Changes of Paleo-precipitation on the Sunda Shelf Since the Last Glacial Maximum Revealed by Hydrogen and Oxygen Isotopes

The Sunda Shelf, owing to its unique geographical location and roles, has attracted much attention on its changes during the glacial cycle. At present, there is a consensus about the change of temperature in the region, but the reconstruction of paleo precipitation has been disputed. The hydrogen and oxygen isotope records since the last glacial in the Sunda Shelf were collected, combining with other paleo climate record, we roughly divided the precipitation records in the region into the Northern and Southern areas. During the glacial, the precipitation changed little and climate remained moist in the northern area, while precipitation decreased greatly,and the climate became dry in the southern. Difference in the precipitation isotopes between the northern and southern areas might be related to the different controlling factors of the precipitation isotopes in the two areas and large-scale atmospheric circulation in the region. Limited by the collected hydrogen and oxygen records, the precise mechanism of division in regional hydrological changes of the region still needs more work to confirm.