On the glacial-interglacial variability of the Asian monsoon in speleothem δ18O records.
TL;DR: It is found that the records close to the monsoon moisture source show large glacial-interglacial variability, which then decreases landward, the moisture transport pathway effect, which counteracts the forcing of glacial boundary conditions.
Abstract: While Asian monsoon (AM) changes have been clearly captured in Chinese speleothem oxygen isotope (δ18O) records, the lack of glacial-interglacial variability in the records remains puzzling. Here, we report speleothem δ18O records from three locations along the trajectory of the Indian summer monsoon (ISM), a major branch of the AM, and characterize AM rainfall over the past 180,000 years. We have found that the records close to the monsoon moisture source show large glacial-interglacial variability, which then decreases landward. These changes likely reflect a stronger oxygen isotope fractionation associated with progressive rainout of AM moisture during glacial periods, possibly due to a larger temperature gradient and suppressed plant transpiration. We term this effect, which counteracts the forcing of glacial boundary conditions, the moisture transport pathway effect.
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TL;DR: In this article, Wang et al. reconcile the Chinese 100 kyr problem and the sea-land precession phase paradox by comparing the results of different hydroclimatic proxies.
Abstract: The Asian summer monsoon (ASM) is a vast climate system, whose variability is critical to the livelihoods of billions of people across the Asian continent. During the past half-century, much progress has been made in understanding variations on a wide range of timescales, yet several significant issues remain unresolved. Of note are two long-standing problems concerning orbital-scale variations of the ASM. (1) Chinese loess magnetic susceptibility records show a persistent glacial-interglacial dominated ~100 kyr (thousand years) periodicity, while the cave oxygen-isotope (δ18O) records reveal periodicity in an almost pure precession band (~20 kyr periodicity)—the “Chinese 100 kyr problem”. (2) ASM records from the Arabian Sea and other oceans surrounding the Asian continent show a significant lag of 8–10 kyr to Northern Hemisphere summer insolation (NHSI), whereas the Asian cave δ18O records follow NHSI without a significant lag—a discrepancy termed the “sea-land precession-phase paradox”. How can we reconcile these differences? Recent and more refined model simulations now provide spatial patterns of rainfall and wind across the precession cycle, revealing distinct regional divergences in the ASM domain, which can well explain a large portion of the disparities between the loess, marine, and cave proxy records. Overall, we also find that the loess, marine, and cave records are indeed complementary rather than incompatible, with each record preferentially describing a certain aspect of ASM dynamics. Our study provides new insight into the understanding of different hydroclimatic proxies and largely reconciles the “Chinese 100 kyr problem“ and “sea-land precession-phase paradox”.
50 citations
24 citations
Ritsumeikan University1, University of Newcastle2, Free University of Berlin3, University of Oxford4, University of Glasgow5, University of Derby6, Aberystwyth University7, Trinity College, Dublin8, Osaka City University9, Chiba University of Commerce10, Nagoya University11, University of Groningen12, Naruto University of Education13, University of Tokyo14
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present new pollen data and mean annual temperature reconstruction from the annually laminated sediments of Lake Suigetsu, Japan, which is an integral component of the IntCal20 radiocarbon calibration model, in which the absolute age scale is established to the highest standard.
18 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors presented a high-resolution EASM precipitation record reconstructed from the loess redness in North China over the past 720 kyr, showing that the average precipitation for interglacials is 420mm/yr, higher than present (~280 mm/yr).
Abstract: The periodicity and forcing mechanism of the past East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) precipitation are the natural background for predicting future precipitation changes, but they are controversial and intensely debated. Here, we present a high-resolution EASM precipitation record reconstructed from the loess redness in North China over the past 720 kyr. The average precipitation for interglacials is 420 mm/yr, higher than present (~280 mm/yr). Combing through our EASM records and previously published data exhibits a dominated periodicity of 100 kyr on the orbital timescale, and thus supports the hypothesis of high-latitude climate forcing. More importantly, we found the precession cycle appears only after the Mid-Brunhes Transition (MBT, ~430 ka) in the EASM records and it follows the global ice volume prior to the MBT in the interglacials interiors. We argue that during the post-MBT interglacials, abruptly appearing Arctic perennial sea ice resulted southward shift of the Northern Hemisphere Westerlies jet, thereby decreasing the EASM precipitation in North China. This suggests that the precession rhythm in the EASM possibly is a result of Arctic perennial sea ice or Northern Hemisphere ice sheets changes. In the warm Marine Isotope Stages (MIS) 5e and 11e, the strongest EASM precipitation may be related to the strengthening of the moisture transport from the warming tropical ocean. Therefore, the variation of the mid-latitude EASM precipitation intensity during the interglacial interiors is the integrated effect between the North Hemisphere high latitude ice volume and low latitude climate changes.
15 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors quantitatively deconvolve these parameters affecting δ18OCc by applying three geochemical techniques in speleothems covering the penultimate glacial termination, and reveal that the different modes of the AMOC produced distinct impacts on the monsoon system.
Abstract: During glacial terminations, massive iceberg discharges and meltwater pulses in the North Atlantic triggered a shutdown of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Speleothem calcium carbonate oxygen isotope records (δ18OCc) indicate that the collapse of the AMOC caused dramatic changes in the distribution and variability of the East Asian and Indian monsoon rainfall. However, the mechanisms linking changes in the intensity of the AMOC and Asian monsoon δ18OCc are not fully understood. Part of the challenge arises from the fact that speleothem δ18OCc depends on not only the δ18O of precipitation but also temperature and kinetic isotope effects. Here we quantitatively deconvolve these parameters affecting δ18OCc by applying three geochemical techniques in speleothems covering the penultimate glacial termination. Our data suggest that the weakening of the AMOC during meltwater pulse 2A caused substantial cooling in East Asia and a shortening of the summer monsoon season, whereas the collapse of the AMOC during meltwater pulse 2B (133,000 years ago) also caused a dramatic decrease in the intensity of the Indian summer monsoon. These results reveal that the different modes of the AMOC produced distinct impacts on the monsoon system. The influence of meltwater pulse events on Asian monsoon systems varied in line with the degree of AMOC weakening, according to a multi-proxy analysis of speleothems from China covering the penultimate glacial termination.
11 citations
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Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University1, Joseph Fourier University2, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research3, University of Copenhagen4, Reykjavík University5, University of Bern6, Centre national de la recherche scientifique7, University of Parma8, Université libre de Bruxelles9, University of Trieste10, Max Planck Society11, British Antarctic Survey12
TL;DR: It is suggested that the interplay between obliquity and precession accounts for the variable intensity of interglacial periods in ice core records.
Abstract: A high-resolution deuterium profile is now available along the entire European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core, extending this climate record back to marine isotope stage 20.2, ∼800,000 years ago. Experiments performed with an atmospheric general circulation model including water isotopes support its temperature interpretation. We assessed the general correspondence between Dansgaard-Oeschger events and their smoothed Antarctic counterparts for this Dome C record, which reveals the presence of such features with similar amplitudes during previous glacial periods. We suggest that the interplay between obliquity and precession accounts for the variable intensity of interglacial periods in ice core records.
1,723 citations
TL;DR: An absolute-dated oxygen isotope record from Sanbao cave, central China, is presented that completes a Chinese-cave-based record of the strength of the East Asian monsoon that covers the past 224,000 years, supporting the idea that tropical/subtropical monsoons respond dominantly and directly to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation on orbital timescales.
Abstract: Stalactites, stalagmites and the many other forms of mineral deposits found in caves are a mainstay of climate studies, recording oxygen isotope ratios in limestone laid down over time. That pattern links to the water temperature of ancient oceans, and thus to climate. A new oxygen isotope record from Sanbao Cave, central China, tells the story of the region's climate stretching back 200,000 years, filling gaps in the record of a particularly important climate event, the East Asian monsoon. High-resolution speleothem records from China have provided insights into the factors that control the strength of the East Asian monsoon1,2,3,4. Our understanding of these factors remains incomplete, however, owing to gaps in the record of monsoon history over the past two interglacial–glacial cycles. In particular, missing sections have hampered our ability to test ideas about orbital-scale controls on the monsoon5,6,7, the causes of millennial-scale events8,9 and relationships between changes in the monsoon and climate in other regions. Here we present an absolute-dated oxygen isotope record from Sanbao cave, central China, that completes a Chinese-cave-based record of the strength of the East Asian monsoon that covers the past 224,000 years. The record is dominated by 23,000-year-long cycles that are synchronous within dating errors with summer insolation at 65° N (ref. 10), supporting the idea that tropical/subtropical monsoons respond dominantly and directly to changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation on orbital timescales5. The cycles are punctuated by millennial-scale strong-summer-monsoon events (Chinese interstadials1), and the new record allows us to identify the complete series of these events over the past two interglacial–glacial cycles. Their duration decreases and their frequency increases during glacial build-up in both the last and penultimate glacial periods, indicating that ice sheet size affects their character and pacing. The ages of the events are exceptionally well constrained and may thus serve as benchmarks for correlating and calibrating climate records.
1,603 citations
01 Jan 2006
TL;DR: A high-resolution deuterium profile is available along the entire European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core, extending this climate record back to marine isotope stage 20.2, ∼800,000 years ago.
Abstract: A high-resolution deuterium profile is now available along the entire European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica Dome C ice core, extending this climate record back to marine isotope stage 20.2, ∼800,000 years ago. Experiments performed with an atmospheric general circulation model including water isotopes support its temperature interpretation. We assessed the general correspondence between Dansgaard-Oeschger events and their smoothed Antarctic counterparts for this Dome C record, which reveals the presence of such features with similar amplitudes during previous glacial periods. We suggest that the interplay between obliquity and precession accounts for the variable intensity of interglacial periods in ice core records.
1,566 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors provide an overview of major problems of the East Asian summer monsoon system and provide an analysis of the major factors that influence the behavior of the monsoon.
Abstract: The present paper provides an overview of major problems of the East Asian summer monsoon. The summer monsoon system over East Asia (including the South China Sea (SCS)) cannot be just thought of as the eastward and northward extension of the Indian monsoon. Numerous studies have well documented that the huge Asian summer monsoon system can be divided into two subsystems: the Indian and the East Asian monsoon system which are to a greater extent independent of each other and, at the same time, interact with each other. In this context, the major findings made in recent two decades are summarized below: (1) The earliest onset of the Asian summer monsoon occurs in most of cases in the central and southern Indochina Peninsula. The onset is preceded by development of a BOB (Bay of Bengal) cyclone, the rapid acceleration of low-level westerlies and significant increase of convective activity in both areal extent and intensity in the tropical East Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. (2) The seasonal march of the East Asian summer monsoon displays a distinct stepwise northward and northeastward advance, with two abrupt northward jumps and three stationary periods. The monsoon rain commences over the region from the Indochina Peninsula-the SCS-Philippines during the period from early May to mid-May, then it extends abruptly to the Yangtze River Basin, and western and southern Japan, and the southwestern Philippine Sea in early to mid-June and finally penetrates to North China, Korea and part of Japan, and the topical western West Pacific. (3) After the onset of the Asian summer monsoon, the moisture transport coming from Indochina Peninsula and the South China Sea plays a crucial “switch” role in moisture supply for precipitation in East Asia, thus leading to a dramatic change in climate regime in East Asia and even more remote areas through teleconnection. (4) The East Asian summer monsoon and related seasonal rain belts assumes significant variability at intraseasonal, interannual and interdecadal time scales. Their interaction, i.e., phase locking and in-phase or out-phase superimposing, can to a greater extent control the behaviors of the East Asian summer monsoon and produce unique rythem and singularities. (5) Two external forcing i.e., Pacific and Indian Ocean SSTs and the snow cover in the Eurasia and the Tibetan Plateau, are believed to be primary contributing factors to the activity of the East Asian summer monsoon. However, the internal variability of the atmospheric circulation is also very important. In particular, the blocking highs in mid-and high latitudes of Eurasian continents and the subtropical high over the western North Pacific play a more important role which is quite different from the condition for the South Asian monsoon. The later is of tropical monsoon nature while the former is of hybrid nature of tropical and subtropical monsoon with intense impact from mid-and high latitudes.
1,541 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a continuous record of the Asian monsoon over the last 16 ka from δ18O measurements of stalagmite calcite, which is combined with a chronology from 45 precise 230Th dates.
1,527 citations