Effect of the annular solar eclipse of 15 January 2010 on the lower atmospheric boundary layer over a tropical rural station

This paper documents the effect of the annular solar eclipse of 15 January 2010 on the lower atmospheric boundary layer dynamics over a complex terrain environment at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E,) using a suite of instruments namely automatic weather station, mini boundary layer mast (15 m), Doppler SODAR, GPS radiosonde and ozonesonde observations. The net heating rates are estimated using radiative transfer algorithm before, during and after the eclipse. Effect on soil temperature is seen clearly up to 20 cm depth and at all the levels up to 15 m. Decrease in the thermal plume level, a dip in the surface layer and a strong vertical downdrafts (subsidence) are noticed during the peak eclipse. Upper layer winds did not show any variation during the eclipse. It is also found to have pronounced effect on all the surface meteorological parameters for a two-day period.     

Modelling the influence of thermal discharge under wind on algae

Wind-driven processes exert an important impact on aquatic ecosystems, especially on shallow reservoirs. Flow and heat transport under wind in the Douhe reservoir in China were simulated by a two-dimensional mathematical model. Areas corresponding to different temperature rises were calculated for different wind speed conditions with high frequency. It is shown that high temperature rise areas increase for maximum wind speed conditions while low temperature rise areas keep constant for various wind speed conditions. The concentration of Chl.a decreases with the increase of wind speed, indicating that low wind speed is suitable for algae blooming in the Douhe reservoir. The effects of wind on Bacillariophyta biomass growth become more obvious with the increase of temperature rise areas. The influenced areas of lower temperature rise (0.2–1.49 °C) and higher temperature rise (1.5–2 °C) zone are 8.57 × 10⁶ m² and 5.18 × 10⁶ m², respectively, and corresponding total variation amounts of Bacillariophyta biomass are 2.24 × 10⁵/m² and 0.42 × 10⁵/m², respectively. Results show that wind has a significant impact on ecological effects due to thermal discharge from thermal power plant into shallow reservoirs.     

Solar irradiance and total ozone over El Arenosillo (Spain) during the solar eclipse of 3 October 2005

The ground track of the annular eclipse of 3 October 2005 crossed the Iberian Peninsula. The main objective of this work was to analyze the variability of the solar irradiance and the total ozone column during the course of this event at El Arenosillo (Southwestern Spain). For achieving this goal, two Kipp & Zonen broadband radiometers (one for measuring total solar irradiance and other for measuring ultraviolet erythemal solar irradiance), one NILU-UV multi-band instrument and one Brewer spectroradiometer were used in this work. Total irradiance (310–2800 nm), and ultraviolet erythemal radiation (UVER) were recorded at a high frequency of 5 s, showing a strong reduction (higher than 80%) of the irradiance at the maximum solar obscuration which was of 79.6%. The irradiance decrease during the course of the eclipse was positively correlated with the percentage of eclipse obscuration, showing a very high agreement (R²～0.99). The irradiance recorded at selected wavelengths from the NILU-UV instrument shows a more pronounced decrease in the UV irradiance at the lower wavelengths during the solar eclipse. Finally, the evolution of the total ozone column (TOC) derived from Brewer and NILU instruments during the eclipse presented an opposite behavior: while the Brewer derived TOC values increase about 15 DU, the NILU derived TOC values decrease about 11 DU. This opposite behavior is mainly related to an artifact in the spectral irradiances recorded by the two instruments.     

Ground-based Pc5 ULF wave power: Solar wind speed and MLT dependence

Using over 20 years of ground-based magnetometer data from the CANOPUS/CARISMA magnetometer array, we present a statistical characterisation of Pc5 ultra-low frequency (ULF) power in the 2–10 mHz band as a function of magnetic local time (MLT), L-shell, and solar wind speed. We examine the power across L-shells between 4.2 and 7.9, using data from the PINA, ISLL, GILL and FCHU stations, and demonstrate that there is a significant MLT dependence in both the H- and D-component median 2–10 mHz power during both fast (>500 km/s) and slow (<500 km/s) solar wind speeds. The H-component power consistently dominates over D-component power at all MLTs and during both fast and slow solar wind. At the higher-L stations (L>5.4), there are strong MLT power peaks in the morning and midnight local time sectors; the morning sector dominating midnight during fast solar wind events. At lower L-shells, there is no evidence of the midnight peak and the 2–10 mHz power is more symmetric with respect to MLT except during the fastest solar wind speeds. There is little evidence in the ground-based power of a localised MLT peak in ULF power at dusk, except at the lowest L-shell station, predominantly in the H-component. The median 2–10 mHz power increases with an approximate power law dependence on solar wind speed, at all local times across the L-shell domain studied in both components. The H-component power peaks at the latitude of the GILL station, with significantly lower power at both higher and lower L-shells. Conversely, the D-component power increases monotonically. We believe that this is evidence for 2–10 mHz power accumulating at auroral latitudes in field line resonances. Finally, we discuss how such ULF wave power characterisation might be used to derive empirical radiation belt radial diffusion coefficients based on, and driven by, the solar wind speed dependence of ULF wave power.     

Long-term thermospheric neutral wind observations over the northern polar cap

We study the solar dependence of the thermospheric dynamics based on more than 20 years Fabry–Perot interferometer O 6300 Å emission observation of polar cap thermospheric wind from three stations: Thule (76.53°N, 68.73°W, MLAT 86N), Eureka (80.06°N, 86.4°W, MLAT 89N), and Resolute (74.72°N, 94.98°W, MLAT 84N) in combination with the National Center for Atmospheric Research Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (NCAR-TIEGCM). All three stations showed a dominant diurnal oscillation in both the meridional and zonal components, which is a manifestation of anti-sunward thermospheric wind in the polar cap. The three-station observations and the TIEGCM simulation exhibit varying degree of correlations between the anti-sunward thermospheric wind and solar F10.7 index. The diurnal oscillation is stronger at Eureka (∼150 m/s) than that at Resolute (∼100 m/s) according to both observations and TIEGCM simulation. The semidiurnal oscillation is stronger at Resolute (∼20 m/s) than that at Eureka based (∼10 m/s) on data and model results. These results are consistent with a two-cell convection pattern in the polar cap thermospheric winds. The Thule results are less consistent between the model and observations. The simulated meridional wind diurnal and semidiurnal oscillations are stronger than those observed.     

Uncertainty in seasonal snow reconstruction: Relative impacts of model forcing and image availability

There are many areas of uncertainty when solving the inverse problems of snow water equivalent (SWE) reconstruction. These include (i) the ability to infer the Final Date of the Seasonal Snow (FDSS) cover, particularly from remote sensing; (ii) errors in model forcing data (such as air temperature or radiation fluxes); and (iii) weaknesses in the snow model used for the reconstruction, associated with both the fidelity of the equations used to simulate snow processes (structural uncertainty) and the parameter values selected for use in the model equations. We investigate the trade-offs among these sources of uncertainty using 10,000 station-years worth of data from the western US SNOTEL network. Model structural and parameter uncertainty are eliminated by using a perfect model scenario i.e. comparing results to modelled control runs. The model was calibrated for each station-year to ensure that the model simulations reflect reality. Results indicate that for a temperature index model, a ±5 days error in FDSS gives a median −25%/+32% error in maximum SWE. A 1 °C air temperature bias produces a SWE error larger than a 5 days error in the FDSS for 50% of the 10,000 cases. Similarly, a 5 days error in FDSS could be accounted for by a net radiation error of 13 W m⁻² or less during the melt period, in 50% of cases. Mean absolute errors of 1 °C or more are typically reported in the literature for air temperature interpolations at high elevations. Observed solar radiation during the melt season can differ by 30 W m⁻² over relatively short distances, while estimates from reanalysis (NARR, ERA-Interim, MERRA, CFSRR) and GOES satellites typically span more than 40 W m⁻². Using data from both MODIS sensors (Terra & Aqua) at all snow covered points in the western US, a consecutive 5 days gap in imagery at time of FDSS is likely to occur only 5–10% of the time. This work shows that errors in model forcing data are at least as important, if not more, than image availability when reconstructing SWE.     

The statistical and numerical study of the global distribution of coronal plasma and magnetic field near 2.5 Rs over a 10-year period

The basic characteristics of the global distribution for the corona plasma and magnetic field near 2.5 Rs are analyzed with the statistical and numerical methods for 136 Carrington Rotations (CRs) covering four different phases of solar activity. By using the observational data and the velocity distribution model in the corona, the statistical average distribution of the magnetic field, density and the coronal mass outputs are analyzed for the four different phases. Then, a numerical study of the global distribution near 2.5 Rs has been made by solving a self-consistent MHD system. Finally, the solar wind speed at 1 AU is given by mapping the speed at 2.5 Rs to that near 1 AU, and the comparison of the numerical results with the observational measurements and the simulation result of the Wang–Sheeley–Arge (WSA) model are made during more than 5 years. The numerical results indicate that the global distributions on the source surface of 2.5 Rs at different phases of solar activity could be used to predict the change of the solar wind in interplanetary space.     

The polar wind: Recent observations

The polar wind is an ambipolar outflow of thermal plasma from the high-latitude ionosphere to the magnetosphere, and it primarily consists of H⁺, He⁺ and O⁺ ions and electrons. Statistical and episodic studies based primarily on ion composition observations on the ISIS-2, DE-1, Akebono and Polar satellites over the past four decades have confirmed the existence of the polar wind. These observations spanned the altitude range from 1000 to ∼50,500 km, and revealed several important features in the polar wind that are unexpected from “classical” polar wind theories. These include the day–night asymmetry in polar wind velocity, which is 1.5–2.0 times larger on the dayside; appreciable O⁺ flow at high altitudes, where the velocity at 5000–10,000 km is of 1–4 km/s; and significant electron temperature anisotropy in the sunlit polar wind, in which the upward-to-downward electron temperature ratio is 1.5–2. These features are attributable to a number of “non-classical” polar wind ion acceleration mechanisms resulting from strong ionospheric convection, enhanced electron and ion temperatures, and escaping atmospheric photoelectrons. The observed polar wind has an averaged ion temperature of ∼0.2–0.3 eV, and a rate of ion velocity increase with altitude that correlates strongly with electron temperature and is greatest at low altitudes (<4000 km for H⁺). The rate of velocity increase below 4000 km is larger at solar minimum than at solar maximum. Above 4000 km, the reverse is the case. This suggests that the dominant polar wind ion acceleration process may be different at low and high altitudes, respectively. At a given altitude, the polar wind velocity is highly variable, and is on average largest for H⁺ and smallest for O⁺. Near solar maximum, H⁺, He⁺, and O⁺ ions typically reach a velocity of 1 km/s near 2000, 3000, and 6000 km, respectively, and velocities of 12, 7, and 4 km/s, respectively, at 10,000 km altitude. Near solar minimum, the velocity of all three species is smaller at high altitudes. Observationally it is not always possible to unambiguously separate an energized “non-polar-wind” ion such as a low-energy “cleft ion fountain” ion that has convected into a polar wind flux tube from an energized “polar-wind” ion that is accelerated locally by “non-classical” polar-wind ion acceleration mechanisms. Significant questions remain on the relative contribution between the cleft ion fountain, auroral bulk upflow, and the topside polar-cap ionosphere to the O⁺ polar wind population at high altitudes, the effect of positive spacecraft charging on the lowest-energy component of the H⁺ polar wind population, and the relative importance of the various classical and non-classical ion acceleration mechanisms. These questions pose several challenges in future polar wind observations: These include measurement of the lowest-energy component in the presence of positive spacecraft potential, definitive determination and if possible active control of the spacecraft potential, definitive discrimination between polar wind and other inter-mixed thermal ion populations, measurement of the three-dimensional ion drift velocity vector and the parallel and perpendicular ion temperatures or the detailed three-dimensional velocity distribution function, and resolution of He⁺ and other minor ion species in the polar wind population.     

High-resolution spectrometer for atmospheric studies

A high-resolution spectrometer (0.0014 nm at 313 nm) has been developed at the University of L’Aquila (Italy) for atmospheric spectroscopic studies. The layout, optics and software for the instrument control are described. Measurements of the mercury low-pressure lamp lines from 200 to 600 nm show the high performances of the spectrometer. Laboratory measurements of OH and NO₂ spectrums demonstrate that the system could be used for cross-section measurements and to detect these species in the atmosphere. The first atmospheric application of the system was the observation of direct solar and sky spectrums that shows a filling-in of the sky lines due to rotational Raman scattering. The measurements have been done with clear and cloudy sky and in both there was a strong dependence of the filling-in from the solar zenith angle whereas no dependence from the wavelengths was evident at low solar zenith angles (less than 85°).     

Solar activity imprints in tree ring width from Chile (1610–1991)

We have investigated the solar activity signal in tree ring data from two locations in Chile. The tree ring time series extended over a period of ∼400 yr. Spectral and wavelet analysis techniques were employed. We have found evidence for the presence of the solar activity Schwabe (∼11 yr), Hale (∼22 yr), fourth-harmonic of the 208-yr Suess cycle (∼52 yr) and Gleissberg (∼80 yr) cycles. The Gleissberg cycle of tree ring data is in anti-phase with solar activity. Wavelet and cross-wavelet techniques revealed that the periods found are intermittent, possibly because solar activity signals observed in tree rings are mostly due to solar influence on local climate (rainfall, temperature, and cloud cover) where trees grow up. Further, cross-wavelet analysis between sunspot and tree ring time series showed that the cross power around the 11 yr solar cycle is more significant during periods of high solar activity (grand maximum) than during periods of low solar activity (grand minimum). As Glaciar Pio XI is practically at the Pacific Ocean level, the tree-ring response may be stronger due to the heating of the Pacific Ocean water following an increase of the solar radiation incidence rather than at the higher altitudes of Osorno region.     

Multiple extreme environmental conditions of intermittent soda pans in the Carpathian Basin (Central Europe)

Soda lakes and pans represent saline ecosystems with unique chemical composition, occurring on all continents. The purpose of this study was to identify and characterise the main environmental gradients and trophic state that prevail in the soda pans (n = 84) of the Carpathian Basin in Central Europe. Underwater light conditions, dissolved organic matter, phosphorus and chlorophyll a were investigated in 84 pans during 2009–2010. Besides, water temperature was measured hourly with an automatic sensor throughout one year in a selected pan. The pans were very shallow (median depth: 15 cm), and their extremely high turbidity (Secchi depth median: 3 cm, min: 0.5 cm) was caused by high concentrations of inorganic suspended solids (median: 0.4 g L⁻¹, max: 16 g L⁻¹), which was the dominant (>50%) contributing factor to the vertical attenuation coefficient in 67 pans (80%). All pans were polyhumic (median DOC: 47 mg L⁻¹), and total phosphorus concentration was also extremely high (median: 2 mg L⁻¹, max: 32 mg L⁻¹). The daily water temperature maximum (44 °C) and fluctuation maximum (28 °C) were extremely high during summertime. The combination of environmental boundaries: shallowness, daily water temperature fluctuation, intermittent hydroperiod, high turbidity, polyhumic organic carbon concentration, high alkalinity and hypertrophy represent a unique extreme aquatic ecosystem.     

Solar eclipse of the 29 March 2006: Results of the optical measurements by MORTI over Almaty (43.03°N, 76.58°E)

The observations of the upper mesosphere region (∼95 km altitude) in the period of 27–30 March 2006 using mesopause oxygen rotational temperature imager (MORTI) at Almaty (43.03°N, 76.58°E) are presented in this report to illustrate the mesosphere response to the solar eclipse (SE) event, which occurred on 29 March 2006. The nighttime volume emission rates and rotational temperatures, obtained from MORTI measurements, show appreciable differences in the pattern of wave-like oscillations observed during the period of interest. These oscillations are possibly due to the SE. Using a periodogram method the spectra of the observed wave-like oscillations, observed in the mesosphere, are examined. A physical mechanism is proposed to interpret the effects observed in terms of the mesosphere response to the total SE.     

Using machine learning to produce near surface soil moisture estimates from deeper in situ records at U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) locations: Analysis and applications to AMSR-E satellite validation

Surface soil moisture is a critical parameter for understanding the energy flux at the land atmosphere boundary. Weather modeling, climate prediction, and remote sensing validation are some of the applications for surface soil moisture information. The most common in situ measurement for these purposes are sensors that are installed at depths of approximately 5 cm. There are however, sensor technologies and network designs that do not provide an estimate at this depth. If soil moisture estimates at deeper depths could be extrapolated to the near surface, in situ networks providing estimates at other depths would see their values enhanced. Soil moisture sensors from the U.S. Climate Reference Network (USCRN) were used to generate models of 5 cm soil moisture, with 10 cm soil moisture measurements and antecedent precipitation as inputs, via machine learning techniques. Validation was conducted with the available, in situ, 5 cm resources. It was shown that a 5 cm estimate, which was extrapolated from a 10 cm sensor and antecedent local precipitation, produced a root-mean-squared-error (RMSE) of 0.0215 m³/m³. Next, these machine-learning-generated 5 cm estimates were also compared to AMSR-E estimates at these locations. These results were then compared with the performance of the actual in situ readings against the AMSR-E data. The machine learning estimates at 5 cm produced an RMSE of approximately 0.03 m³/m³ when an optimized gain and offset were applied. This is necessary considering the performance of AMSR-E in locations characterized by high vegetation water contents, which are present across North Carolina. Lastly, the application of this extrapolation technique is applied to the ECONet in North Carolina, which provides a 10 cm depth measurement as its shallowest soil moisture estimate. A raw RMSE of 0.028 m³/m³ was achieved, and with a linear gain and offset applied at each ECONet site, an RMSE of 0.013 m³/m³ was possible.     

Quantifying and specifying the solar influence on terrestrial surface temperature

This investigation is a follow-up of a paper in which we showed that both major magnetic components of the solar dynamo, viz. the toroidal and the poloidal ones, are correlated with average terrestrial surface temperatures. Here, we quantify, improve and specify that result and search for their causes.We studied seven recent temperature files. They were smoothed in order to eliminate the Schwabe-type (11 years) variations. While the total temperature gradient over the period of investigation (1610–1970) is 0.087 °C/century; a gradient of 0.077 °C/century is correlated with the equatorial (toroidal) magnetic field component. Half of it is explained by the increase of the Total Solar Irradiance over the period of investigation, while the other half is due to feedback by evaporated water vapour. A yet unexplained gradient of ?0.040 °C/century is correlated with the polar (poloidal) magnetic field. The residual temperature increase over that period, not correlated with solar variability, is 0.051 °C/century. It is ascribed to climatologic forcings and internal modes of variation.We used these results to study present terrestrial surface warming. By subtracting the above-mentioned components from the observed temperatures we found a residual excess of 0.31° in 1999, this being the triangularly weighted residual over the period 1990–2008.We show that solar forcing of the ground temperature associated with significant feedback is a regularly occurring feature, by describing some well observed events during the Holocene.     

Spawning ground and larval transport processes of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus in the shelf-break region of the southern East China Sea

Horizontal distribution patterns of jack mackerel Trachurus japonicus larvae were investigated extensively in the East China Sea (ECS) along the shelf-break region between 26° and 30°N during February–March based on fine-scale larval sampling in 2002 and 2003. A total of 2363 T. japonicus ranging from 1.2 to 12.4 mm body length (BL) were collected at 310 bongo net sampling stations, of which larvae <10 mm BL accounted for 99.1%. In both years, newly hatched larvae (<3 mm BL) were concentrated in the shelf-break region mainly in the southern part of ECS between 26° and 27°N in warm water of 21–23 °C, suggesting that their primary spawning ground existed in and around this area. With growth, larvae were transported in two different directions, i.e., northward and northeastward, corresponding closely with the direction of the Kuroshio Branch Current north of Taiwan (KBCNT) and the Kuroshio, respectively. Replicate sampling cruises at 2 week intervals were conducted in 2003, and the larval distribution pattern changed significantly between the sampling cruises, suggesting that the transport process fluctuates over relatively short periods in relation to oceanographic processes. The transport speed by the KBCNT was estimated to be 0.13–0.28 knots based on the larval distribution, which is one order of magnitude slower than that by the Kuroshio (1.5–3 knots). Habitat temperature gradually declined with growth in both the Kuroshio and KBCNT, but in the KBCNT it was 1–2 °C lower than in the Kuroshio. Our results suggest that the two different larval transport processes lead to a significant difference in the transport route, habitat conditions (such as temperature and food), and site where young fish recruit to the demersal habitat, which will result in different survival and recruitment processes.     

Nighttime E region plasma irregularities over an equatorial station Trivandrum

In situ measurements of electron density were made over Trivandrum (8.5°N, 76.9°E) during nighttime to study E-region plasma density irregularities. Irregularities, with vertical scale sizes from a few km to 15 cm, were detected during rocket ascent and descent. Electron density profiles during ascent and descent of an earlier nighttime rocket flight from Trivandrum are also presented. Some of the important results are as follows: (i) horizontal gradients in electron density exist in 110–120 km region with horizontal scale size of at least 40 km, (ii) based on the presence/absence of electron density structures during ascent and descent of both flights, the horizontal distance over which the gradient drift instability operates is found to be at least 80 km and 90 km, for both the flights, (iii) observed irregularities in regions of negative density gradient are suggested to be produced through the gradient drift instability (GDI) driven by vertical polarization electric field as well as by electric field produced through wind shears and those in positive gradient regions by wind driven GDI, (iv) largest irregularity amplitude (≈30%) was associated with steepest gradients and so was the presence of smallest vertical scale sizes (12 m to 15 cm), which were absent at other altitudes, (v) the spectral index of irregularities was in the range of ?2.2±0.2 for large scales (few kilometers>λ>50 m), ?3.25±0.25 for medium scales (50 m>λ>10 m) and ?2.6±0.1 for smaller scales (10 m>λ>1 m) and (vi) irregularities in large and medium scales are expected to be produced directly through GDI and the small and sum-meter scales through non-linear GDI.     

Contribution of surface roughness to simulations of historical deforestation

Surface roughness which partitions surface net radiation into energy fluxes is a key parameter for estimation of biosphere–atmosphere interactions and climate variability. An earth system model of intermediate complexity (EMIC), MPM-2, is used to derive the impact of surface roughness on climate from simulations of historical land cover change effects. The direct change in surface roughness leads to a global surface warming of 0.08 °C through altering the turbulence in the boundary layer. The regional temperature response to surface roughness associated deforestation is very strong at northern mid-latitudes with a most prominent warming of 0.72 °C around 50°N in the Eurasia continent during summer. They can be explained mainly as direct and indirect consequences of decreases in surface albedo and increases in precipitation in response to deforestation, although there are a few significant changes in precipitation. There is also a prominent warming of 0.25 °C around 40°N in the North American continent. This study indicates that land surface roughness plays a significant role which is comparable with the whole land conversion effect in climate change. Therefore, further investigation of roughness–climate relationship is needed to incorporate these aspects.     

Hybrid model for nowcasting and forecasting the K index

A new empirical model nowcasting and predicting a proxy to the geomagnetic K index is developed, which is based on the combined use of solar wind parameters and ground-based magnetic data. The present approach implements the previously developed solar wind-based MAK model, calibrating its values with magnetogram-derived K index. The new model is named as Hybrid Dourbes K (HDK) model. The HDK nowcast model provides the quantity Kdf, obtained by solar wind-based Ksw and corrected with a combination of differences between several past values of Kd and Ksw. The model error of the nowcast Kdf is found to be 0.38 KU, or nearly twice less than that of the MAK model. Kdf has a good predictability. Prediction made by weighted extrapolation 6 h ahead carries an error of 1.0 KU, while for the first 1 h the error is 0.58 KU only.     

Spring and summer blooms of phytoplankton (SeaWiFS/MODIS) along a ferry line in the Bay of Biscay and western English Channel

The seasonal cycle of chlorophyll concentration in the Bay of Biscay and western English Channel has been examined using satellite data (chlorophyll, sea surface temperature (SST), photosynthetically available radiation (PAR) and wind) along the line of the ferry Pride of Bilbao (Bilbao to Portsmouth). The spring phytoplankton bloom develops regularly in the oceanic region of the Bay of Biscay from mid March to the beginning of May with peak chlorophyll concentrations ranging 2–4 mg m^?3. Low wind turbulence is a major factor allowing the development of productivity pulses in the Bay of Biscay during spring. Exceptional blooms of phytoplankton take place in summer (July–August) in the western English Channel with chlorophyll concentrations as high as 40 mg m^?3. Some environmental factors (SST, wind, pressure and tide) are examined. Autumn blooms of phytoplankton (1–2 mg m^?3) are also detected in the northern Bay of Biscay, shelf-break and Celtic Sea in October. A 11 years pluri-annual synthesis of SeaWiFS satellite measurements is presented.     

Decoupled warming and monsoon precipitation in East Asia over the last deglaciation

Our understanding of the continental climate development in East Asia is mainly based on loess–paleosol sequences and summer monsoon precipitation reconstructions based on oxygen isotopes (δ¹⁸O) of stalagmites from several Chinese caves. Based on these records, it is thought that East Asian Summer Monsoon (EASM) precipitation generally follows Northern Hemisphere (NH) summer insolation. However, not much is known about the magnitude and timing of deglacial warming on the East Asian continent. In this study we reconstruct continental air temperatures for central China covering the last 34,000 yr, based on the distribution of fossil branched tetraether membrane lipids of soil bacteria in a loess–paleosol sequence from the Mangshan loess plateau. The results indicate that air temperature varied in phase with NH summer insolation, and that the onset of deglacial warming at ~ 19 kyr BP is parallel in timing with other continental records from e.g. Antarctica, southern Africa and South-America. The air temperature increased from ~ 15 °C at the onset of the warming to a maximum of ~ 27 °C in the early Holocene (~ 12 kyr BP), in agreement with the temperature increase inferred from e.g. pollen and phytolith data, and permafrost limits in central China.Comparison of the tetraether membrane lipid-derived temperature record with loess–paleosol proxy records and stalagmite δ¹⁸O records shows that the strengthening of EASM precipitation lagged that of deglacial warming by ca. 3 kyr. Moreover, intense soil formation in the loess deposits, caused by substantial increases in summer monsoon precipitation, only started around 12 kyr BP (ca. 7 kyr lag). Our results thus show that the intensification of EASM precipitation unambiguously lagged deglacial warming and NH summer insolation, and may contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms controlling ice age terminations.