simultaneously existed in the East Asian Region, in addition to the repeated pattern occurring in the Greater Atlantic Region. A peat cellulose δ ¹⁸O temperature proxy record proximately existing for 14000 years was picked up from the Hani peat in Jilin Province, China. It suggests by comparison that the sudden cooling events, such as the Older Dryas, Inter-Allerød, Younger Dryas, and nine ice-rafted debris events of the North Atlantic, are almost entirely reiterated in the temperature signals of Hani peat cellulose δ ¹⁸O. These cooling events show that the repeatedly occurring temperature cooling pattern not only appeared in the North Atlantic Region in the high latitudes, but also in the Northwest Pacific Region in the middle latitudes. The climate change events marking the start of the Holocene Epoch, the Holocene Megathermal, the “8.2 kyr” event, the “4.2 kyr” event, the Medieval Warm Period, and the Little Ice Age are further discussed. The sensitivity response of Hani peat cellulose δ ¹⁸O to the land surface temperature and the reason for the age accuracy of peat cellulose ¹⁴C are also discussed based on the characteristics of the peat bog environment.     

A high-resolution climatic change since the Late Glacial Age inferred from multi-proxy of sediments in Qinghai Lake

The study of climatic changes since the Late Glacial Age has become one of the hotspots of the PAGES in recent years.Deep-sea cores from the high-latitude area show that the climate was very unstable during the transitional period from the Late Glacial Age to the Holocene[1,2],which has also been testified by the geological records from ocean sediments,ice cores and terrestrial sections in different latitudes of the earth[3—8].What’s more,climatic instability also ex-isted in the Holoce…     

广东湖光岩玛珥湖沉积物漫反射光谱数据反映的全新世以来古环境演化

利用漫反射光谱技术得到湖光岩玛珥湖沉积物的叶绿素a浓度.通过与TOC、Sr/Rb比值和磁化率的对比发现,叶绿素a浓度能够忠实地反映湖泊初级生产力的变化,较高的叶绿素a浓度代表季风较强、降雨量较高,反之亦然.湖光岩玛珥湖沉积物多环境代用指标分析结果显示,湛江地区早全新世季风强盛,中全新世季风迅速衰退.这种全新世季风演化模式与北半球季风区的很多地质记录以及北纬30°变化趋势相似,反映了太阳辐射是湛江地区千年尺度季风演化的主要驱动因素,但是湛江地区的季风演化滞后于太阳辐射变化大约2200 a.叶绿素a浓度记录显示6000 a BP左右季风迅速减弱,这与其他记录显示的季风渐变模式不同.一方面,太阳辐射渐变激发了湛江地区植被-大气圈的负反馈作用,这可能是造成6000 a BP左右气候迅速变干的原因之一;另一方面,沉积速率增加导致的稀释作用放大了叶绿素a浓度下降的趋势.3600 a BP以来的沉积环境可能受到了人类活动的影响.     

Pollen-inferred vegetation and environmental changes in the central Tibetan Plateau since 8200 yr BP

The ecotone between alpine steppe and meadow in the central Tibetan Plateau is sensitive to climate changes. Here we used the pollen records from three lakes in this region to reconstruct the evolution of local vegetation and climate since 8200 cal. yr BP. The history of temperature and precipitation was reconstructed quantitatively with multi-bioclimatic indexes and a transfer function from pollen records. Results show that the steppe/meadow dominated during the period of 8200–6500 cal. yr BP, especially 8200–7200 cal. yr BP, indicating the central Tibetan Plateau was controlled by strong monsoon. The steppe dominated during the periods of 6000–4900, 4400–3900, and 2800–2400 cal. yr BP. The steppe decreased gradually and the meadow expanded during the period of 4900–4400 cal. yr BP. Three century-scale drought events occurred during 5800–4900, 4400–3900 and 2800 cal. yr BP, respectively. The first time when the regional climate shifted to the present level was at 6500 cal. yr BP in the central Plateau. Since 3000 cal. yr BP, the temperature and precipitation have decreased gradually to the present level. However, the cold climate between 700–300 cal. yr BP likely corresponds to the Little Ice Age. Supported by Chinese Academy of Sciences 100 Talents Project (Grant No. 29082762), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40671196, 40372085, 49371068, 49871078), and U.S. National Science Foundation (Grant Nos. ATM-9410491, ATM-008194)     

Eco-environmental changes in the Chinese Loess Plateau during low-eccentricity interglacial Marine Isotope Stage 19

Eco-environmental changes during interglacials with an astronomical background similar to that of the Holocene are potentially helpful for understanding the future climatic evolution. Marine oxygen isotope stage(MIS) 19 is similar to the Holocene in astronomical background, both being characterized by a low eccentricity of the Earth's orbit. However, MIS 19 has attracted research attention only recently and therefore less is known about eco-environmental changes during this interval,especially based on terrestrial records. In the Chinese Loess Plateau(CLP), the S7 paleosol can provide valuable terrestrial paleoclimatic and paleoenvironmental record for MIS 19. Here, high-resolution terrestrial snail records from the L8–L7 strata of the Huining, Xifeng and Luochuan sequences in the CLP were analyzed in order to characterize spatio-temporal changes in climate and eco-environment during MIS 20–18. The results show that in all three sections the late part of MIS 20 was dominated by abundant cold-aridiphilous mollusc species, indicating that cold and dry climatic conditions prevailed across the entire CLP,under the strong influence of the winter monsoon. The mollusc fauna of MIS 19 were dominated by warmth-loving and thermohumidiphilous species that enable the definition of two climatic stages. The early part of MIS 19(～790–778 ka) was marked by warm and humid conditions, as evidenced by high abundances of warmth-loving and thermo-humidiphilous species. This interval was slightly warmer than today and it lasted for ～12 kyr. The climate of the later part of MIS 19(～778–761 ka) was more moderate, and increased proportions of cold-aridiphilous and warmth-loving species were recorded. The warmth of this period was similar to that of today, but the climatic fluctuations were stronger. During the early part of MIS 18(～761–745 ka), the Xifeng and Luochuan sections in the eastern CLP still maintained high abundances of warmth-loving and thermo-humidiphilous species, indicating that the moderate climatic conditions during late MIS 19 continued during early MIS 18, lasting for another～15 kyr, and that the influence of the summer monsoon remained strong in the eastern CLP during early MIS 18. However, in the western CLP, cold-aridiphilous species in the Huining section became dominant during early MIS 18, reflecting the prevalence of a cold and dry glacial climate, with the strong influence of the winter monsoon. These findings indicate that a steeper climatic gradient and a pronounced regional environmental difference existed between the eastern and western CLP during the early part of MIS 18. Comparison of our mollusc results with the variation of Earth orbital parameters suggested that climate changes in the CLP during MIS 20–18 were likely controlled mainly by insolation changes forced by the configuration of Earth orbital parameters. The unique orbital configuration during the low eccentricity interglacial-to-glacial transition could have strengthened the East Asian summer monsoon which favored the amelioration of the eco-environment in the CLP, especially in the eastern CLP where the summer monsoon exerted a strong influence. Thus we speculate that, under natural climatic conditions,the climate of the CLP may remain in a warm, humid state for another 30 kyr, although climatic instability and the seasonal differences between winter and summer could strengthen.     

A 14.7 Ka record of earth surface processes from the arid‐monsoon transitional zone of China

The stability of Earth's critical zone is intimately linked with erosion, weathering and vegetation type and density. Therefore, it affects global biogeochemical processes which in turn affect the global climate by absorbing and reflecting solar radiation, and by altering fluxes of heat, water vapour, carbon dioxide and other trace gases through various feedback mechanisms. However, there is a lack of knowledge about how Earth's critical zone processes have changed over time and their link with past monsoon variability, especially in Asia. The study of lake sediments, which contain a suite of inorganic elemental and isotopic proxies, may facilitate the understanding of the Earth's critical zone processes on millennial timescales. Here we reconstruct the history of erosion–weathering–vegetation interactions since ~14.7 ka using geochemical records from a radiocarbon‐dated sediment core from Lake Gonghai in the monsoon‐arid transitional zone of north China. Detrital (Al, Ti, K, Rb) and authigenic (Ca, Sr) elemental records reveal distinct, millennial‐scale, late deglacial‐Holocene erosion and weathering patterns and transitions with the former (latter) elements showing higher (lower) values in warm intervals and vice versa. Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) molar, a humidity proxy, suggests low humidity during the late deglacial ~11.5–14.7 ka, high humidity during the early‐mid Holocene ~11.5–3.2 ka, and intermediate humidity during the late Holocene interval since ~3.2 ka. The results of cross‐spectral analysis and comparison of our records with other climate reconstructions also suggest a pattern of orbitally‐phased humidity changes in north China. Overall, our results provide evidence for the solar‐forcing of Earth's surface processes in mid‐latitude China under natural climatic conditions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

African monsoon variability during the previous interglacial maximum

Little is known about centennial- to millennial-scale climate variability during interglacial times, other than the Holocene. We here present high-resolution evidence from anoxic (unbioturbated) sediments in the eastern Mediterranean Sea that demonstrates a sustained ∼800-yr climate disturbance in the monsoonal latitudes during the Eemian interglacial maximum (∼125 ka BP). Results imply that before and after this event, the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) penetrated sufficiently beyond the central Saharan watershed (∼21°N) during the summer monsoon to fuel flooding into the Mediterranean along the wider North African margin, through fossil river/wadi systems that to date have been considered only within a Holocene context. Relaxation in the ITCZ penetration during the intra-Eemian event curtailed this flux, but flow from the Nile - with its vast catchment area - was not affected. Previous work suggests a concomitant Eurasian cooling event, with intensified impact of the higher-latitude climate on the Mediterranean basin. The combined signals are very similar to those described for the Holocene cooling event around 8 ka BP. The apparent type of concurrent changes in the monsoon and higher-latitude climate may reflect a fundamental mechanism for variability in the transfer of energy (latent heat) between the tropics and higher latitudes.     

湖泊沉积物磁学特征指示的埃及Faiyum盆地全新世以来的环境演变

利用埃及北部Faiyum盆地获得的高取芯率沉积物岩芯,进行沉积物多种磁性参数的测量,结合有机碳、介形虫、粒度等分析,在AMS14C加速器测年的基础上,建立全新世以来湖泊沉积物磁性特征变化的时间序列.结果表明,粒度效应以及沉积后的各种次生作用对沉积物的磁性特征没有明显的影响,磁性变化主要反映了沉积物不同来源组成的相对变化.全新世前沉积物磁性较弱,主要含不完全反铁磁性矿物,与周边沙漠的物质相似,结合其粒度特征,沉积物来源应以近源物质为主.全新世早中期(约10 5.4 ka BP)沉积物磁性变化相对稳定,有机质含量也较高,指示了来自尼罗河较为稳定的物质供应;而大约5.4 ka BP尤其最近约4.2 ka BP以来,磁性的明显变化反映了流域降水减少情况下,来自青尼河物质贡献的相对增加;最近约2.0 ka BP以来沉积物的磁性变化,则更多地与盆地人类活动的强化有关.总体而言,Faiyum盆地全新世以来的环境演变主要受控于全新世以来尼罗河与盆地的水力学联系.即:全新世前盆地未与尼罗河连通时,沉积物主要来源于周边沙漠的风成物质;而受全新世早-中期来流域季风降水增加的影响,泛滥的尼罗河为盆地提供了相对稳定的物质供应,湖泊也处于高湖面;全新世晚期以来,随着流域干旱化的加剧,尼罗河与盆地的连通性开始减弱,来自高磁性的青尼罗河物质贡献开始相对增加.最近约2.0 ka BP以来,虽然仍有人工运河连接尼罗河与盆地,但沉积物磁性的显著变化更多地反映了盆地人类活动的不断强化.     

硅藻与色素在古环境演化研究中的意义——以固城湖为例

根据固圾湖ＧＳ１孔沉积物中硅藻的丰度与组合、色素的含量与有关参数,并结合孢粉、有机碳等分析数据,较详细地讨论了从晚冰期到全新世中期（１５．３￣６．０ｋａＢ．Ｐ．）固城湖地区古气候古环境演化的过程。同时尝试把硅藻与色素的结合作为度量湖泊古初始生产力的有效性,以及识别沉积记录有关人类活动的可能性。文中还专门论述了全新世纪初期海相硅藻出现的层位特点与背景,并与太湖作了比较,这一现象对重新认识长江三角洲地     

A second tephra isochron for the Younger Dryas period in northern Europe: The Abernethy Tephra

Visible and non-visible (cryptotephra) volcanic ash layers are increasingly being used to underpin the chronology and high-precision correlation of sequences dating to the last glacial–interglacial transition (LGIT). As the number of sediment records analysed for tephra content rises, and methodological developments permit the detection, extraction and chemical analysis of increasingly scantily represented glass shard concentrations, greater complexity in shard count profiles is revealed. Here we present new evidence from sites in Scotland, and review published evidence from sites elsewhere in NW Europe, that indicate complexity in the eruptive history of Katla volcano during the mid-Younger Dryas and Early Holocene. We propose evidence for a previously-overlooked tephra isochron, here named the Abernethy Tephra, which is consistently found to lie close to the Younger Dryas/Holocene transition. It has a major-element chemical composition indistinguishable from that of the Vedde Ash, which was erupted from the Katla volcano at 12,121 ± 114 cal a BP. The new data suggest that Katla may have erupted again between 11,720–11,230 cal a BP and the subsequent ash fall increases the potential to assess environmental response to Holocene warming across north and west Europe.     

湖北江汉平原JZ-2010剖面沉积物粒度特征与环境演变

通过对江汉平原JZ-2010湖相沉积剖面AMS14C年代的精确测定与校正,以及代用指标粒度、磁化率的分析和研究,重建了研究区12.76 cal ka BP以来的环境演变过程:1)12.76-6.70 cal ka BP,区域环境处于偏干的晚冰期向湿润的早全新世发展阶段.2)6.70-4.47 cal ka BP,区域环境湿润,为湿度配置最佳的全新世适宜期,这是大溪文化向屈家岭文化转变时期自然背景.3)4.47-3.67 cal ka BP,区域气候环境偏干,其中经历了明显的4.2 cal ka BP干旱事件.4)3.67-1.22 cal ka BP时期,环境向湿润发展;在2.5 cal ka BP左右水动力条件明显变强,此时正对应于古云梦泽扩张时期.5)1.22 cal ka BP后,研究区处于湖泊面积减小的干旱时期;人类活动带来的影响达到高峰,围湖造田等农业活动也是江汉平原湖群趋于衰退的重要原因之一.